Born Again

Part One

Oh! To be Born Again

Introduction: Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.; (John 3:3)
If you are looking for a formula to recite to become born again, you will not find it here. I hope that the following few pages will stir your soul and that you will read them through. There will undoubtedly be some facts that you will not readily accept. Some you will not understand at first and many you have not heard before. If you are serious in your search though, you will in all probability read this publication through several times to absorb the many new considerations. Let it be stated at the outset that your minister or priest might not have told you these things for various reasons. As hard as it is to believe, he might not be born again himself. We will only be using the Bible, God's word, as the source of our information, so everything can readily be checked. And at this stage please accept the Bible as truth, the same way that a little child accepts the authority of an adult.: Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.; (Mark 10:15)
Anyway, what does the word BIBLE stand for?
Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth.
Sounds reasonable doesn't it? It is God's Instruction Manual, and when you are a born again Christian it is the "Owner's Manual". Would you use a Jetta owner's manual to repair your car if you owned a Corolla? We can only find the truth if we study the Scriptures. Any teaching that is contrary to the Bible is false doctrine and the person promoting it shall be accursed. Later on you will learn something about who Jesus really is. When He was on the earth in the flesh, in the form of a man, He affirmed that the Bible was from God when praying to His heavenly Father.: Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.; (John 17:17)
A Basic Instrument
The purpose of this publication is to whet your appetite for more so that you can search for that "Pearl of Great Price". If you persevere and ride this roller-coaster to the end, you will see some of the power of the Kingdom of God. A Kingdom not of this world, but of the real world - the spiritual one which is everlasting. Thereafter it is up to you - you will have to find it for yourself. You are going to read a great deal and hopefully understand more about the word "will". Look it up in the biggest dictionary that you can find as it has a lot of connotations. It appears 3837 times in the Bible.
Ready, Steady, GO
Here is the story of Festus, a little mongrel, seven weeks old, lying with his two brothers in a cage outside a pet shop as my wife and I walked by. We had talked about obtaining a smallish inside dog in a vague way for a year or two and when the label attached to the cage read "daschund x fox terrier R30" we stopped. That changed his destiny, because when I opened the cage, this little pup got up from between his two sleeping brothers and came towards the front wagging his tail. He was taken out, placed on the ground and inspected. He passed the relevant tests, so we paid for him, placed him on the floor of the car behind the passenger seat and brought him home. On arrival, it was found that he had crawled under the front passenger seat, lying there all curled up with his ears down and refusing to come out on his own. Here he was, alone for the first time, in strange surroundings, moving in a big box that bumped around. He was scared.
Although he is still a pup, he is at present lying under this desk and at meal times he sits or lies on my feet. He likes taking my wife's shoes or slippers from under the bed in the early morning and chewing on them while we sleep. He does not do this to mine because he knows the consequences. Yesterday morning when it was getting light, I heard him pick something up and on investigating, found him busy with my wife's slipper. Immediately that he saw me he crept away, knowing that he had done wrong and when he had received his clout he came wagging his tail and asked to be let out. He jumps up at my wife still because she does not correct him. Sometimes, if I correct him for something, he is inclined to run to her and she might pat him. He has learned that sometimes I am angry with him but my wife seldom. He has learned where he can go to get his ego stroked. At this stage he still comes to me. Will this always be so? Will he love me enough to stay faithful, or shall he take what he can from me but spend more time with someone else? Will he become disobedient because he is not corrected anymore? Will I lose my dog to another because life is so easy for him now? If so, he will sooner or later become so spoilt that he will be confused as to what is right and what is wrong. By then it is too late to show him his mistakes, because he will not like to be corrected, he will not understand the difference between privileges and rights.
The worldly saga of Festus runs parallel in many ways with the spiritual experiences of a new Christian and his narrative will help you understand many new ideas, words and phrases as we carry on.
For example, when a new puppy comes into a house, everyone wants to play with him and make friends; so it is when you are born again.: Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.; (Luke 15:10)
Don't Believe What People Say
In some churches, after an impassioned sermon, the preacher will call people up to the altar, ask them to repeat a prayer after him, they will be asked to go in to a separate room, their names and addresses taken and they'll be told that they are "Born Again". In other churches it is taught that you only need to be sprinkled with water to be born again, still others that you can only be born again if you belong to their church denomination. All this is a lie of Satan the deceiver who is your deadly enemy. He wants you to go to the lake of fire because he knows what's in the Bible, that this is his ultimate destination and he doesn't want you to have a better future than him. He wants to lull you into a false sense of security. He doesn't want you to search further in case you find the Truth.
First Stirrings
The stirring of a spiritual awakening in a person is a wonderful happening. Suddenly one is aware of new values; sometimes it is a period of great stress, but something is different. It doesn't always happen in church; with me it happened in my sister's lounge while watching television. Being born again is a spiritual encounter, not an emotional one, although emotions are certainly running high.: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.; (Hebrews 11:6 )
Remember the puppy at the pet shop? Although he didn't have the power to open the door, he came to us happily. Already he had done almost enough to be chosen. He was different to his brothers for that reason alone.

