“As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be zealous and repent.” —Revelation 3:19
For over twenty years, the Romanian people suffered under the Communist rule of Nicolae Ceausescu. Christians were especially targeted and intimidated. They were ridiculed and referred to as “repenters.”
In the early 1970s, a pastor in the town of Oradea preached an unusual message. Burdened that many Christians had conformed to the culture rather than to Christ, he insisted “the repenters must repent.” Many began to take holiness seriously. When they did, God visited that congregation in revival. Lives were transformed, people came to faith in Christ, and the church exploded in growth.
The revival spread and its impact was felt throughout the nation. The revived believers began to stand up for their convictions. Many believe this movement helped lead to the overthrow of the Ceausescu regime some fifteen years later.
The first message of Jesus’ earthly ministry was “Repent” (Matt. 4:17). His last message to the church in Scripture was “be zealous and repent.” Imagine what might happen today if the “repenters” were truly to repent.
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The Quiet Place: Daily Devotional Readings
©2012 Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Scripture taken from The CSB
Make it Personal
Are you living and walking as a “repenter”? What evidence of true repentance has there been in your life in recent months?