Repentance

It seems abundantly clear that there needs to be clarification as to what repentance is, and is not, and what our contention is with certain misunderstandings of what repentance is.

My contention is that repentance does not mean 'stop sinning'. By saying that, I do not mean that repentance has nothing at all to do with sin... of course it does. The Greek word for repentance is metaneo which means to change one's mind. A Biblical definition would be to feel true remorse over one's sins. This certainly includes the will not to sin again. However, the will to not want to sin again does not necessarily equal not sinning again. I certainly do not want to sin again, but will I probably sin in the future? Yes. Am I thus impenitent? No. My response to future sins also reveals my repentant heart.

There are many things in view to be repented of when Jesus declared, "Repent and believe the Gospel!" He was speaking to Pharisees, commoners and crooks. I think the Scripture makes it pretty clear what sins made Christ more angry: self-righteousness more than fornication; justifying oneself before God more than tax-fraud, etc. Repentance therefore is not just addressing outward sins, but inward sins. In fact, telling a person to give up their outward sins is really only attacking the symptoms and not the real problem. The real problem is the heart, from where all outward actions flow (Matthew 15:19). Repenting from outward sins is totally useless if the heart is not dealt with. It is for this reason that I believe Jesus meant something much deeper than "stop your outward sins" when He declared, "Repent and believe the Gospel". That would be very shallow indeed. And when Paul preached that "God commands all men everywhere to repent", he meant much more than just 'cut down all your idols, boys'. The Athenians could take an ax to every statue on the Grecian Peninsula and still would have not truly repented. The repentance that God is looking for is "rend your heart, and not your garments".

The greatest sins of all are pride, mercilessness and self-righteousness. I really don't believe Jesus came preaching "stop your beer guzzling and your dope smoking!" All those will fall away when the heart of the matter is taken care of. "Repent" therefore means to humble oneself before the mighty hand of God, to acknowledge one's sinfulness in light of the "glorious holiness" of God, to beat one's breast in remorse and plead, "God be merciful to me a sinner." That is true repentance. I don't think God can show mercy on the man who stops all his outward sins and then tells God, "Okay, I'm good. Forgive me now". Such a man has never truly repented.

Jesus came to the most religious society this world has ever produced. They preached abstinence and piety better than any other monastic system could ever have... but Christ came in to demolish human pride and confidence in outward piety. Christ preached repentance of the heart, so that an adulterous woman weeping at his feet was more righteous than the morally blameless men who invited Jesus over for dinner.

Paul declared, "as touching the righteousness that is in the law, I was blameless." Outwardly I was spectacular! But when Paul met Jesus and was thrown to the earth, the light of truth exposing his inward sinfulness, Paul soon found out that all of his righteousness was in fact worth "dung", and he didn't just need forgiveness of past sins... what he needed was an entire inward transformation. The apostle of the faith, born again of the Spirit of God, could now proclaim the everlasting Gospel by the revelation of Jesus Christ given to him: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief."

Fredericton for the Winter

Dear saints,

This winter I will be home in Fredericton, New Brunswick, until the Lord moves me on from here. I'm looking forward to the ministry God has prepared for me, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10), and I pray that Christ would be glorified, the saints would be edified and the devil would be petrified! Please remember me in your prayers.

I do hope, now that I'm settled in, to be writing more and to post more resources on the website.

Thank you my dear friends.
Yours brother and fellow soldier in the service of Jesus Christ,
-Eli

St. Thomas University

Well dear saints, for the first time I have finally preached on a university campus in Fredericton, my own hometown. I was praying that God would give us good weather for Wednesday seeing that we are rounding the corner towards the winter season, and my prayers were answered, so brother Greg and I quickly gathered ourselves together that day to preach the gospel at St. Thomas University.

It was certainly different preaching on a campus where I recognized, and was recognized by, so many people. Even before we began, I reunited with a friend from a few years ago, and while preaching I saw many familiar faces in the crowd. The long and short of it, I was able to preach for about 15 minutes before the administration approached me, and was able to draw a crowd of about eighty, both student and faculty. I truly believe many people on campus were curious and interested in discussing the things of God that afternoon.

But that wasn't where the day ended: after being taken inside George Martin Hall, immediately a journalist from the campus newspaper gave me a short interview, and next, while I was talking with him, a Religious Studies professor invited me in to speak to his class about my message and Christianity! I praise God that when it seems like men have closed all the doors, He always has others opened.

"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak." (Colossians 4:2-4)

What a true honor to be a witness for Jesus Christ amongst my very own peers. Friends, please pray that the doors would indeed be open for the Word to be preached at St. Thomas. Also, pray for the Christians on campus to be encouraged to be bold in their testimony for Christ. May God make us men and women who are martyrs for His glory.

