Tag Archives: Evangelizing

For the Lord’s Day – Redeemed

Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child and forever I am.

Refrain

Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am.

Redeemed, and so happy in Jesus,
No language my rapture can tell;
I know that the light of His presence
With me doth continually dwell.

Refrain

I think of my blessèd Redeemer,
I think of Him all the day long:
I sing, for I cannot be silent;
His love is the theme of my song.

Refrain

I know there’s a crown that is waiting,
In yonder bright mansion for me,
And soon, with the spirits made perfect,
At home with the Lord I shall be.

Refrain

“Oh, what a happy child I am,

although I cannot see!

I am resolved that in this world,

contented I will be!”

Fanny Crosby, (March 24, 1820 – February 12, 1915)

1 Peter 1:18-19

¹⁸Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

¹⁹But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

sage

For the Lord’s Day – Calvary Covers It All

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Calvary Covers It All

Verse1: Far dearer than all that the world can impart Was the message came to my heart. How that Jesus alone for my sin did atone, And Calvary covers it all.

Calvary covers it all, My past with its sin and stain; My guilt and despair Jesus took on Him there, And Calvary covers it all.

Verse 2: The stripes that He bore and the thorns that He wore Told His mercy and lover evermore And my heart bowed in shame as I called on His name, And Calvary covers it all.

Calvary covers it all, My past with its sin and stain; My guilt and despair Jesus took on Him there, And Calvary covers it all.

Verse 3: How matchless the grace, when I looked in the face Of this Jesus, my crucified Lord; My redemption complete I then found at His feet, And Calvary covers it all.

Calvary covers it all, My past with its sin and stain; My guilt and despair Jesus took on Him there, And Calvary covers it all.

Verse 4: How blessed the thought, that my soul by Him bought, Shall be His in the glory on high; Where with gladness and song, I’ll be one of the throng And Calvary covers it all.

Calvary covers it all, My past with its sin and stain; My guilt and despair Jesus took on Him there, And Calvary covers it all.

Note: There is little information available on this fine song, written in 1934, or its author, but it’s worthy of consideration both for how it came to be written, and for the aptness of its message. The full story is found in Al Smith’s Hymn Histories (pp. 125-127).

The song relates to a dancer named Walter “Happy Mac” MacDonald, whom comedian Eddie Cantor said had the fastest feet in the world. Mac was talented, but he was also in bondage to sin, and addicted to alcohol. One night in the early 1930′s he stumbled into a meeting in the Pacific Garden Mission, in Chicago. When an invitation was given for those present to trust in Christ as Saviour, Mac did not respond. But, as he returned, night after night, workers gradually came to know more about him.

Directing the mission in those days (1918-1936) were Walter Grand Taylor and his wife Ethelwyn, affectionately known as Pa and Ma Taylor. Ethel Taylor watched Mac, and her heart went out to him. She prayed, “Dear Lord, please help us say and do the right things, so that we may win Mac to Thee.” Finally, MacDonald did seek counseling, and Ma Taylor listened as he struggled with his past. “You don’t understand,” he prayed. “You don’t know how bad I am, Lord. Really I’m the worst man in the world. You can’t save me; I’m too bad.”

Mrs. Taylor recalled a message she had heard weeks before. Evangelist Percy Crawford had been a rebel in his youth. But one day he accepted Christ as his Saviour. The theme of Crawford’s testimony was, “Calvary covers it all,” and Ethel Taylor shared those words with MacDonald.

He asked her to repeat them, and suddenly the light dawned. “Oh! Mrs. Taylor, I’m so glad it’s true, and you told me. Calvary does cover it all! My whole past of sin and shame.” The former entertainer trusted in the Saviour that night in 1934, and lived to become an outstanding servant of Christ.

A few days later, Ethel Taylor went into the mission chapel, sat down at the piano, and created the words and music of a gospel song. http://wordwisehymns.com/2013/06/19/calvary-covers-it-all/

Colossians 2:13

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses. . .

sage

Friday Proverb – Our Life and Hope

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The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.

Proverbs 10:27

While the Word of God does not guarantee a long earthly life to truly born again believers, it does follow reason that those who fear Him, and forsake sinful lifestyles will have better health and greater joy in life. While we are in our flesh – we long to be with Him, and having the knowledge of His omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence will prevent us from taking a detour into the dark side.

Living the Holy Spirit filled life is a matter of surrendering our wills to His will. It is a matter of getting rid of our household gods and fleshly desires, and allowing the Holy Spirit to completely fill us. And while it seems that the wicked are holding sway at this moment in time – remember – that to God – there is no time! Time only exists here on earth – it is not a part of the heavenly realm.

The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.

Proverbs 10:28

Yes – we must fear our Creator – but we must also hope in Him. One need only see the hard, brittle, look in the eyes of the abrasive atheists when they are attacking the Bible and Bible believers. It is a cold, dead expression – void of hope. And if the eyes truly are the window to the soul – what does that tell us? There is death where there is no hope – spiritual death. And then in the not so far off future – eternal death in the Lake of Fire.

We can be truly glad of heart, and take joy in the fact that our futures are already secure, and written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life. There is no reason to fret over evil doers – because their future is already determined if they remain unrepentant. What a terrible thought.

The next time you hear news of murders, corruptions, and all the sundry evils that satan has in his arsenal, it would be wise to think where your hope is. It is not here! not in America, not in anything other than our blessed savior – Jesus Christ.

James 4:14

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

[Forgive me. I so wanted to post a video with the classic hymn – “On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand,” but was unable to find one without a sensuous back-beat.]

sage

For the Lord’s Day – Wonderful Words of Life

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=UopkSmx7hUo%3Fsi%3DSeByYWF-p2QF1FnH

Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life,
Let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life;
Words of life and beauty teach me faith and duty.

Refrain

Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life,
Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.

Christ, the blessèd One, gives to all wonderful words of life;
Sinner, list to the loving call, wonderful words of life;
All so freely given, wooing us to heaven.

Refrain

Sweetly echo the Gospel call, wonderful words of life;
Offer pardon and peace to all, wonderful words of life;
Jesus, only Savior, sanctify us forever.

Refrain

Philip Paul Bliss (9 July 1838 – 29 December 1876) was an American composer, conductor, writer of hymns and a bass-baritone^[1]Gospel singer. He wrote many well-known hymns, including Almost Persuaded, Hallelujah, What a Saviour!, Let the Lower Lights Be Burning, Wonderful Words of Life, and the tune for Horatio Spafford‘s It Is Well with My Soul.

I carried that song through two seasons of evangelistic work, never thinking it possessed much merit, or that it had the element of special usefulness, particularly for solo purposes. It occurred to me to try it one day during the campaign in New Haven, [Connecticut, 1878,] and, with the help of Mrs. Stebbins, we sang it as a duet. To our surprise the song was received with the greatest enthusiasm and from that time on to the close of the meetings was the favorite of all the hymns used. As an illustration of the hold it got upon the people all about that section of the country, I received a letter from the Secretary of the Connecticut State Sunday School Association offering me what seemed an absurdly large sum of money, if I would, with Mrs. Stebbins, come to the State Convention and sing that one song.

George C. Stebbins, Memoirs and Reminiscences

John 6:63

**It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.**

For the Lord’s Day – Tell Me The Story Of Jesus

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=sGVuHMUwoPs%3Fsi%3Dy9NGwdRtTc2kwVUE

Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word;
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.
Tell how the angels in chorus,
Sang as they welcomed His birth,
“Glory to God in the highest!
Peace and good tidings to earth.”