How Do I Get It?
You ask "How do I attain that spiritual experience which is the start of being born again?" Only you know your own circumstances. However, you should search, and continue searching as your knowledge grows, for a Bible believing church or group of Christians and attend a few of their meetings.
What Is A Covenant?
A covenant is an agreement between two parties, such as a marriage contract. A blood covenant is an unbreakable and never-ending contract and is not lightly entered into. You must learn about and start obeying the terms of the Blood Covenant and get better at it. When you break it you are out of the will of the other covenant party (God). When you ask for forgiveness and repent (say you are sorry and you will try not to do it again) you will be forgiven. You will be forgiven as long as you are not in sin willingly. For example:: What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.; (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
or exceeding the speed limit, which is breaking the law,: Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: for he is the minister of God to thee for good.; (Romans 13:1-4)
you are demonstrating that you are a young Christian and do not know the consequences of your sin or that perhaps you are not born again. You might think that you are, but that is the ghost of the glory that is departed.
You don't have to prove to anyone that you are born again, and God knows.: The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.; (Proverbs 20:27); The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.; (Jeremiah 17:9-10)
Be Obedient
If we are disobedient to the Covenant with God through Jesus (The New Covenant), all the works that we do for the Lord are works only - without reward. If we are obedient to the prompting of God to do certain works for Him, we will be blessed.: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.; (Ephesians 2:8-10)
When wayward, we can pray to Jesus, but He will not hear us because He is in Covenant with God and He will not break His Covenant. We must follow His rules, not the other way round. Many church-goers say "I am a child of the Lord"; "I am born again" and yet they are contrary to God's will. They do not strive to obey. Do they think that God is a softy?: Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.; (Isaiah 1:18-20)
Reason it out - God had to send his only Son; it is like saying that He came Himself, to be tortured and to die for you. Would He do that if He was a softy? God cannot change - for instance He cannot be evil. Do you think that He will break His word for you? Do you realise what you are thinking? Do you think "God can't be like that, He loves me". Are you willing to risk it? Are you willing to take a chance of where you will spend forever? Let us presume that I am wrong, spreading a lie. Do you know what will happen to me when I stand face to face before my Maker, The Creator, El Shaddai? Why do you think that this has been written? For personal fame here on earth? Having met Jesus, I love Him with a spiritual love, am open to the Holy Spirit and wish to be obedient to my Lord, doing what was commanded of all disciples:: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.; (Matthew 28:19-20)
The Real World
When people are dead to the spirit world, coincidences happen to them. Once they are open, either to Satan's kingdom here on earth, or The Kingdom of God, many of these coincidences are seen as supernatural happenings. These occurrences are only perceived as spiritual, once a person is aware of spiritual things.
For a spiritual explanation of these manifestations of the Kingdom of God please read Matthew 6:5-8.