In the service of Jesus Christ,
-Eli

Watch Revival Conference LIVE

Dear TM readers,

Even if you won't be able to attend the Revival Conference next week, you can still participate in what God is doing right from your own home. This Tuesday through Thursday (Oct. 23-25) tune in to watch Revival Conference live on Christian.tv! The schedule for the conference is listed right on Christian.tv. You don't want to miss this.

Simply click the banner to watch the Revival Conference as it happens! You won't want to miss what God is doing in this very special hour.

Evangelical Preacher Courts Controversy at USU

This article was written for the USU Statesman newspaper not long after I left Cache Valley. I thought it was very encouraging.

Evangelical Preacher Courts Controversy at USU
By Jon Adams

For the first time in a long time, Utah State University has felt like…well, a university—a marketplace of ideas. There has been a heated, yet healthy religious dialogue on campus the past few weeks.

Eli Brayley, a young preacher from Canada, has been traveling across the continent to call people to repentance and share with them the "transforming power" of Christianity. At only 21, he has preached in 30 states and at 64 campuses. His visit to USU raised a lot of eyebrows (and voices); it brought some sorely needed controversy to our campus.

Without any religious affiliation, I had little emotional investment in the spirited back-and-forth between Eli and his predominantly Mormon audience here at USU. Instead, I was thoroughly amused by it. Listening to both sides debate whose faith was more irrational, I couldn't help but think, "Thank God I'm an atheist."

Once the crowds died down, I often found the opportunity to speak with Eli one-on-one. I was impressed by his knowledge of the Bible and surprised by his personal warmth. For so vocal a preacher, he is actually a rather soft-spoken person.

During the course of his ministry here at USU, we developed an unlikely friendship. We recently spent a few hours discussing religion and politics over dinner at the Bluebird. Neither of us walked away having persuaded the other, but I left with an increased understanding of and respect for Eli. As such, I feel obligated to dispel some misconceptions surrounding his motives and message.

Too many students unfairly dismissed Eli as a hateful provocateur. I am convinced, though, that Eli has a genuine love for people. He has dedicated years of his life to preaching across Canada and the US—without pay. And I have seen him spend hours with individual students, sharing with them a message he believes will spare them an eternity in Hell. At the very least, he had the courage to stand up for what he believes and that alone should command our respect.

The biggest criticism leveled against Eli is that his approach was too abrasive. Many students complain that Eli exhibited arrogance in pacing about the TSC patio, waving his worn Bible and pointing a judgmental finger at us "sinners."

While I'd agree that his "repent or burn" refrain was less than endearing, it is also worth mentioning that Eli's style was no more confrontational than was Jesus'. Not only did Jesus routinely lord the threat of Hell over his detractors, he also called them "fools" (Matthew 23:17) and "evil vipers" (Matthew 12:34).

Eli's approach stands in stark contrast to the familiar door-to-door approach of smiley LDS missionaries. Open-air preaching, however, was once common in missions. LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley, for example, spent his mission proselytizing from street corners in London. A couple of my friends who went on European missions told me they still occasionally preached this way.

Mormon students took particular offense at Eli's contention that they were not true Christians. But again, Mormons would be wise to familiarize themselves with their own history. Since its inception, the LDS church has made similar accusations. Joseph Smith called other Christian churches "abominations," and John Taylor, the third president of the church, said "the Devil could not invent a better engine to spread his work" than Christianity. How are these statements markedly different than Eli's anti-Mormon sentiments? Today's Mormonism has toned down the rhetoric, but implicit in its claim to be the one true church is a repudiation of all other religions.

Mormons demand that their missionaries be received with an open mind (and they should), but the favor is rarely returned for others. The USU student body flung scoffs, insults, and in one instance a rock at Eli.

I'm not asking that you respect his beliefs, only that you recognize his right to express them. I myself don't agree with what Eli preached. Frankly, I think Eli's religious beliefs insult both his and our intelligence. The evangelical view of grace reduces salvation to a game of hide-and-seek—"I need to find Jesus? He's hiding?!" And his holy book reads like a Medieval fairy-tale, complete with dragons, witches, and unicorns (really). The way I figure, why be born-again when you can just grow up?

And yet, despite my disapproval of his message, I nonetheless am grateful that Eli visited USU. He left for Canada earlier this week, but I hope our university continues to court controversy. Because as a public institution for higher learning, USU has that responsibility.

To borrow the words of Frederick Douglass, the famed black activist: "Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want rain without thunder and lightning."