Refrain:
Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word;
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.

Fasting alone in the desert,
Tell of the days that are past,
How for our sins He was tempted,
Yet was triumphant at last.
Tell of the years of His labor,
Tell of the sorrow He bore;
He was despised and afflicted,
Homeless, rejected and poor.

Tell of the cross where they nailed Him,
Writhing in anguish and pain;
Tell of the grave where they laid Him,
Tell how He liveth again.
Love in that story so tender,
Clearer than ever I see;
Stay, let me weep while you whisper,
“Love paid the ransom for me.”

Tell how He’s gone back to heaven,
Up to the right hand of God:
How He is there interceding
While on this earth we must trod.
Tell of the sweet Holy Spirit
He has poured out from above;
Tell how He’s coming in glory
For all the saints of His love.

SONG WRITER: Fanny Crosby
MUSIC WRITER: John R. Sweney
WHEN WRITTEN: 1880

Blindness never produced self-pity in Fanny and she did not look on her blindness as a terrible thing. At eight years old she composed this little verse:

Oh, what a happy child I am, although I cannot see!
I am resolved that in this world contented I will be!
How many blessings I enjoy that other people don’t!
So weep or sigh because I’m blind, I cannot – nor I won’t.

http://www.eaec.org/faithhallfame/fanny_crosby.htm

Acts 8:35

Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

For the Lord’s Day – Our Great Savior

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This hymn is also known under the title “Jesus! What A Friend For Sinners!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=QdtAtC99rH0%3Fsi%3DMfs4rTdyoorb_y6F

Jesus! what a Friend for sinners!
Jesus! Lover of my soul;
Friends may fail me, foes assail me,
He, my Savior, makes me whole.

Refrain

Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

Jesus! what a Strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in Him.
Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing,
He, my Strength, my victory wins.

Refrain

Jesus! what a Help in sorrow!
While the billows over me roll,
Even when my heart is breaking,
He, my Comfort, helps my soul.

Refrain

Jesus! what a Guide and Keeper!
While the tempest still is high,
Storms about me, night overtakes me,
He, my Pilot, hears my cry.

Refrain

Jesus! I do now receive Him,
[or Jesus! I do now adore Him,]
More than all in Him I find.
He hath granted me forgiveness,
I am His, and He is mine.

Refrain

John Wilbur Chapman (June 17, 1859, Richmond, Indiana – December 25, 1918, New York, New York) was a Presbyterian evangelist in the late 19th Century, generally traveling with gospel singer Charles Alexander. His parents were Alexander H. and Lorinda (McWhinney) Chapman.

Chapman grew up attending Quaker Day School and Methodist Sunday School. At age 17, he made a public declaration of his Christian faith and joined the Richmond Presbyterian Church. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Lake Forest College and his seminary degree from Lane Theological Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio. He completed his ordination into the ministry 13 April 1881, while still attending Lane. He was later awarded a Doctorate in Divinity from the College of Wooster and an LL.D. from Heidelberg University.

In May 1882, Chapman married Irene Steddon. In April 1886, she bore him a daughter, Bertha Irene Chapman. Irene Steddon Chapman died in May 1886. Chapman remarried on November 4, 1888 to Agnes Pruyn Strain; they had four children: Robert (who died in infancy), John Wilbur, Jr., Alexander Hamilton, and Agnes Pruyn. His second wife died on June 25, 1907 and Chapman married a third and final time on August 30, 1910 to Mabel Cornelia Moulton.

Chapman took on several pastorates before shifting to the evangelistic circuit. He began preaching with the legendary D. L. Moody in 1893, as well as leading many evangelistic events of his own. Among Chapman’s disciples on the evangelistic circuit was Billy Sunday.

In 1905, John H. Converse, a wealthy Presbyterian philanthropist, offered to underwrite Chapman’s expenses if he would re-enter the evangelistic field full-time. Converse also set up a trust fund so as to finance Chapman’s crusades posthumously. Chapman accepted the offer and in 1907, joined forces with popular gospel singer Charles McCallon Alexander to launch the “Chapman-Alexander Simultaneous Campaign.”

The duo assembled an impressive team of evangelists and song leaders and took to the streets. The first joint campaign was held in Philadelphia from March 12 to April 19, 1908. They partitioned the city into 42 sections covered by 21 evangelist-musicians teams. They spent three weeks on each half of the city, resulting in approximately 8000 conversions. It was at a similar Chapman-Alexander event in North Carolina that the legendary King James Only proponent, David Otis Fuller, committed to the Christian faith.

In 1909, Chapman demanded that any field evangelist who doubted the inerrancy of Scripture be removed from ministry. Chapman’s biography reports, “The first Chapman-Alexander worldwide campaign left Vancouver, British Columbia on March 26, 1909, and returned on November 26, 1909.

Read more about John Wilbur Chapman here:

http://www.hymnary.org/person/Chapman_JW

Titus 2:13-14

¹³Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

**¹⁴ Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.**

A Transgendered Man Gets Saved

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Have a hanky ready. . .

https://youtube.com/watch?v=QrIA-0cJ_fI%3Fsi%3D6TgKT0oTJ40Rm7ts

There is no dirt that the Blood of Christ can not wash clean.

Titus 3:3-6

³For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

⁴But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

⁵Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

⁶Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour. . .

For the Lord’s Day – At the Cross

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=z36ifo5PYwE%3Fsi%3D8JvadHa3SyF225nw

Click “Watch on YouTube” to hear this classic hymn!

Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For sinners such as I?
[originally, For such a worm as I?]

Refrain

At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!

Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine—
And bathed in its own blood—
While the firm mark of wrath divine,
His Soul in anguish stood.

Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker died,
For man the creature’s sin.

Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt my eyes to tears.

But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give my self away
’Tis all that I can do.

Issac Watts [1707]

From his birth his father would read the Word of God to him and pray for him. His father was a godly preacher and a Nonconformist to the Church of England. His father was sent to prison twice because of his convictions. His family were Dissenters or Non- conformists. The Dissenters were Protestants who did not think that the Church of England had separated enough from the doctrines of the Roman Catholics and refused to conform to the Church of England.

Isaac was born in 1674 and was the oldest of nine children. At the age of eleven his father addressed a letter to all of his children encouraging them to “frequently to read the Scriptures – get your hearts to delight in them – above all books and writings account the Bible the best and read it most – lay up the truth of it in your hearts”.

Isaac Watts was saved at the age of fifteen and by the age of sixteen he had mastered Latin, Greek, Hebrew and French. When Isaac was about twenty he became dissatisfied with the singing of the Nonconformist Congregation. At that time it was viewed as sinful to sing songs that were not taken from the Scriptures the majority of which were Psalms or metrical Psalters. His major complaint was the quality of the writing, his father challenged him if he did not like what was being sung to do something better. Over the next two years, from the age of Twenty until he was Twenty two, he wrote the majority of his hymns. He was greatly criticized by both the Roman Catholics and the nonconformist who called his hymns “uninspired” because they were not direct quotations from Scripture. His reply to this was “…if we can pray to God in sentences that we have made up ourselves (instead of confining ourselves to the Our Father and other prayers taken directly from the Scriptures), then surely we can sing to God in sentences that we have made up ourselves”.

Isaac Watts wrote Alas and Did My Saviour Bleed in 1707, it originally had six stanzas and no refrain. The original tune as intended by Isaac Watts is not known, but in 1800 Hugh Wilson began using his original music composition entitled Martyrdom. In 1885 Ralph F. Hudson added the refrain and the tune that we know use and know as “At The Cross”.