Once a person believes in the power of the spiritual (real) world, "miracles" start happening.

You see, we worship The Living God, not a character in a fairy story.

The purple skinned man of Africa is more spiritually aware than his pleasure loving pink skinned cousin. Here is the story of William, a conscientious and able African who became a shiftboss in the building industry. When the firm that he was working for closed down, another similar position was found for him. Unfortunately he inadvertently replaced someone else; lets call him Joe. Now Joe was understandably upset, and to regain his position of authority he went to a witch doctor, paid his fee and had a curse of blindness placed on William. Joe then went back to William and told him what was going to befall him. When the semi-blind William told me the story, I could not believe that he was so gullible. He then said something that has stayed with me for many years, namely; "It does not happen to you white people".: And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.; (Luke 17:20-21)
It is the authority that makes Christians different, the power that is released by the Holy Spirit to those that have the faith. These spiritual occurrences become more and more common as time passes and that person's faith grows. Do you know how easy it is to heal disease - if only you would believe?

What Is Faith?: When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.; (Mark 5:27-34)
Jesus was in a throng of people, many pushing against Him, but when a woman with faith touched His clothing she was cured. Jesus felt the loss of "virtue" and He knew that someone had touched Him in faith. Jesus told it all in verse 34. The Kingdom power was in Jesus at the time (John 14:11) as The Holy Spirit had descended on Him at the time of His baptism. We who are born again also have this Kingdom power and must learn how to use it.: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.; (John 14:12); As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.; (Mark 5:36); And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.; (Matthew 8:5-13)
What does the word "believe" mean? There are at least three explanations from a Biblical perspective.: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.; (Hebrews 11:6 ); So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.; (Romans 10:17)

Do Miracles Still Happen?
Why were there miracles in the time of the Acts of the Apostles and not now?: Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.; (Acts 3:1-8)
Because in those days they understood covenants, were obedient and believed. If we can do the same as them, then we can do the same as them.: If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.; (John 15:7)

Does The Bible Tell The Truth?
There are Bibles, and then there are Bibles. Satan, through men and women, has changed the wording in many renderings, so at this stage it is recommended that you purchase an inexpensive King James version.

Being Born Again
Further, at this early stage it must be understood that the Old Testament is there, amongst other things, to show us God's purpose on an earthly level - that is day to day living and dying, - so that we may understand the New Testament, which is on a spiritual level. This enables us to find the laws of the Kingdom of God if we search for them.: There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.; (John 3:1-8)
Jesus tells us that we are first born of "water" - that is of flesh and blood, and then of the Spirit. He then stresses the difference in verse 8. Like the wind, one cannot see the Holy Spirit, and the person who is under His influence looks the same, but the fruits of the Holy Spirit, the changed outlook of the reborn person testifies to His presence. Similar to the action of leaves under the influence of the wind.

Now read up to verse 21: Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.; (John 3:9-21)
The key verses are 15 and 16 and the key phrase is "believe in Him". It does not mean believe in Him but believe in Him . It also means to continue to believe in Him. The one meaning is worldly and the other is spiritual. Do you believe that Jesus can cure you of cancer? Do you believe in Him?

Who Is The Holy Spirit?
Please do not be confused when you read "God", "LORD", "Lord", "Jesus" "Holy Ghost" and "Holy Spirit" because they are all Lord, all part of the Godhead - The Trinity. The Holy Spirit lives within born again believers, leading us into all truth - showing us Jesus so that we can become more like Him. If we love someone we want to be like Him not so?: Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.; (John 16:13-15)
The Holy Spirit is inside every born again Christian and His purpose is to show us Jesus, so that we can become more like Him. We do not have to ask the Holy Spirit to "come" as is done in some church services; He is already in us. We do not worship the Holy Spirit, we thank Him for showing us the truth about Jesus.


