by Jacob Ninan
There was a famous movie released in 1951 called 'Quo vadis?' which showed a fictional story based in the time of the persecution of Christians by Nero, the Emperor of Rome. As the persecution intensified, fellow Christians encouraged Peter, the apostle, to leave Rome to avoid getting caught and executed. As he was walking away from Rome, this story says that Christ appeared to him, as if He was going towards Rome. Then Peter asked Him, "Domine, quo vadis?" This meant, in Latin, "Lord, where are You going?" Christ replied that since Peter was deserting His people in Rome, He Himself was going to Rome to be crucified again. This led Peter to repent of his cowardice and return to Rome, where he was killed through crucifixion. Of course, this is just an imaginary story. But perhaps, if we use a little bit of imagination, we can hear the Lord asking, "Where are you going, church? Apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors and evangelists, quo vadis?"
From the time I was born again, I have been studying the Bible, devouring as many books and messages on cassettes, CD's, TV, YouTube, etc., as I could come across. I don't have a natural ability to speak in an impressive manner, but I am speaking from my heart, without trying to be politically correct, because my heart is disturbed because of all the things that are happening in the church all over the world. Also, as I have become more aware of how short my time on earth may be, I have been trying in every way I can, to convey what I believe are some of the concerns God has about His church. May the Lord speak to you who read and hear this.
I am going to quote here a large number of Bible verses, just to demonstrate something that is on God's heart, which comes across to us from all over the Bible. There are many more verses that we can refer to in our context. But I think this is more than enough to convey my point. Don't stop in the middle or skip ahead, because I want you to get a feel of the burden that is in God's heart and the message He has for us.
"Oh turn back, each of you from his evil way, and reform your ways and your deeds" (Jer.18:11). "Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer, saying, 'Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets.'" (2Ki.17:13). "'A Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,' declares the LORD" (Isa.59:20). "Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, that I may repent of the calamity which I am planning to do to them because of the evil of their deeds" (Jer.26:3). "Perhaps the house of Judah will hear all the calamity which I plan to bring on them, in order that every man will turn from his evil way; then I will forgive their iniquity and their sin" (Jer.36:3). "Perhaps their supplication will come before the LORD, and everyone will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and the wrath that the LORD has pronounced against this people" (Jer.36:7). "But they did not listen or incline their ears to turn from their wickedness, so as not to burn sacrifices to other gods" (Jer.44:5). "Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself" (Ezek.3:19). "Because you disheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him grief, but have encouraged the wicked not to turn from his wicked way and preserve his life" (Ezek.13:22). "Say to them, 'As I live!' declares the Lord GOD, 'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?'" (Ezek.33:11). "But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands" (Jon.3:8). "to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me" (Acts.26:18). "if they take thought in the land where they have been taken captive, and repent and make supplication to You in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, 'We have sinned and have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly" (1Kin.8:47). "For thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, 'In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.' But you were not willing," (Isa.30:15). "O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth? You have smitten them, But they did not weaken; You have consumed them, But they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; They have refused to repent" (Jer.5:3). "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, 'Repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your abominations.'" (Ezek.14:6). "'Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct,' declares the Lord GOD. 'Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you.'" (Ezek.18:30). "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt.3:2). "From that time Jesus began to preach and say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" (Matt.4:17). "Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent" (Matt.11:20). "and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.'" (Mk.1:15). "and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem" (Lk.24:47). "Peter said to them, 'Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" (Acts.2:38). "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;" (Acts.3:19). "Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you" (Acts.8:22). "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent" (Acts.17:30). "solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts.20:21). "but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance" (Acts.26:20). "Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?" (Rom.2:4). "But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God" (Rom.2:5). "I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, immorality and sensuality which they have practiced" (2Cor.12:21). "For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears" (Heb.12:17). This is about Cain who cried when he lost his blessings, but still he did not repent. Does that speak to us in any way? "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance" (2Pet.3:9). "Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place--unless you repent" (Rev.2:5). "Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth" (Rev.2:16). "I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality" (Rev.2:21). "Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds" (Rev.2:22). "So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you" (Rev.3:3). "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent" (Rev.3:19).