It is interesting to note before we explore the doctrinal content of Alas and Did My Saviour Bleed, the in the Fall of 1850 at the age of thirty, Fanny J. Crosby went to the altar at the Thirtieth Street Methodist Church in New York City. She had been to the altar twice before by had not received the peace she sought. While at the altar the congregation was singing the hymn “Alas and Did My Saviour Bleed”, according to her own testimony and in her own words she says:
“…it seemed to me that the light must indeed come then or never; and so I arose and went to the altar alone. After a prayer was offered, they began to sing the grand old consecration hymn, ‘Alas, and did my Saviour bleed, And did my Sovereign die?’ And when they reached the third line of the fourth stanza, ‘Here Lord, I give myself away,’ my very soul was flooded with a celestial light. I sprang to my feet, shouting ‘hallelujah,’ and then for the first time I realized that I had been trying to hold the world in one hand and the Lord in the other.”

Isaac Watts was a brilliant young man and because of his intellectual acumen and proclivity to study he was encouraged by his friends and a prominent Southampton physician to go to one of the Universities, at their expense, in hopes that he would eventually be ordained into the Church of England. Because of his background and being raised as a Dissenting Nonconformist, he refused and rather chose a nonconformist academy. He started preaching at the age of twenty-four and pastored his became pastor of a well-know independent congregation in 1702, he died on November 25, 1748.

The doctrinal content of “Alas and Did My Saviour Bleed” could be examined from a plethora of Christian Theology, Justification, Propitiation, Christology, Anthropology, Harmitiology, Soteriology just to name a few, for all of these are contained within the lines of this hymn. We will however, briefly explore the doctrine of propitiation as found in the lines of “Alas and Did My Saviour Bleed”.

http://churchchoirmusic.com/the-story-behind-the-song-alas-and-did-my-savior-bleed

1 Corinthians 1:18

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

Video – The Real Historical Patrick

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Uploaded to youbtube by ChristianVoice Editor

Please visit Richard Bennet’s website here – http://bereanbeacon.org/en/

posted by sage

Response to a Bible Critic

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This comment was posted to the old blog – Thoughts of an Old Man. In the interest of letting this person be heard and responded to by as many people as I think she would like – I’m posting the comment here.

I know this was written ages ago, but the bible has God all wrong. The bibles God doesnt exist. Mainly because too many human faults are put upon him and glorified as something powerful. What need would an omnipotent being have for hate, judgement and anger? Its such a waste to US as a species, why would he lower himself to our level? Many people turn to the books written by man to place their entire faith on but his truth is in no book. It’s inside us. We are born with it. I know this will sound stupid and naive to you, but the Bible never spoke to me. God did. Not conversationally, of course, but with every sunrise, every hug, every smile of my daughters face, THAT is the word of God. Not some letters spewed onto a page and translated as rule. Living by that book has destroyed civilizations, eras, and us as a humanity. It is the false prophet. And generations have died from it. [dawna reisner]

Let us address the commenter’s main premise – that one can self determine the nature of the Godhead.

Immediately – we can observe that the writer has done two things:

Committed idolatry by creating her own god
Blasphemed the Word of God by saying that Jesus Christ, the Word of God, lies about Himself.

We may condense her opinion into one statement.

I don’t like what the Bible says – therefore it is untrue.

If the Bible does not “speak to you,” that means you are not born of the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

By saying that the Bible is the false prophet – that is committing the unforgivable sin, by blaspheming the Holy Spirit, Who is the Author of the Bible.

2 Peter 1:21For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

In saying that the Bible has been the cause of the world’s woes, more blasphemy is committed.

Psalm 138:2 I will worship toward Thy holy temple, and praise Thy name for thy lovingkindness and for Thy truth: for thou hast magnified Thy word above all Thy name.

Blaming the Bible, rather than man’s exceeding sinfulness, is the same sin committed by Adam in the Garden of Eden when he blamed God. This is also blasphemy.

Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

Denying your own complicity in the cumulative sins of mankind, is proof that you are outside the faith.

1 John 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.

When I first read this comment, I could not believe it was genuine, and likely the antics of a troll because of the provocative nature and specious quality of it. But, as I thought on it, The LORD convicted me that whether genuine or not – it could still be examined and a Scriptural argument developed for it, because even internet trolls need to be witnessed to, and we all encounter people who posit the same belief system.

The Abundant Life – #4 – The Spirit Filled Life

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John 3:3-7

³Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

⁴Nicodemus 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?

⁵Jesus 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.

⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

It is a fact, that the Holy Spirit indwells every truly born again believer. Though we may be weak, immature, and imperfect – if we have been “born again” of the Spirit – He dwells in us. 1 Cor. 6:19- 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? Rom. 8:9 – But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.

It is one thing to have the Holy Spirit indwell us – but does He have us in such a way that He may fill us with the “Abundant Life?” Contrary to the teachings of prosperity preachers – the abundant life can not be found in our environments or circumstances, or in the many material things that we may possess. It is only found in the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5:18

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit

EPHESIANS 5:18 IS A COMMAND! TO BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT IS TO BE SPIRIT-POSSESSED, SPIRIT- EMPOWERED, AND SPIRIT-CONTROLLED.

1. We are filled with the Holy Spirit that we might have joy. Eph. 5:19-20 –¹⁹Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; ²⁰Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

2. We are filled with the Holy Spirit for service. Acts 6:3 – Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

3. We are filled with the Holy Spirit for power to be a witness. Acts 1:8 – But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

4. We are filled with the Holy Spirit for the hour of persecution. Acts 7: 54-60 –

⁵⁴When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. ⁵⁵But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, ⁵⁶And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. ⁵⁷Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, ⁵⁸And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. ⁵⁹And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. ⁶⁰And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

5. We are filled with the Holy Spirit that we may “walk in the Spirit.” Gal. 5:16-26 – ¹⁶This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. ¹⁸But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. ¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, ²⁰Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, ²¹Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. ²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, ²³Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. ²⁴And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. ²⁵If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ²⁶Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

6. We are filled with the Holy Spirit that we may be led by the Holy Spirit. Rom. 8:14 – For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

WE CAN ONLY BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT IF WE DESIRE HIM TO FILL US. THEN WE MUST ASK HIM TO FILL US. AND FINALLY, WE MUST BELIEVE THAT HE FILLS US.

John 4:14

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

The Abundant Life – #3 – The Separated Life

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The separated life is simultaneously positive and negative. The old adage – “be in the world, but not of the world,” was derived from the topic of this article.

Romans 1:1

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. . .

Read that carefully! We are to be “separated unto the gospel of God”! This is POSITIVE SEPARATION.

2 Corinthians 6:17

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

We must come out of ANYTHING that is contrary to the perfect will of God. This is NEGATIVE SEPARATION.

FOR THE BELIEVER – TO BE SEPARATED – MEANS TO BE SANCTIFIED (SET APART) FOR SALVATION AND SERVICE

1. The Word of God has the power to separate the believer from sin. John 17:17 – Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth. Ps. 119:11 – Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.

2. God the Father has the power to separate the believer unto the “coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thess. 5:23 – And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

3. God the Son has the power to separate the believer unto righteousness, “not having spot, or wrinkle.” Eph. 5: 24,27 –

²⁴Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

²⁵Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it;

²⁶That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word,

²⁷That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

4. God the Holy Spirit has the power to separate the believer unto salvation and service. 2 Thess. 2:13 – But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.

