Advance the Kingdom

Mark 6:12-13

The final two verses of this section summarize the specifics of the apostles’ mission. It mirrors what they had seen Jesus do. With His authority and enablement, they cast out many demons. They anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them (cf. Jas 5:14-16). They went out and preached repentance, the same message preached by both John the Baptist (Mark 1:4) and Jesus (1:15). They were to go as servants. They were not to compromise their message even if it brought rejection and persecution. They had to have the courage to tell the truth about Jesus and the gospel.

126If “repentance” was the first word out of the mouth of John, Jesus, and the apostles (Acts 2:38), it must be an important component of the gospel and the Christian life.

Thomas Watson, English Puritan (ca. 1620-1686), wrote a helpful treatise on repentance. He stated, “Repentance is a grace of God’s Spirit whereby a sinner is inwardly humbled and visibly reformed” [Watson, Doctrine, 18]....

Watson identified six ingredients necessary for true repentance. The first is sight of sin, whereby a person comes to themselves (Luke 15:17) and clearly views their lifestyle as sinful. If a disciple fails to see their sin, they are rarely motivated to repent....

The second ingredient for true repentance is sorrow for sin (Ps 38:18). We need to feel the nails of the cross in our soul as we sin. Repentance includes godly grief, a holy agony (2 Cor 7:10).... The fruits of repentance will be expressed in genuine, anguishing sorrow over the offense itself and not just its consequences. This sorrow for sin is more than just a “worldly grief”; it will be seen in the ongoing actions it produces....

The third ingredient is confession of sin. The humble sinner voluntarily passes judgment on themselves as they sincerely admit to the specific sins of their heart.... In the Scriptures, we find at least seven benefits to confession:

Fourth, shame for sin is an ingredient for true repentance....

Repentance causes a holy bashfulness. Ezra prayed, “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens” (Ezra 9:6). The repenting prodigal was so ashamed of his sin that he did not feel he deserved to be a son anymore (Luke 15:21). Sin makes us shamefully naked and deformed in God’s eyes and puts Christ to shame, the one who took the scorn of the cross on himself.

127The fifth ingredient in repentance is hatred of sin. We must hate our sin to the core. We hate sin more deeply when we love Jesus more fully. Repentance begins with the love of God and ends with hatred of sin.... Tolerating sin is a willful leap toward committing it. True repentance loathes sin deeply.

Finally, the sixth progressive ingredient of repentance is turning from sin and returning to the Lord “with all your heart” (Joel 2:12). This turning from sin implies a notable change, “performing deeds in keeping with their repentance” (Acts 26:20). Ezekiel records these words of God to the house of Israel: “Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations” (Ezek 14:6). We are called to turn away from all our abominations—not just the obvious ones or the ones that create friction in others. The goal of repentance is not to manufacture peace among others with perfunctory repentance, but rather to turn to God wholly.

Most importantly, though, this repentance is not just a turning away from sin; it is also a turning “of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:21). [We should repent of our] doubt by believing in the goodness, greatness and graciousness of God, and [turning] in faith to trust in the freedom Christ offers in the gospel. Repentance is rooted in a hatred of sin and a joyful awareness of God’s loving-kindness, which leads to joy: “God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance” (Rom 2:4). We rejoice that Christ has done everything for us—all that we need to secure our salvation and our growth in holiness. Our prayer is, “Lord,

I am an adopted child, not a slave to sin. I am accepted because of Christ. I have forgotten how loved, secure, rich and free I am in Christ. Please let me be astonished by your love.” (Thomas and Wood, Gospel Coach, 87-90)

The mission of the Twelve (Mark 6:7-13, 30-32) brackets an interesting and tragic event in biblical history: the murderous beheading of John the Baptist (6:14-29). What are we to learn? Could it be—at least in part—that the kingdom advances mysteriously in the midst of rejection and even the death of God’s choice servants? We go as a team, and we may suffer and die as a team. We go with little, and even what we have can be taken away. Some will welcome us, but others will not only reject us; they will try to destroy us. Preaching the Word and helping others may result not in our praise but in our death.

This was the fate of John and of Jesus and of the Twelve (minus perhaps the apostle John). This may be your fate or my fate. But did not Jesus say in128 John 15:18, “If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you”?

As we advance the kingdom of King Jesus, if indeed we are rejected and persecuted, may our Lord give us the heart of the apostles, “[who were] rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be dishonored on behalf of the Name” (Acts 5:41). Carry His Name and you may suffer shame and even pain, but do not forget the great gain now and forever!