Making America great again – with just 1 word

Exclusive: Richard Blakley tells of his 1-hour debate with a minister in the ice-cream aisle

By Richard Blakley
Published February 2, 2023 at 7:04pm

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How can we make America great again with one word? Well, it's possible, but it would depend upon what that word is. Would that word be "love"? Would it be "forgiveness"? Would it be "mercy"? Would it be "grace"? All of these words are extremely critical scriptural terms that have a wealth of important meanings, but the word to make America great again is the word, "repent."

Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines the word "repent" to mean "to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life" and "to change one's mind." So to "repent" means "to turn from sin and turn to following the Word and will of God. To change one's mind from worldly ways, to the Word and will of God."

I remember once being in the grocery store standing in front of the ice-cream section with my wife, and we were trying to decide if we were going to go off our diet, or not. While we were standing there, a seminary-trained minister walked up to me and made some comment, and I stated, "Well, we need to make America great again with one word, and that is the word, 'repent.'" At this point this seminary-trained minister looked at me and stated, "Repentance is Old Testament."

Well, having preached on this subject many times, when I heard this gentleman's response, it was like he popped the cork, and the words just flowed out. I look at him and said, "The first recorded word of John the Baptist's public ministry was the word 'repent' (Matthew 3:1,2). The first recorded word of Jesus' public ministry was the word 'repent' (Matthew 4:17). Matthew 9:13 teaches us that the reason Jesus came was to call 'sinners to repentance.' The twelve disciples were going about teaching that 'men should repent' (Mark 6:12)."

Well, this minister looked at me and said, "Those were inter-testament days. They were days between the Old and New Testament during a transitional period."

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I looked at him, caught my breath, and said, "Surely, after Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, we are at least then in the New Testament." Then I showed him that in Luke 24 verses 46 and 47, just before the resurrected Lord ascended into heaven, He gave a commission to his followers telling them that "repentance and remission of sins" should be preached among the nations. Most preachers preach "remission of sins," and this is a good thing, but if you have never heard a message on "repentance," then you have only heard half of what Jesus said should be preached among the nations.

Then I stated, "I guess one of the big things to think about is, did the disciples understand what Jesus meant for them to preach? For example, did Peter understand what he was to preach? In Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost, Peter preaches a great message showing the fulfillment of prophecy in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Three thousand people came forward and asked, 'What shall we do?' concerning how they might be saved. I will give you one guess as to the first word out of Peter's mouth." The gentlemen look at me, and then I told him the word: "The first word out of Peter's mouth was "repent."

I proceeded to share with him that "according to Hebrews 6:1, 'repentance' is the first part of the foundation of our faith. According to Acts 11:18, God gave the Gentiles 'repentance unto life.' Acts 5:31 states that God raised Jesus to God's right hand 'to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.' Acts 3:26 teaches us that Jesus blesses us by turning us away from our iniquities. That is repentance."

Then I asked him, "Have you ever wondered what Paul preached?" Then I showed him in Acts chapter 20 and verse 21 that Paul testified of "repentance toward God, and faith to our Lord Jesus Christ."

Then I showed him in 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 9, that God's will is "that all [men] should come to repentance."

There was more that I shared, but I think you get the point. As the conversation ended I stated, "So you can see that the word 'repent' is a big deal in the Scriptures, and I firmly believe that the word 'repent' would set America back on a course for her greatness, if it were received in the hearts of America's citizens."

Our conversation in the grocery store lasted about an hour as we stood there in the ice-cream section. As the conversation ended, I turned around and realized that we were also standing in front of the alcohol area of the store. You know what? No one bought alcohol in that grocery store for a solid hour during our conversation on repentance. Come to think of it, my wife and I did not purchase any ice cream either.

Some may ask, "Are you saying that everybody in America needs to 'repent' and become a born-again Christian to make America great again?" Well, I am an evangelist, and I believe that people receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is the most important decision they can make in their life, for without doing this they will not have eternal life. To clarify further, I am speaking to people becoming Christians not in words, but in deeds. Being a follower of Christ should impact one's life and lifestyle. Like Adrian Rogers, former head of the Southern Baptist Convention, once said, "You don't serve God to get saved, but you serve God because you are saved." Something we all have to acknowledge is that God cannot and will not bless sin.

Repentance means you are acknowledging God for who He is and that He knows the best way to do things. As a result, you choose to do things God's way. Believe it or not, I know that God knows how to make America great again better than anyone else, and the Bible is clear when it says, "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." (Psalm 9:17)

We are just going to have to decide which we want more in America – sin, or the blessing of God.

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