If we are not separated, we can still have a relationship with God, but we can not have fellowship with Him. This is the problem of the dominant church spirit at this time – Laodicea. The majority of churches are now so closely allied with the world, there is no fellowship with God. They may be united with Him at Calvary, but separated from Him in sin.

Isaiah 59:1-2

59 Behold, the Lord‘s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

²But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.

Without separation we can have:

Influence without power
Movement without achievement
Trying without trusting
Serving without success
Spiritual battle without victory

WITHOUT SEPARATION UNTO GOD – OUR ENTIRE CHRISTIAN WALK WILL BE “WOOD, HAY, AND STUBBLE.”

THE TRULY ABUNDANT LIFE IS ONLY MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST – MADE REALITY BY SEPARATION UNTO HIM.

The Abundant Life – #1 – The Yielded Life

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There is no secret formula or ritual to living the abundant life; it is revealed, as are all great truths – in the Person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:10

For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God.

Faith that saves, identifies us with Christ in His resurrection. This IS the abundant life!

Colossians 3:1-4

3 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

²Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

³For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

⁴When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.

1. It is one thing to have eternal life by faith. It is another thing entirely to have abundant life by faith.

2. It is one thing to “be made the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Cor. 5:21 – For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. It is quite another thing to realize His righteous life is in us. 1 John 3:7 – Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous.

3. It is one thing to live in Christ. 2 Cor. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. It is another thing for Christ to live HIS life through us. Col. 1:7 – To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. . .

Romans 6:13

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

Romans 6:13, shows us that every believer has a choice. We may yield unto God by faith, and enjoy abundant life, or the believer may yield unto sin and endure a defeated life. Rev. 3:1 – And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith He that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. God wants ALL believers to know the power of a yielded life – for it will lift us above circumstances that circumvent abundant living. The abundant life begins the instant we yield to Him as Lord and Master (Not Lordship salvation!!) allowing Him to live His life through us by faith.

Next up in the series – the service life!

Repentance – Introduction

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Proverbs 28:13

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

What mankind expresses outwardly only fools other people. God desires truth in the inward parts. Baby kissing politicians are an excellent allegory of this concept. The same politician publicly kissing the cheek of a six month old infant, thinks nothing of voting for a six month pre-born infant to be killed in the womb.

Psalm 51:6

Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part Thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

God commands ALL men everywhere to repent.

Acts 17:30

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

Sinners must repent before we can become the recipients of salvation by grace through faith.

Ephesians 2:8-9

⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Once saved, we must practice repentance so that we may enjoy unbroken fellowship with God. Someone once said – “I repented before I understood the meaning of the word, but since then as a Christian I have repented many times.”

Job 42:1-6

42 Then Job answered the Lord, and said,

²I know that Thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from Thee.

³Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.

⁴Hear, I beseech Thee, and I will speak: I will demand of Thee, and declare Thou unto me.

⁵I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee.

⁶Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

Repentance itself, is a gift from God!

Acts 5:31

Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

Acts 11:18

When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

The goodness of God is not merited – therefore – the results of His goodness (which is repentance) is a gift.

Romans 2:4

Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

This gift of repentance is an inward change produced by the convicting power of the Holy Spirit as the Word of God is proclaimed.

Acts 2:37-38

³⁷Now 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?

³⁸Then 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.

The result of preaching the Word of God is “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Faith that Christ died for our sins, and that He was buried and that He rose from the dead.

Acts 20:21

Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

²By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

³For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures;

⁴And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures:

Repentance qualifies us for salvation – but it takes faith in christ to acquire it. countless very religious people are aware of their sinfulness – but since they do not fully trust christ for their salvation – they never acquire it. true repentance is always coupled with faith. it is impossible to have saving faith and not repent! “repentance toward god and faith toward our lord Jesus Christ” are essential and inseparable in salvation.

Faith without repentance is the ultimate hypocrisy – and repentance without faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is folly and futility.

How to Witness for Him – #7 – Following Up

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Think of a new-born baby, umbilical cord still attached – abandoned in the center of a forest full of wild animals. Exposed to the elements, and unable to fend for or care for itself. Well – that’s exactly what happens when you lead someone to Christ, and then drop them! As the baby Christian’s spiritual “foster parent,” you have great responsibility to nurture the new born Christian to ensure he/she is established and on the best food and water, has shelter, and is protected from the elements.

Acts 2:41-42

⁴¹Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

⁴²And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Hmmm. Did you get that part? Any question about what happened to the three thousand after they were saved? Nothing vague about that. When you, personally lead a person to Christ, then you, personally, are responsible. Yes, you will receive the soul winners crown at the Judgment Seat of Christ, but the responsibility does not end with your joy at the birth! Abandonment of spiritual babies, is one of the reasons for stunted growth, and future backsliding. It also stunts the growth of the church, because spiritual babies, are not ever matured enough to reproduce themselves.

THERE ARE SEVEN THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP THE BABY CHRISTIAN TO GROW SPIRITUALLY. THIS ALSO APPLIES IF YOU, GRACIOUS ONE, HAVE ADOPTED THE BABY OF ANOTHER BELIEVER.

1. Put a King James Bible directly into their hands. Remember – new born babies cannot even bring food to their own mouths. Write something personal on the dedication page, open the Bible and demonstrate its features.

2. Make sure the Bible has a good concordance and index, and it might also be a good idea to show the baby how to use the computer to search Bible verses. This is subjective, because the internet is overflowing with corruption and can potentially confuse, or even seduce the baby Christian.

3. Make sure you emphasize, that he can know he is 100% saved through God’s Word. Stress the “Three Fold Proof of the New Birth.”

4. Start him out right – not on junk food. Not force feeding, but make sure it is plentiful enough to sustain the baby until the next “feeding.” It’s important to make clear, that we are to be obedient to the Lord in all things.

5. Lead him to a New Testament church. Invite him to be your guest at your church! Take him with you, and sit with him. When the invitation is given, encourage him to go forward with you, and make public profession of his faith in Jesus Christ. Remember – babies can’t walk without help!

6. Encourage him to tell others about his new birth. Psalm 107:2 – “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.”

7. Either teach him the basics of Bible doctrine, or get him enrolled in a “new believers class.” He will not be able to reproduce (witness) effectively, until he has a solid foundation. Some of the essentials include the Trinity of the Godhead, the deity of Christ, and the inerrancy and divine inspiration of the Bible. If you do not have a class for new believers near you, the studies on our Apologetics and Doctrines page are thorough, doctrinally sound, and may be used to give the new believer a solid foundation. You are free to print off and use any of those articles.

ONCE THE NEW CHRISTIAN HAS BEEN FIRMLY ESTABLISHED IN THE SOLID BIBLE DOCTRINES – THEY WILL BE READY TO:

GO WITH THE GOSPEL

How to Witness for Him – #6 – Giving the Invitation

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Revelation 22:17

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

SUGGESTIONS FOR GIVING THE INVITATION:

After sharing God’s Plan of Salvation, invite the person to whom you are witnessing, to accept, by faith, the Lord Jesus Christ as his/her personal Savior. You can ask them to kneel with you, but no pressure! If you just get down on your knees, it is likely that they will follow – but it is not necessary. If you are on an airplane, or in a foxhole, kneeling is not going to happen. You lead the way!