Here It Is From A Different Angle

Right From Wrong
Everyone is born knowing good from evil.: For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;); (Romans 2:14-15)
The Gentiles are us, non-Jews and the law spoken of here is the law of God.: Then Peter opened [his] mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.; (Acts 10:34-35)

Right And Wrong In The Bible
Just as you know right from wrong, so there are two different forces at war with each other in this world. Good and evil. God is good and Satan (Lucifer) is evil. They both want you. God wants you because He made you. He made you in His likeness so that He will not seem strange to you when you see Him one day. Be certain that you will meet Him - face to face. Satan wants you because he has been condemned to the lake of fire forever because he is evil, and he wants you there to hear your cries of anguish just because of who he is.: And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.; (John 8:50)
He will be our God and we will be His people.: And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.; (Revelation 21:3-4)
God is the Creator, He is the First; He made Lucifer (Satan) and Lucifer is a very powerful fallen being. In heaven he was possibly an archangel with Michael. Lucifer was the entity around God's person; he guarded the throne of God and was possibly the chief music-maker in heaven. Don't let anyone deceive you, Satan is beautiful to look at, he was made that way because he was with God all the time.

You Are In The Middle
So here we have the position in the spiritual world. We have God (righteousness) on one side, Satan (unrighteousness) on the other and mankind in the middle. Please understand that you are in the middle right now. You have been given a will which is part of your soul. A will to obey or disobey the Holy One who created you. In the garden of Eden Eve and Adam used that will to disobey God when they chose to eat of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. In so doing Adam in effect gave God's gift of the earth to Satan the serpent, who had been cast down. Read Genesis chapter 2 verse 7 to Genesis chapter 3 verse 24 and see if you can work it out for yourself.

You Must Choose
With this will that you have been given you must choose which side in the conflict you want to take. You cannot say "I am neutral"; you will have to choose. And because Adam gave Satan the earth, Satan has trumps - he is the god of this world - he will get you in any case if you stay neutral - if you do nothing. If you choose God's side you will have to do something. If you do nothing you have chosen Satan's side. There is no alternative. You will end up in the lake of fire forever. Satan will be there with you. He will probably be there when you arrive. This is not a fable. This is reality.

Satan's Influence: But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.; (2 Corinthians 4:3-5)
Satan is the god of this world and he uses the physical resources of the world, such as money, as well as his and his demons' closeness to you to influence you spiritually. This is an all-out conflict, there is no quarter given and you are in Satan's territory as soon as you are born. If you are a pink-skinned western man, he deceives you with the lures of his kingdom, such as keeping you busy, wealth, fast cars, TV, rich and plentiful food, etc.. By doing this he makes you soft and lazy so that one day when you have to make the choice you will be more inclined to take his side (the easy road). If you are a purple-skinned man from Africa, he deceives you with ancestor worship, witch-doctors and spiritual fear. You are more spiritually aware than the pinky and he turns this to his advantage. If you are a man with eastern roots, he deceives you with mysticism, re-incarnation and alternative religions.
The Bible is the story of this struggle and more. It is an ongoing story of covenants called testaments. There is the Old Testament (Old Covenant) and the New Testament (New Covenant). The New Covenant is a better Covenant because Jesus became the Second Adam. He died, was buried and rose again from the dead, and in so doing defeated Satan on earth.

The Old Testament
The Old Covenant is made up of a series of laws: If you do this you will be blessed; if you do that you will be cursed. Remember God is the Creator, He makes the laws. So in the Old Covenant you had to obey the law (called commandments). It was not easy, it was much easier to do nothing. Because of his willingness to obey God, Abraham was called the friend of God and was the first of a nation that was to be called The Children of Israel. At a later stage God took His chosen people out of Egypt and led them, through Moses, to the land that He had promised to Abraham centuries before. However, because the people did not obey God, the journey, which should have taken a couple of weeks, took forty years; and only two of those that had left Egypt ever arrived in Canaan. All the others had died. All those that crossed the Jordan river into Canaan, except for Joshua and Caleb had been born in the desert.

