“If repentance bears no fruit, then faith has no virtue. We change when the misery of where we are is greater than the fear of change.”
~ Neil
This past month has been a transformative season. Our move from a large 3,500 sq. ft. ministry space into a 1,200 sq. ft. home forced us to release a remarkable amount of “good” things—treasures, tools, memories. Not because they were useless, but because there was simply no room.
That same stripping away has been happening in the spirit.
God has been leading me back to the Book of Acts. In those first chapters, the believers possessed only two things: the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. They didn’t rely on their education or their ability to persuade. Their authority came from intimacy—walking with Jesus, listening to the Father, and obeying.
In Acts 4:13, the leaders were astonished at Peter and John. These were untrained, ordinary men—yet it was clear they had been with Jesus. That intimacy produced boldness, healing, and transformation. It wasn’t knowledge that changed the world—it was Presence.
We often measure blessing by comfort, abundance, and being “set up well.” But Acts reminds us that the greatest blessing is this: Jesus turns us away from our iniquities and back to the Father. Repentance that bears fruit is what gives faith its virtue.
As God simplifies our physical space, He is stripping away spiritual clutter—things that are not bad, but still get in the way of being. He is calling us back to first love, back to a discipleship rooted in listening, intimacy, and obedience, not accumulation of knowledge or control.
The early church didn’t transform the world with doctrine. They did so by revealing the kingdom—healing, serving, and loving as Jesus led them. The same invitation remains for us today.
May we return to the simplicity of the Gospel and the Presence that changes everything.
Leave A Comment