While you are kneeling, or other posture of reverence, out loud, pray that the Lord will convict him of his sinfulness, and bring him to a state of repentance. If he does not follow you, then arise and make another appointment to meet with him again. If he does follow you to his knees, ask the Lord to save him now. You will need to lead him – like a baby. Yes – even coach- if need be. Just be sure, that however you do it, that he/she acknowledges the complete Gospel. Be sure he:

Admits God loves him
Admits Christ died bearing his sins
Thanks the Lord for convicting him
Admits that he is a sinner
Admits that he is dead in sins
Admits that he cannot save himself
Cries out to the Lord to save him

Please don’t be preoccupied with the “sinner’s prayer.” Let the Holy Spirit lead you, as you lead the lost one to his Savior. The prayer should flow from the heart – not a prescribed formula from an “expert.”

When you finish leading him through prayer, stand up, and ask him – “Did you by faith accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?” If he says yes, confirm it – “Upon the authority of God’s Word you are now a child of God.” Give thanks and praise to God!

Romans 10:13

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

How to Witness for Him – #5 – Sharing God’s Plan of Salvation

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Acts 4:12

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

WHEN YOU ARE WITNESSING TO SOMEONE, THERE ARE SEVEN PROVEN STEPS TO TAKE WHEN SHARING GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION.

1. The best place to start – is with your own, personal testimony. Not your life story! It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to tell how the LORD saved you. As you come to the close of giving your testimony – that would be a good time to bring out your Bible – or a tract or booklet containing God’s Plan of Salvation. Try saying – “May I share with you God’s Plan of Salvation that changed my life?”

2. The first thing to cover, would be fact #1 – GOD LOVES YOU. Read John 3:16, and talk more about how much someone must love to sacrifice themselves for another. Be frank, and ask the person if they will admit that God loves them. Lead them to admit it if you need to. This admission enacts their participation in God’s Plan of Salvation.

3. The next step, will be to cover Fact#2 – IT IS A FACT THAT YOU ARE A SINNER. Read directly from Romans 3:23, and make sure that the person understands that you, along with everyone else, has fallen short of the glory of God. It is not a matter of comparing ourselves with the sinfulness of others – it is how we compare to God’s standards. After the person has taken this in, ask them if they will now admit they are a sinner. It may require some prompting from you – which is normal. But the person needs to know, that God’s loves them, even though they are sinful.

4. After the two admissions, the next step will be to share Fact #3 – YOU ARE NOW DEAD IN SINS. Read directly from Romans 6:23, making sure he/she fully understands what death is according to Scripture. When you are sure they understand what death is, ask them to admit that they are dead in sins. Stress, that even though they are dead in sins, that God still loves them.

5. At this point, share Fact #4 – CHRIST DIED FOR YOU. Read Romans 5:6, emphasizing that Jesus Christ, judged completely innocent, took upon Himself the sins of the world. Ask him/her to admit that Christ died for them, personally. The person needs to know, that Christ loves them so much, that He died on Calvary bearing their sins. He did not die for the righteous – He died for sinners.

6. Now share with them Fact #5 – YOU CAN BE SAVED BY FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. Read Acts 16:30, stressing that they must believe in their heart, their innermost being, that –

Christ died for our sins
He was buried
He rose again the third day

Ask the person to acknowledge the Gospel, and be ready to ask him/her to accept Christ as their personal Savior.

7. If they have actually done all of the above, now would be the time to lead them to call upon the name of the Lord in prayer. There is no formulaic prayer!

Please make full use of God’s Plan of Salvation, which may be printed off from this site – free of charge. It will greatly fortify your soul winning endeavors. The next segment covers How to Give the Invitation!.

Romans 10:13

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

How to Witness for Him – #4 – Following Through

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Matthew 13:3-9

³And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

⁴And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

⁵Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

⁶And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

⁷And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

⁸But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

⁹Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

How simple this parable appears on the surface – yet we could plumb the depths of it for the rest of our lives. The Parable of the Sower aptly demonstrates for us, among other things, the importance of “follow through.” Only one fourth of the seed that was sown, brought forth fruit. The Lord explained the Parable in the verses 18-23:

The sower is the witness
The seed is the Word of God
The soil is the heart of the sinner

We also learn that there are four different kinds of hearts:

The hard heart; this is the wayside heart; fertile but hard
The shallow heart; this is the stony soil, fertile but depthless
The worldly heart; this is the thorny soil; fertile but possessed
The understanding heart; this is the good soil; fertile and prepared

Simple and straightforward – if we expect the seed (the Word of God) to take root and bear fruit, the sinner’s heart must be made ready.

The hard heart must be broken
The shallow heart must be given depth
The worldly heart must learn that the things of this world are temporal

CULTIVATING THE SOIL (SINNER’S HEARTS) REQUIRES TIME, WORK, AND PATIENCE. VERY FEW SOULS ARE WON ON THE FIRST ENCOUNTER. GO THROUGH ALL THE DOCTRINES – STARTING WITH THE FACT THAT THE BIBLE IS GOD’S WORD, PROGRESSING TO THE DEITY OF CHRIST, ALL THE WAY TO GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION.

If you are unsure of any of the fundamental doctrines – please make use of the Apologetics and Doctrines page. You are free to print off and use all of it.

How to Witness for Him – #3 – The Approach

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Never fear beloveds! This is easier than you think. Often we are afraid of giving witness, because we just don’t know how to approach the “target.” Sometimes, it seems, the Lord places someone right in our paths. Other times, it may seem as though it’s been a long time between witnessing opportunities.

THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO APPROACH THE PERSON YOU ARE WITNESSING TO:

1. The direct approach. This approach can be used when witnessing to:

A relative. Andrew used the direct approach with his brother Simon Peter, bringing him to Christ. John 1:40-42
A friend. Philip the apostle used the direct approach to bring Nathaniel to Christ. John 1: 45-46
The concerned. Jesus Christ used the direct approach to win the heart of Nicodemus. John 3: 1-21
The seeker. Paul and Silas used the direct approach to lead the Philippian jailer to Christ. Acts 16: 19-34

2. The second, is the indirect approach. This approach can be used when witnessing to:

A stranger. Jesus used the indirect approach to win the heart of the Samaritan women. John 4: 7-26
The religious. Philip the evangelist used the indirect approach to lead the Ethiopian eunuch to Christ. Acts 8: 26-39

Never be afraid to share your faith! The method used, will vary according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Either way – direct or indirect – be sure to follow through (the subject of the next article on How to Witness) until you have presented God’s Plan of Salvation and invited them to accept Christ as their personal Savior. Remember that you have the witness of your faith to add strength to your work – and that witnessing for Him – is the true work of every child of God.

Isaiah 43:10-12

¹⁰Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He: before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me.

¹¹I, even I, am the Lord; and beside Me there is no saviour.

¹²I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.

How to Witness for Him – #2 – The Qualifications

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Colossians 2:6-7

⁶As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him:

⁷Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

A QUALIFIED WITNESS IS ONE WHO IS:

1. Established in the faith.

This does not exclude young believers! Even the young can be mature – spiritually. To be established in the faith is to be rooted and grounded in God’s Word. Peter said, “Be ready to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” 1 Peter 3:15 The doctrinal studies on this blog, in your Sunday school class, and other sources are there to help you get firmly anchored in His Holy Word. Study them, and carry your Bible with you to ponder any portion of one of the great doctrines. They will give you a rock solid foundation to build your faith on. And in this day and age – it is easier than ever to carry the Word with you via technology.