The New Testament
God however, had planned a better Covenant from day one, and to fulfil it or bring it into being, Jesus His only Son, came onto the earth (Satan's kingdom) in the flesh, and being the perfect man (without sin), He died (by the evil conniving of Satan) and undid Adam's original sin. Adam, who was made in God's image, was perfect man. However, he chose to break God's commandment and in so doing became sinful and gave Satan power over him. He gave the world that God had given him control of, to Satan. Jesus, who was a sinless man, died as a sinner and so became the Second Adam. He undid Adam's sin. He brought Satan's kingdom to an end. He brought it to an end for those who choose God's side. Today, if you choose God's side in the name of Jesus (who represents the perfected Adam), Satan has no hold over you, he has lost his power over you, you are no longer of this world. You are now the property of Jesus because you are willing to change. It is called Being Born Again. You are able to be reborn because Jesus undid Adam's sin. When Jesus died He was classed by the authorities as being sinful enough to be condemned to death on a worldly level and He died a worldly death - the worst death that Satan could put into the minds of men to do to each other. When He was on the cross all the power of evil was concentrated there, willing Him to die; even the sun was darkened. He died physically and then rose from the dead. Jesus now had a new, resurrection body; a body with spiritual power. For example He could pass through brick walls! An everlasting body. In a sense Jesus was born again, a new creature. He had defeated death. Death had no power. Satan had no power. If you become born again death has no power over you because you now know your eventual destination. Are you afraid to die? But you are going to die physically not so?: The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.; (John 12:23-25)
You see, if the grain of wheat is not planted in the ground, it remains unchanged. Once it has been planted however, the physical seed dies, but the life therein is transformed (translated) into a growing plant, a new body. A body that produces fruit.: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.; (2 Corinthians 5:17)

After a while you will come to understand that the real world is the spiritual world, to a Christian it is the Kingdom of God. God is a Spirit, Jesus is a Spirit and the Holy Ghost is a Spirit. The spiritual world is another dimension, the same as time is another dimension. In time you will understand that the trials and tribulations of the temporary life that we live on this planet are only a series of exams. If we pass the exams, when we die physically we will be in the real life with God and Jesus forever, time without end. If we fail, we will end up in the lake of fire, together with all the evil beings that have ever been, time without end.

Having Read This Far
"OK", you say "you have convicted me, I want to choose God's side, what must I do to be Born Again?"

Through various prophets of the Old Covenant, God made promises to us people of the New Covenant. "I will pour out My spirit on all flesh, I will put my law in their hearts": And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:; (Joel 2:28); But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.; (Jeremiah 31:33); And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.; (Jeremiah 32:40); And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:; (Ezekiel 11:19); And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.; (Ezekiel 36:27)

How does He do it? He births us spiritually, He translates us, we become new persons.: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:; (Colossians 1:13)

Once we take the first step by declaring Jesus our Lord and meaning it, God, the Creator, by His power, makes a spiritual bond with us in that we are joined with Him in Covenant. This is a spiritual happening and we have no control over it. We are now open to the will of God through His Spirit.: And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.; (Genesis 3:22-24)

How would you feel if, for example, you made a beautiful dining-room suite consisting of a solid oak table and chairs for your son and his bride, only for your new daughter-in-law to give it to someone else? Someone who realised the love and effort that you had put into making it and had tried once before to take it from you by force, but had failed. Moreover, your son had rejected you and went to live in that other person's house. How would you have felt? God is the God of love, so much so that He sent His only Son to become the second Adam, to undo the first Adam's sin. He reversed the process! When Jesus died He was sinless, but He died as a sinner. God placed all of mankind's (Adam's) sin on Him and the last words that He said before dying were "It is finished." He had turned the tables on Satan. Satan has lost those "Adam's children" who accept Jesus as having been their Redeemer (Saviour) out of Adam's sin. Hallelujah!

