My Favorite Web Sites
Jesse Duplantis Ministries
Kenneth Copeland Ministries
Trinity Broadcasting Network
Rod Parsley Ministries
So many people are seeking satisfaction in all the wrong places. They are seeking love from so many sources. I know because I was once one of those people. Some people seek love by sleeping around thinking that will bring them the love their heart desires. All too often all it does is leave them used, abused & mis-used.
Some folk look for satisfaction in the abundance of things they possess, a big name in society or by carnal pleasures. They think that what they possess will bring them the happiness which they crave. They think that by making a name for themselves they will be important. However, I am reminded that it says in the scriptures, What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world & loses his soul or what shall he give in exchange for his soul. In the final analysis nothing is more important than our immortal soul.
So very often we pay more attention to this body God has given to us & not given much thought about what really makes a person who they are & it is NOT their body. When we die this body will go back to the dust from whence we came. However, the spirit of a man or woman is what lives on forever. This body we see houses our spirit & it is our spirit which needs to be recreated. We have been born into sin & we sin because it is our nature to sin. When Nicodemus came to Jesus by night Jesus told him that he must be born again. Now we are not talking about a natural birth & that confused Nicodemus as it does many folk. Our "spirit man" must be born again. We have been sold into spiritual slavery by our original father "Adam" but Jesus came to set us free. We no longer have to be a slave to sin. Some folk would take offense & said "I am NO slave." However, when one is bound by lust they are a slave to lust. A person who is addicted to cigarettes is a slave to that cigarette. A person who is on drugs craves those drugs & that makes them a slave. A person who curses is a slave to foul language because we cannot set ourselves free. We may not want to do those things but we find ourselves doing them anyways. I said all that because I WAS a slave but Jesus has set me free. Jesus broke the chains that had me bound. I am no longer compelled to sin. How did this come to be? I became born again of the water & the spirit.
Now, how does one become born again by the water & the spirit? That is very easy to explain. One must go to the history of the early church which is told of in great detail in the book of Acts. On the day of Pentecost (which happens to be a Jewish feast day) the Holy Ghost came as a rushing mighty wind & it filled the house where the disciples plus other followers of Jesus were & they were all filled with the Holy Ghost & began to speak in other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance. They were born of the spirit that day. The Apostle Peter preached the first message after Jesus was resurrected from the dead. Jesus had given him the keys to the kingdom & he operated in the anointing of the Holy Ghost. After he preached his message the hearts of many folk were pricked (they were convicted of the sin in their lives which is what the Holy Ghost does, it convicts of sin which the scriptures promised). They asked Peter & the rest of the disciples "Men & brethren, what shall we do?" They asked a sincere question & Peter proclaimed boldy, "Repent & be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin & ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." You see, it was Jesus who shed his blood for the removing of our sins & so using his name is of vital importance. Jesus told his disciples that baptism & repentence should be preached in his name. Jesus shed his blood & without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. Without the name of Jesus there is no removing of our sins. When we are baptized in Jesus name our sins are removed for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. When one receives the gift of the Holy Ghost they speak in other tongues just as the early church did. Tongues have not ceased, that is the initial sign of the infilling of the Holy Ghost.
Some would say that Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 28:19 to baptize in the name of the father, the son & the Holy Ghost but I would counter that father is NOT a name. Every human being on earth has a father but he has a NAME. Neither is son a name but it is a title. I have 4 sons but they all have NAMES. Holy Ghost is not a name either, it is also a title. However, in Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead (father, son & Holy Ghost) bodily. Everything we need for salvation is found in Jesus. Before Jesus ascended into heaven he breathed on his disciples & said "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." This shows that the Holy Ghost comes from Jesus. Jesus also told them to tarry in Jerusalem until they be endued with power from on high. When the Holy Ghost came in fullness they had that power Jesus spoke of & they were given power to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils & Jesus said this would be a sign of those that believe.
The door of salvation is still open, it is not too late. Jesus is still saving souls & you can be born again the bible way. Do it God's way, Acts 2:38 is the only way.