Doesn't this tell us about something which He wants His church to be emphasising in our preaching? See how much importance God gives to repentance, to turn from sin to Him? We hardly hear that now. How many times have you heard preachers telling people to turn from sin to God? These days the so-called prophets are not calling people to turn from their sins to God, or from their self-centred, self-seeking ways to godliness. What do we hear mostly these days? God will bless you. You will be the head and not the tail. You will be restored what you have lost. You will get back what Satan has stolen from you. Dream big, and God will grant you the desires of your heart. Etc., etc. And what is happening to the church? Becoming more like the world in the way we speak, think and behave. We cannot blame people in the world if they are not attracted to Christ, because we are not giving them an example that challenges them. Instead of becoming the salt and light of this world, the latest ideas and fashions of the world enter the church without too much delay. And there are hardly any prophets to warn God's people. Everyone is passing on pleasant messages and preachers seem to want to outdo one another in presenting the gracious promises of God to people, without placing any conditions on them and even misquoting the promises God has made for other people in different times. On the whole, the church is going ahead with great abandon into the traps that Satan has laid out for her. Warnings from true prophets who hear from God are pushed away, and people are being warned not to listen to them.
The desire in God's heart for people whom He has created is to save us from sin. If we really want to be free from sin, it means that we should stop sinning. "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin" (1Jn.2:1). It is obvious that people must turn from their sins to Jesus when they first come to Him for salvation. They must acknowledge their sins and ask God for forgiveness. But the invitation which they actually receive from the church is about receiving the love of God and His blessings without any reference to sin. Do we imagine that after God has adopted us as His children everything is all good for us and there is nothing for us to worry about? We face all kinds of temptations that draw us towards backsliding and to compel us to give up our faith altogether. We must learn to overcome in temptations so that we don't continue sinning. But the message we hear a lot these days is about receiving blessing after blessing from God so that we can avoid having to face problems, and we can enjoy ourselves and do whatever we desire. The imitation good news that has infiltrated the church is that whatever we do, the love of God will be with us. If I speak with sarcasm, if God is for us, what is there to worry?Another serious problem is that anyone who says he has accepted Jesus is accepted without any hesitation. Nobody dares to admit that perhaps they have not understood the way of salvation, or that they have not experienced proper conversion. But don't you dare to judge! The church has become so seeker-friendly that there is no explanation about why people need salvation, or any effort to make sure that they are on the right path. Once they have come to Jesus, they are assumed to be safe for eternity, and the warnings and exhortations we find in the New Testament for the people in the church are not taken seriously in the church. The result is that people who come into the church are accepted unconditionally and those inside are entertained with good music, humorous skits, sermons that offend nobody, picnics, games, etc., and overdosed with talk about the love and grace of God. We dare not speak the truth lest somebody might leave the church! But people in the church are falling into the same sins that are there outside, and the young people in the church are setting their sights only on enjoying themselves, making money, going places, etc. Yet week after week they hear messages encouraging them with the promises of God, and assuring them of the wonders of His grace.
Those who raise their voice against these are described as faultfinders, dissatisfied, legalistic, negative, etc. When Jeremiah continually warned the people to repent and get back to God, the regular, popular so-called prophets turned against him and put him in a cistern. Their complaint was that he was discouraging the people and not giving them assurance of the love of God as everyone would have liked. When King Jehoshaphat of Judah asked King Ahab of Israel to find a true prophet of God to give them guidance, Ahab's answer was that Micaiah who Ahab also knew to be a prophet of God, would never prophesy good things about him. Naturally, since Ahab was one of the most wicked kings that ever were.
It is not that God is ever without a witness. But people generally do not like such witnesses because they speak out the painful truth. But before it is too late, shouldn't we be listening to the word of God and the few prophets who truly know God and who stand in His council? "Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone forth in wrath, Even a whirling tempest; It will swirl down on the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD will not turn back Until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; In the last days you will clearly understand it. I did not send these prophets, But they ran. I did not speak to them, But they prophesied. But if they had stood in My council, Then they would have announced My words to My people, And would have turned them back from their evil way And from the evil of their deeds" (Jer.23:19-22).