2. Saved and know it!

I know that I am saved, because God tells me so in His Word and God cannot lie! You and I have the same witness! We have the:

Witness of the Spirit. Rom. 8:16 – The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Witness of the Word. 1 John 5:13 – These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Witness of saving faith. 1 John 5: 9,10 – ⁹If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of His Son. ¹⁰He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son.

There is nothing more important than reaching the lost for Christ. Nothing. If it is important to you ( and as a child of God it should be ) make an effort to be rooted firmly in the Bible, and then you will be able to speak volumes with very few words! In a courtroom setting, the witnesses are chosen based on their credibility. Our firm conviction that we are saved, and our absolute faith and dependance in the Word of God is our credibility to witness for Him.

How to Witness for Him – #1 – The Importance of Witnessing

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Romans 10:13

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

It is of vital importance NOT to lift the above verse out of context. Many, many false shepherds stop with verse thirteen – leading to many, many false conversions. Progressing to the next verse – the Lord gives us three essential questions, that must be considered along with verse thirteen.

Romans 10:14

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

1. The first question, “How then shall they call on Him in Whom they have not believed?”

The answer? The lost CANNOT call on the Lord to be saved until they believe –

That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
That Christ was buried.
That Christ rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

15 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

²By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

³For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

⁴And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1 Cor. 15:1-4)

2. The second question – “How shall they believe in Him of Whom they have not heard?”

The answer? The lost CANNOT believe in Him until they hear the good news of salvation.

The eunuch had to hear to believe. (Acts 8:26-39)
Paul had to hear to believe. (Acts 9:1-18)
Cornelius had to hear to believe. (Acts 10: 1-46)
The Philipppian jailor had to hear to believe. (Acts 16:25-40)

3. The third question, “How shall they hear without a preacher (witness)?”

The answer? They CANNOT hear the good news of salvation without a witness.

Three thousand were saved at Pentecost because of the witnessing of the 120.
The eunuch was saved because Philip witnessed.
Paul was saved because Stephen witnessed. (Acts 7: 54-60), and Jesus the God-man witnessed, and Annanias witnessed. (Acts 9:1-18)
Cornelius and his house were saved because Peter witnessed.
The Philippian jailer and his house were saved because Paul and Silas witnessed.
You were saved because someone witnessed to you.

According to the inspired Word of God, the lost CANNOT be saved without a witness. They must have a witness to hear, they must hear to believe, they must believe to call on Him, and they must call on Him in order to be saved. But – they CANNOT call until they believe, and they CANNOT believe until they hear, and the CANNOT hear without a witness!

Romans 10:17

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

we are not born with saving faith. it only comes when we hear the gospel. it is of utmost importance that every single born again child of god is obedient to the word of god.

Evangelize with the Gospel!!!!

How to Witness for Him – Introduction

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One day, as Jesus walked by the sea of Galilee, He saw two fishermen, Simon (later named Peter) and his brother Andrew. He said unto them . . .

Matt. 4:19

Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.

SOUL WINNERS ARE MADE – NOT BORN! FOR YOU TO BECOME AN EFFECTIVE WITNESS – YOU MUST BE TRAINED, EQUIPPED, AND MOTIVATED BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Our Lord spent three years teaching and training His disciples in the art of soul winning. After His resurrection, He told them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the “promise of the Father.” [Acts 4:1-8] When the disciples asked if He would restore the kingdom right then, He told them, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power.” It is not the job of the church to predict or focus on the Tribulation, or be continuously searching for hidden meanings in natural events. Our job is to witness! “and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

ANY BELIEVER WHO ACQUIRES THE KNOW- HOW, CAN BECOME AN EFFECTIVE SOUL WINNER!

You can know – that you and the Holy Spirit are a witnessing team.

Acts 5:32

And we are His witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey Him.

Therefore, when you are witnessing, remember that you are not alone!

1 Corinthians 6:19

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?

WHEN YOU WITNESS, YOU CAN TRUST THE HOLY SPIRIT TO DO THREE THINGS –

Illuminate the mind of the unbeliever. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. All lost souls are in spiritual darkness. 2 Cor. 4:3 – But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: ⁴In 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.
Stir the heart of the unbeliever. As Peter preached Christ to the listeners . . . Acts 2:37 – 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?
Move the will of the unbeliever. When the prodigal son “came to himself,” and returned home he said. . . Luke 15:18 – I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee. . . The prodigal had a change of will.

Many graduates of Bible schools have learned all of the up-to-date techniques for “modern” soul winning. They may even be able to quote the necessary Scriptures without flaw, and stir an emotional response from their audience. But, if witnessing is not done in the power of the Holy Spirit, all their witnessing efforts will be ineffective. As we progress though this series on effective witnessing, please keep your heart and mind open to the Holy Spirit, and be willing to become Fishers of Men.

God’s Plan of Salvation – Fact #6 – You Can Be Saved And Know It

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1 John 5:10-13

¹⁰He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son.

¹¹And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

¹²He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

¹³These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

UPON THE AUTHORITY OF THE WORD OF GOD – YOU CAN BE SAVED AND KNOW IT! HAVING FAITH IN GOD’S INFALLIBLE WORD IS YOUR ASSURANCE OF YOUR SALVATION. LOOK CAREFULLY AT VERSE 13 AGAIN:

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God;

that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

John 3:36

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

“HATH” IS PRESENT TENSE – IF YOU ARE BORN AGAIN – YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. FOREVER! THERE IS NOTHING VAGUE OR UNCERTAIN ABOUT THE WORD OF GOD.

If you have followed God’s Plan of Salvation and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, then God wants you to know:

1. That you are now a child of God.

1 John 3:2

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.

2. That you have been made the righteousness of God, in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:21

For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

3. That you are now a new creature in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

4. That you are now a son and heir of God.

Galatians 4:7

Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

PRAISE HIM! IS THERE ANY GREATER ASSURANCE THAN WHAT WE FIND IN GOD’S INFALLIBLE WORD?

Matthew 24:35

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.

Beloveds – there are no guarantees in this earthly life. Marriages fail, children break parents’ hearts, jobs are lost, businesses close, promises and contracts are broken. Once you are His, you are always His. Guaranteed by His Holy Word.

Admit this fact to yourself

I CAN KNOW THAT I AM SAVED ETERNALLY

God’s Plan of Salvation – Fact #5 – You Can Be Saved By Faith In The Lord Jesus Christ

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Acts 16:25-33

²⁵And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

²⁶And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

²⁷And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

²⁸But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

²⁹Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

³⁰And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

³¹And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

³²And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

³³And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

Acts 16:31

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

The Philippian jailer directly asked Paul and Silas – “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” The answer was quick, concise, and positive in content – “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house.” Just what was that answer that Paul and Silas gave to the jailer? The Gospel! Upon hearing the Gospel preached, the jailer and his family believed and were saved.

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL THAT SAVES WHEN BELIEVED?

“That Christ died for our sins.”
“That He was buried.”
“That He rose again the third day.” 1 Cor. 15:3-4

Jesus Christ the God-man, died for you, was buried for you, and rose from the dead for you. And He is now at the right hand of the Father, interceding for you.

1 John 2:1

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation only when you believe. Your faith in Christ releases the power of God that saves your soul.

The man born blind received physical sight by a miracle, but spiritual sight came when Jesus asked –

John 9:35-38

³⁵Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?

³⁶He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on

him?

³⁷And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee.

³⁸And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped Him.

