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What It Means To Be To Be Born Again: Chapter One
What It Means To Be To Be Born Again: Chapter One
What It Means To Be
To be Born Again
Chapter Two
4. JOINING A CHURCH
Joining a church is not the same as being born again.
6. PRAYING EVERYDAY
Praying everyday is not the same as being born again.
When I was a child, I once approached a priest and asked
him, Sir, how can I go to heaven?
And do you know what he told me? My son, pray
Hail Mary three times a day, and Our Father once a
day, and you will go to Heaven.
I thanked him, and began to pray everyday, reciting The
Lords Prayer and Hail Mary. Oh, how I prayed! But,
that was not the way to salvation. I diligently followed
my priests instructions but I was still not born again.
A minister of God shared an experience he had when he
was a teenager. He said he had been a religious person,
but at a point in his life he became seriously sick and died
on his bed.
When he died, he saw himself going down. As he went
deeper and deeper, he started protesting, But I pray everyday, I go to church every Sunday. But he heard a
8. BEING BAPTIZED
Baptism is not the same as being born again. Jesus
himself commanded us to be baptized, but he said baptism
should follow salvation.
...Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel
to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved...
Mark 16:15,16.
Now notice that baptism follows believing. You have
to believe before you are baptized. It has become the
tradition to baptize children when they are eight days old.
How can you believe when you are eight days old?
Baptism is immersion in water a sign to yourself
and the people around that you are now born again.
The old man of sin goes down and the new man comes
out. This is a sign of what has happened inside. That is
9. BEING CONFIRMED
Being confirmed is not the same as being born again.
In some churches a person is baptized when he is eightdays-old. It is expected that when he grows up he will
They have been devoted Christians all their lives, probably singing all the hymns, songs and doxologies they know.
If after serving the Lord sincerely over the years, some
young man comes along to tell them that they need to be
born again, I can understand their surprise.
But, Jesus still says to the man who had Christian
upbringing, Marvel not that I say unto thee, ye must
be born again.
13. DENOMINATIONALISM
Denominationalism, or Churchianity, is not the same
as being born again.
Being a member of one of the great denominations of
our day does not make you a born again Christian.
You may be in the Lighthouse Church, but be an unbeliever. In the same way, you may be in the Methodist
Church, but simply be a Methodist unbeliever.
The Catholic Church is a very powerful denomination
whose members are very devoted.
In my estimation, other churches are not as devoted and
as charitable as the Catholic Church. In the north of Ghana,
you will see some of the great things the Catholic Church
has done for the world.
When I was in the medical school, I had the opportunity
to learn first hand about the Catholic Relief Services. This
great denomination has wonderful social, medical, and
relief services.
The Catholic Church is a denomination I really respect. It is very true that no Charismatic church has done
one-half or a tenth of what the Catholic church has done
(in terms of material, education, and social helps).
was once walking with a young man who told me, Pastor, I cant live without prostitutes! I must visit the prostitutes at least twice a day.
Such a person is more likely to think that he needs to be
born again. On the other hand, a very principled person
sees no reason why he must be saved. Their excuse is
often, Why? I am a good person, why should I
change?
There are many doctors who will never involve themselves in the practice of illegal abortion. These are principled doctors who are not even born again. They simply
refuse to do it. To them, abortion is murder. Yet, even
such principled doctors need to be born again.
Jesus says to the principled man, Marvel not that
I say unto thee, ye must be born again.
Chapter Three
Creature, and are ready to live a New Life. This new life
is possible because you are actually a new person with a
new heart. To be born again is as simple as that. People
want to do complicated things. But becoming born again
is very simple!
Believe in Jesus. Ask Him into your heart. Confess
Him as Lord. And you will be born again.
Being Born of the Spirit. ...that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit. (Jn 3:6)
Having been Regenerated. ...he saved us by the
washing of regeneration. (Tit 3:5)
Being Born of God. Whosoever is born of God doth
not commit sin... (1Jn 3:9)
A Child of God. ...to them gave he power to become
the sons of God... (Jn 1:12)
Having been Saved. For by grace are ye saved through
faith... (Eph 2:8)
A Christian. ...And the disciples were called
Christians first in Antioch. (Acts 11:26)
A Saint. ...called to be saints with all that ... call upon
the name of Christ Jesus... (1Cor 1:2)
A Believer. And believers were the more added to the
Lord... (Acts 5:14)
A Disciple. ...And the disciples were called Christians
first in Antioch. (Acts 11:26)
Believe in Jesus. Ask Him into your heart. Confess
Him as Lord. And you will be born again!