Is your church a repentant church? How can you tell?

Kevin Swanson explains in this video that a repentant church that lives out true repentance in the 21st century is the same church that lived it out in the 1st century. It is the church that understands the Beatitudes. It is a church that understands that it needs to be reforming.

There has to be a mourning over sin and repentance for sin in the church before there is a comforting. There has to be a distraugtness. The same Holy Spirit that brings the convicting force also brings great joy. If there is a church that has no conviction for sin, there is no mourning. That is not a true church.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NKJV) – “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

A church that lives out true repentance in the 21st century is the same church that lived it out in the first century. It's the public and falls on its face before God and cries out, God have mercy on me, a sinner. It's the church that understands the beatitudes. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are those who mourn, for they should be comforted.

It's a church that understands what it is to be on their faces before God, tears rolling down their cheeks, torn up and distraught over their own sins. There has to be a mourning before there's the comforting. There has to be something of a distraughtness about the congregation, if there's going to be true joy in the Holy Spirit. So the same Holy Spirit that brings this convicting force is the Holy Spirit that brings great joy in the morning. So there has to be the both, and if there is no mourning, there will be no true joy.

If you have a church where there is no conviction of sin, there's no falling on their faces as the publican, crying out, God have mercy on me, a sinner. There's no mourning, no grief, no tears. That's no true church. That's no true repentance. There is no true conversion going on in that body.