Salvation came to Thomas , when he believed and confessed –

John 20: 24-29

²⁴But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

²⁵The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe.

²⁶And after eight days again His disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

²⁷Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing.

²⁸And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

²⁹Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

When you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God hath raised Him from the dead – you will be saved.

Romans 10:9-10

⁹That 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.

¹⁰For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Please, accept Him now by faith. Speak to Him in prayer, while you are alone at your computer, or anywhere you like. It doesn’t matter where. You don’t need to follow any special words, but your prayer might go something like this:

Lord Jesus, I know that You love me, because You died on the cross bearing my sins. Thank You, Lord, for revealing to me my lost, sinful condition. I confess that I am a sinner, dead in sin, and cannot save myself. I do now by faith, gladly accept You as my personal Savior, and I praise and thank You, Lord, for all Your mercies, and the gift of eternal salvation. Amen.

Admit this fact to yourself

I CAN BE SAVED THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST

God’s Plan of Salvation – Fact #3 – You Are Dead in Sin

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If you have confessed and admitted that you are a sinner, then God now wants you to know that “the wages of sin is death.” Just as you are paid wages for the job you perform in the world, so you are paid wages in the spiritual world for the things you have done.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

You are dead in sin, until you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. He must be your –personal- Savior, because you have personally sinned against God. YOU! It has nothing whatsoever to do with anyone else, or any outside mediator such as a religious affiliation. The relationship is personal, between you and God alone. To be saved, is to be made spiritually alive in Christ.

Ephesians 2:1

And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.

Only the Holy Spirit can convict you of your sins. Should you choose to ignore Him, you will remain dead in your sins. What is death?

Death is spiritual separation. Your sins have separated you from God, therefore you are dead in your sins.
Death is physical separation. It separates the spirit and soul from the body.
Death is eternal separation. If you choose to remain lost in your sins, you will stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgment. It is there that your sins will separate you from the mercy of God forever. This is hell.

Revelation 20:11-15

¹¹And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from Whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

¹²And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

¹³And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

¹⁴And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

¹⁵And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

YOU KNOW THAT GOD LOVES YOU – YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE A SINNER . . .

Admit this fact to yourself

I AM DEAD IN SINS

God’s Plan Of Salvation – Fact #2 – You Are a Sinner

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Romans 3:23

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

If you are a human being – you qualify as “all.” Sin is sin, and you are a sinner.

1 John 3:4

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Sin is the transgression of the law.

1 John 5:10

He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

Sin is unbelief – it calls God a liar.

Isaiah 1:2

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me.

Sin is active and passive rebellion against God.

GOD CAN NOT LIE. HE SAID THAT “ALL HAVE SINNED.” “ALL” INCLUDES YOU. YOU HAVE SINNED AGAINST GOD IN THOUGHT, WORD, AND ACTIONS. YOU HAVE COMMITTED SINS OF COMMISSION AND SINS OF OMISSION – BY DOING WHAT IS WRONG AND FAILING TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT. IN THE PERFECT, SINLESS, SIGHT OF GOD – YOU ARE A SINNER.

Admit this fact to yourself

I AM A LOST SINNER, BECAUSE I HAVE SINNED

The New Birth – #4 – The Only Means

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John 3:14-15

¹⁴And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

¹⁵That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Numbers 21:5-9

⁵And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

⁶And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

⁷Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

⁸And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

⁹And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

Moses lifted up the serpent for a sinful, disobedient people. Anyone bitten by the fiery serpents was given a choice. With an act of faith and humility, he could simply look at the brazen serpent and live – 0r – with an act of stubbornness and pride, he could refuse to look, and die.

Isaiah 45:22

LOOK UNTO ME, AND BE YE SAVED, ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH: FOR I AM GOD, AND THERE IS NONE ELSE.

“Even so must the son of man be lifted up.” Just as the brazen serpent in the wilderness was the only means for the children of Israel to be healed, so is the death of Jesus Christ the only means for the new birth. The only way to achieve regeneration is by faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

means

noun: means; noun: means of something

1.an action or system by which a result is brought about; a method.

Romans 1:16

FOR I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST: FOR IT IS THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION TO EVERY ONE THAT BELIEVETH; TO THE JEW FIRST, AND ALSO TO THE GREEK.

THE SINNER MUST COME TO CHRIST BELIEVING:

1. That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

Isa. 53:1-12 –

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

²For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

³He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

⁵But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

⁶All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

⁷He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

⁸He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

⁹And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

¹¹He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

¹²Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Zech. 13:6 – And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.

2. That Christ was buried. This is the proof of His death. He was in the tomb for three days and nights.

3. That Christ rose again, according to the Scriptures. Here is the power of the Gospel that saves, but it is powerless to save the sinner who does not believe. Rom. 1:16 – For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

THE MEANS OF THE NEW BIRTH CAN ONLY BE FOUND ONE WAY:

1. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. . .” is the only means of the new birth. Acts 4:12 – Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

2. Our blessed Redeemer, Jesus Christ, gladly came into the world to become the only means of the new birth. John 12:27 – Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

John 17:1-5 –

These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

²As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

³And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

⁴I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

⁵And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

3. That the Holy Spirit came into the world on the Day of Pentecost to convince and convict all men, everywhere, of their personal need for the new birth.

John 16: 7-11

⁷Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

⁸And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

⁹Of sin, because they believe not on me;

¹⁰Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

¹¹Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

A personal faith in the death, burial, and resurrection is the essential and only means of the new birth.

The New Birth – #1 – Jesus and the Two Births

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John 3:1-6

3 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

²The 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.

³Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

⁴Nicodemus 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?

⁵Jesus 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.

⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

In the above Scriptures, we see Jesus Christ and Nicodemus – coming face to face. The Son of God – Jesus – and the son of natural man – Nicodemus. Although Nicodemus was a very religious man, he was not a child of God. We can sense his discomfort and shock during the “meeting of minds” he had with the Lord. It is the same today when people learn that their religion is not enough. It NEVER is! Nicodemus comes to Jesus secretly, thinking of Him only as “a teacher come from God.” Nicodemus did not know Jesus, but Jesus knew Nicodemus –

John 2:24-25

²⁴But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them, because He knew all men,

²⁵And needed not that any should testify of man: for He knew what was in man.

But Jesus knew that Nicodemus needed more. Jesus knows that we need more.

We need more than a teacher – we need a Savior
We need more than religion – we need regeneration
We need more than the law – we need life.

Jesus came right to the point when He said – “Ye must be born again.” Nicodemus then asks – “How can a man be born when he is old?”

Then, our blessed Savior points out the difference between the two births – “That which is born of the flesh is flesh (the flesh can not change ) and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (the Spirit can not change)

THE FLESH BIRTH. . .

1. The flesh birth produces an old, sinful nature – even in a tiny baby! Ps. 51:5 – Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

2. The flesh birth produces a corruptible nature. – 1 Peter 1:23 – Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

3. The flesh birth produces an old nature under the sentence of death – from the moment an infant draws breath! – Rom. 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

4. The flesh birth produces an old nature, that makes every single unsaved person – a child of the devil. 1 John 3:10 – In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

THE NEW BIRTH . . .

