The following word from David Wilkerson is both timely and on point— to the shame of the culturally relevant, Laodicean church of today.

Jesus declares, "My church is a place of shameless, open repentance." 

Indeed, the apostle Paul attests:

But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart"— that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.  For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed." (Romans 10:8-11)

Simply put, we are brought to salvation through our open confession of repentance. Jesus states, "I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Matthew 9:13). And, he says, repentance is how we are healed and restored: "It is not those who are well that need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:31-32).

This is good news. Jesus is telling us, "In my church, everyone is healed through repentance. It doesn’t matter who you are— the physically broken, the mentally ill, the spiritually sick. Everyone must come to me the same way. And all find healing through repentance.

How many churches still open their altars for heart-smitten people to come forward and repent? How many pastors have stopped giving invitations for this all-important spiritual work? How many believers have lost all sense of their need to confess sin?

What is the central message of Christ’s gospel? He makes it plain throughout the four gospels. He tells us, "Here is what I preach in my church. This is my message to all sinners."

"Jesus came…preaching the gospel of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15). This was Jesus' first recorded message. He preached repentance!

To some Christians, this may sound like strong language. They may respond, "Okay, but how strongly did Jesus preach repentance?" Luke answers that in his gospel. Jesus told his listeners, "But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:5).

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