We cannot help but reciprocate that love.

New Life Through Jesus
He died to cancel your sin. If you accept Jesus the Messiah as your Saviour and as your Lord you have overcome Satan's power.: For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.; (1 Corinthians 15:21-22)

You are free in the name of Jesus, free from the law of the Old Covenant. The law of the ten commandments was put there for the lawless. You are free to sin, there is no more law.: Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.; (John 8:31-32); For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.; (Romans 6:14-18)
You are free to sin, but if you are truly born again you will not want to sin. You will not want to sin because you love Jesus with a never-ending spiritual love. That is why there is no law. Jesus knows you are safe, that you will not willingly sin. That is why God says "I will put my will in their hearts." But He will only do this if you make the first move.

What Is Wilful Sin?
We are all born with the knowledge of right from wrong, not so? Wilful sin is a sin that you know that you are committing while you are doing it. If, with a contrite heart, you ask God to forgive you, He will do so. Repeat that wilful sin and He might not forgive you, because you are showing lack of concern about breaking the Covenant. Other sin that a Christian commits, such as sin that is done on the spur of the moment, or one that someone has to point out to you, will be forgiven if you repent of it. This kind of sin is usually a once only, or an involuntary sin that you perform less and less as you grow in the knowledge of Christ.

Here It Is!
If you choose, God can now put His will in your heart. It shall no longer be an effort to do God's will. You will want to because God gives you the spiritual power to do so.

The first act that you must willingly choose to do is to repent. Repent, repent, this cannot be stressed enough. You must willingly repent. This is not lightly undertaken, it is a major decision of your life.

The Lord Jesus said:: I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish.; (Luke 13:3)
The first recorded words of John the Baptist were:: In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.; (Matthew 3:1-2)
Likewise, Jesus, at the beginning of His ministry, said:: Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.; (Mark 1:14-15)
In the book of Acts, where the gospel (glad tidings) of Jesus was put into practice, we read:: Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.; (Acts 2:37-38); Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;; (Acts 3:19)
Here is the apostle Paul's teaching as shown in Acts 20:20-21: And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Repent From What?
We previously read that our ideas of right and wrong came from the God-given knowledge that we were born with, from what our parents taught us and from our circumstances in life. What binds us together here however, is what God believes is right and wrong. If one person has been brought up in non-Christian circumstances, he or she will know less of God's will than another who has some knowledge of the Bible. God's standards are in the Bible in the form of the Ten Commandments. They are called the law and we must all stand in their shadow and use them as a guide to please God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.: And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that [is] thy neighbour's.; (Exodus 20:1-17)
When we use God's law as a standard, we all know what to repent from.: Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.; (Romans 3:19-20); But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.; (Galatians 3:23-26)

Going back to Exodus, what was the reaction of the people to hearing God's law?: And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.; (Exodus 20:18-20)

So, repentance means remorse for having done something that God hates. It might take one person some time to learn about repentance because he or she must grasp the truths of God, whereas another might be able to repent much sooner. However, at some time we all must come to the point of repentance and a stand must be taken. We must openly declare Jesus Christ as our Lord; ask His forgiveness for our sins; be baptised; so that rivers of living spiritual water can flow out of our bellies.: Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.; (Romans 3:28)

It is most important to realise that only now does the Holy Spirit enter our physical body and is able to control our lives, with the result that the curse of the law's conditions disappears, since He continually convicts us of sin and builds us up spiritually as we ask Him. Remember, the law was written for the lawless; we are no longer lawless, we are children of God, our names are written in the book of life. We have moved from the worldly conditions of the Ten Commandments to the spiritual realm of His presence.: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.; (Romans 8:1-4)

We shall know that the Holy Spirit lives within us because He shows Himself to us. He is real. It takes time for this fact to be realised, because various barriers that were put up in the time of Satan's kingdom need to be broken down. Mere words cannot describe the feelings resulting from an experience of His indwelling presence.