1. The new birth produces a sinless nature. 1 John 3:9 – Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

2. The new birth produces a nature that cannot sin. 1 John 3:9 – Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

3. The new birth produces a righteous nature. 2 Cor. 5:21- For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

4. The new birth produces a divine nature. 2 Peter 1:4 – Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Every born again person, no matter what spiritual age, has two natures. The old nature, from the flesh birth, and the spiritual nature from the new birth. By the old birth – we are children of the flesh; by the new birth we are the children of God. To what degree we allow the old flesh nature dominate, will determine how much we sin, and conversely, how much we allow the new spiritual nature to dominate, will determine how closely we walk with the Lord.

John 3:7

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

The New Birth – Introduction

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It is of the greatest importance to fully grasp what Jesus meant when He said to Nicodemus – “Ye must be born again.” The New Birth is Spiritual, and it is as much a birth as the actual physical birth of a human being.

the new birth is not just a figure of speech!!!!!

Our first birth is of the “seed of man,” and the second birth is of the “seed of God.”

1 Peter 1:23

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Therefore, one cannot become a child of God by joining a church, any more than a chimpanzee could become a man by joining the human race. The chimpanzee can dress in human clothing, type on a computer, eat human food, and even drive a car – in many ways living exactly like a man – but the behaviors do not qualify him for the human race. He is still a chimp. However, if by some miracle the chimp could be “born again” by the seed of a man, then – and only then – could he become a man. Acting like a Christian does not make you a Christian, anymore than acting like a human makes a chimp a human.

The only way to become a child of god is to be “born from above,” by the “incorruptible seed of god.”

The New Birth is a new creation!

2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

The New Birth is a spiritual resurrection!

Ephesians 2:1-9 – And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; ²Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: ³Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. ⁴But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, ⁵Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) ⁶And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: ⁷That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.

The New Birth is regeneration!

Titus 3:5 – Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost

The New Birth is partaking of the Divine Nature!

2 Peter 1:4 – Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

The New Birth is receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior by faith!

John 1:12 – But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name

The New Birth is being made the righteousness of God!

2 Corinthians 5:21 – For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

**the new birth is compulsory (not optional!) if you are to become a child of god.**

John 3:6-8

⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

⁸The 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.

1 Peter 1:18-19

18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

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Calvary Covers It All

Colossians 2:13

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses. . .

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The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.

Proverbs 10:27

The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.

Proverbs 10:28

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

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Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life,Let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life;Words of life and beauty teach me faith and duty.

Refrain

Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life,Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.

Christ, the blessèd One, gives to all wonderful words of life;Sinner, list to the loving call, wonderful words of life;All so freely given, wooing us to heaven.

Refrain

Sweetly echo the Gospel call, wonderful words of life;Offer pardon and peace to all, wonderful words of life;Jesus, only Savior, sanctify us forever.

Refrain

John 6:63

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

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Tell me the story of Jesus,Write on my heart every word;Tell me the story most precious,Sweetest that ever was heard.Tell how the angels in chorus,Sang as they welcomed His birth,“Glory to God in the highest!Peace and good tidings to earth.”

Refrain:Tell me the story of Jesus,Write on my heart every word;Tell me the story most precious,Sweetest that ever was heard.

Fasting alone in the desert,Tell of the days that are past,How for our sins He was tempted,Yet was triumphant at last.Tell of the years of His labor,Tell of the sorrow He bore;He was despised and afflicted,Homeless, rejected and poor.

Tell of the cross where they nailed Him,Writhing in anguish and pain;Tell of the grave where they laid Him,Tell how He liveth again.Love in that story so tender,Clearer than ever I see;Stay, let me weep while you whisper,“Love paid the ransom for me.”

Tell how He’s gone back to heaven,Up to the right hand of God:How He is there intercedingWhile on this earth we must trod.Tell of the sweet Holy SpiritHe has poured out from above;Tell how He’s coming in gloryFor all the saints of His love.

Acts 8:35

Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

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Jesus! what a Friend for sinners!Jesus! Lover of my soul;Friends may fail me, foes assail me,He, my Savior, makes me whole.

Refrain

Hallelujah! what a Savior!Hallelujah! what a Friend!Saving, helping, keeping, loving,He is with me to the end.

Jesus! what a Strength in weakness!Let me hide myself in Him.Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing,He, my Strength, my victory wins.

Refrain

Jesus! what a Help in sorrow!While the billows over me roll,Even when my heart is breaking,He, my Comfort, helps my soul.

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Jesus! what a Guide and Keeper!While the tempest still is high,Storms about me, night overtakes me,He, my Pilot, hears my cry.

Refrain

Jesus! I do now receive Him,[or Jesus! I do now adore Him,]More than all in Him I find.He hath granted me forgiveness,I am His, and He is mine.

Refrain

Titus 2:13-14

13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

14 Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

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Titus 3:3-6

3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

6 Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour. . .

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1 Corinthians 1:18

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

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John 3:3-7

3 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.

4 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?

5 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.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Ephesians 5:18

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit

John 4:14

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

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Romans 1:1

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. . .

2 Corinthians 6:17

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it;

26 That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word,

27 That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

¹⁸Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

¹⁹But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life,
Let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life;
Words of life and beauty teach me faith and duty.

Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life,
Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.

Christ, the blessèd One, gives to all wonderful words of life;
Sinner, list to the loving call, wonderful words of life;
All so freely given, wooing us to heaven.

Sweetly echo the Gospel call, wonderful words of life;
Offer pardon and peace to all, wonderful words of life;
Jesus, only Savior, sanctify us forever.

**It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.**

Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word;
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.
Tell how the angels in chorus,
Sang as they welcomed His birth,
“Glory to God in the highest!
Peace and good tidings to earth.”

Refrain:
Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word;
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.

Fasting alone in the desert,
Tell of the days that are past,
How for our sins He was tempted,
Yet was triumphant at last.
Tell of the years of His labor,
Tell of the sorrow He bore;
He was despised and afflicted,
Homeless, rejected and poor.

Tell of the cross where they nailed Him,
Writhing in anguish and pain;
Tell of the grave where they laid Him,
Tell how He liveth again.
Love in that story so tender,
Clearer than ever I see;
Stay, let me weep while you whisper,
“Love paid the ransom for me.”

Tell how He’s gone back to heaven,
Up to the right hand of God:
How He is there interceding
While on this earth we must trod.
Tell of the sweet Holy Spirit
He has poured out from above;
Tell how He’s coming in glory
For all the saints of His love.

Jesus! what a Friend for sinners!
Jesus! Lover of my soul;
Friends may fail me, foes assail me,
He, my Savior, makes me whole.

Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

Jesus! what a Strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in Him.
Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing,
He, my Strength, my victory wins.

Jesus! what a Help in sorrow!
While the billows over me roll,
Even when my heart is breaking,
He, my Comfort, helps my soul.

Jesus! what a Guide and Keeper!
While the tempest still is high,
Storms about me, night overtakes me,
He, my Pilot, hears my cry.

Jesus! I do now receive Him,
[or Jesus! I do now adore Him,]
More than all in Him I find.
He hath granted me forgiveness,
I am His, and He is mine.

¹³Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

**¹⁴ Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.**

³For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

⁴But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

⁵Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

⁶Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour. . .

³Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

⁴Nicodemus 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?

⁵Jesus 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.

⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

²⁴Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

²⁵Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it;

²⁶That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word,

²⁷That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

²But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.

²Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

³For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

⁴When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.

⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.

²I know that Thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from Thee.

³Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.

⁴Hear, I beseech Thee, and I will speak: I will demand of Thee, and declare Thou unto me.

⁵I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee.

⁶Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

³⁷Now 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?

³⁸Then 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.

²By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

³For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures;

⁴And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures:

⁴¹Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

⁴²And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.