A good example of repentance in the Bible is shown in Luke 7:36-50. Please study it carefully.: Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.; (Mark 8:38)
If they laugh at you, can you handle it?: Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.; (Luke 6:22-23)

The heart of the Gospel is change. From being a creature belonging in the kingdom of Satan, you will become a creature belonging to the Kingdom of God. The hinge of the door into the Kingdom is repentance. The door will not open without it. There is no other way.

If the church which you attend does not preach repentance and its implications, find another church or gathering of Christians that does, because Satan's first line of deception to potential enemies is to make them believe that they have done enough to enter heaven.

The Other Principality
Very briefly, so that you know that it exists; there is another spiritual power, another church, one with many of the trappings of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ; for example, worshipping the "Holy Spirit", being baptised, using the name of Jesus, using the Bible, speaking in tongues and even experiencing fruits of the real church such as miracles.: For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.; (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
Many of the people worshipping Jesus in this false church genuinely believe that they are born again and are going to heaven. This is the apostate church, a subject that will be covered at another time if the Holy Spirit so wills it. The people that populate this church, and many of the largest congregations in the land belong to this group, have not truly repented of their sins. Not all commandments of the Bible are taught, only some - the popular ones. They are only interested in preaching the good news in the Bible because the warnings of God are unpopular, with the result that many false teachings proliferate. Instead of receiving the Holy Spirit they receive a counterfeit.
: For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD. And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious. But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee. And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.; (Ezekiel 2:4-10)

The Beginning Of Life
Being born again is the beginning of a growing process, just like in the world. You start off as a baby drinking milk, and as you become older, stronger food is given to you. The food of the born again Christian is prayer, studying the Bible (not just reading it), worshipping God with other believers and listening for the voice of the Holy Spirit. He will speak to you, be assured of that. You must learn to hear His voice. The more mature you become, the more you will hear from The Holy Spirit. The more you are obedient to the inner voice of the Lord, the more He will bless you with His presence and show you spiritual truths.: He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.; (John 14:21)

To Help You: Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.; (Daniel 10:12); The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.; (James 5:16b)
Here is a suggestion that might help you in your search for God's continual blessing:

Spiritual Death
If you stop getting spiritual food you will die, you will go back into the world and Satan will claim you.: For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.; (1 Thessalonians 3:5)
Jesus said: I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.; (John 15:1-7)

As can be expected in a war, the born again buzzword has been taken over by Satan the deceiver and many, many (good) people who believe that they are going to heaven will discover the deception once they leave this life. There will be a wailing and gnashing of teeth. Once on the other side it will be too late to repent. Let this not happen to you.

Do You Believe That You Are Ready?
Read below what you should undertake. Do you feel comfortable in carrying out all the points listed below? Do you understand that Jesus's blood can save you? You must be honest or God will not hear you.: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?; (Luke 11:10-13); But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.; (Romans 10:8-11)

What to do

What to Pray
Heavenly Father, God, I am a sinner and need forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ shed His precious blood and died to set me free from my sin. I repent from my sin. I believe in my heart that You, in Your Almighty Power, raised the Lord Jesus from the dead and I entreat You that You, by Your grace, give me the Holy Spirit to teach me Your Righteousness and Power, that I may be approved of You. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

By repeating the above prayer, you have entered into Covenant with God through the Sacrifice and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. If you don't understand the significance of the Blood Covenant, please first read Part Two which explains this subject.

Now:


And here is the PROMISE to you, child of God:: Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.; (1 John 4:4); Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.; (Psalm 33:18-19); He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.; (Psalm 91:1)

Now that you are truly born again, you must learn to be obedient to your heavenly Father.: By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.; (1 John 5:2-3)
This Scripture lets us know that God's commandments will not be found grievous to keep.
: Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.; (2 Timothy 2:19-26)

That great man of God, the apostle Paul wrote:: Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:; (Philippians 3:8-9)