For the sake of understanding, I will not go into after-birth doctrines of heaven that a believer must learn to walk in for the development of his Spirit man. At the direction of the Holy Spirit, this article will cover my experience of the entry level process transitioning a human to being “Born Again” or born of the Spirit of God. If your experience may not have been as eventful as mine, it does not mean that you are not “Born Again”.
I am asked repeatedly what is meant to be “Born Again”. At the leading of the Holy Spirit, I have penned my experience for an inside view of what happened to me when I was “Born Again”. God would have you to know just how special all mankind is to him that he inspired me to document my experience for furthering your understanding and to cease all apprehensions of this critical part of his plan for mankind. In addition to this documentary, The Father reminds us to read daily for clarity in understanding his purpose for sending his son to die on the Cross for the sins of all mankind, see John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whomsoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life". Most of all, he wants you to understand how he accomplished salvation through the cooperation of Satan.
Are you ready to take a journey, then open up your bibles and please go with me to the book of John, chapter three, verses three to seven (John 3:3 – 7). In the referenced scripture, Jesus said to Nicodemus, verse 3; "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God". Nicodemus answered with two questions, "How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? In verse 5, Jesus answered, "Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Verse 6- "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit."
Born of the Spirit
Like all people in the world, I was raised in the religion of my parents, Catholic. While growing up into manhood, I always felt inside me that there was more to God than what I was learning, but could not prove it. I had lots of questions due to a confused understanding of the bible and God but I did not know how to go about searching out truth. I turned to reading lots of books, never realizing that the answers I was looking for were all sitting right in the book under my nose, the Bible.
At the age of 40 years old, God set up a scenario that would lead me to him. My wife suddenly became very ill requiring emergency surgery for removal of her gall bladder that had been dead for quite some time in her body, not knowing, but it suddenly made her very ill in a matter of hours. We woke up one day 1997 and we both went to work, I took my son to school, he was about 5 years old at the time. By the end of the day, while driving home from work, I got a call from my wife that her scheduled doctor visit that day resulted in an emergency admission to the hospital for surgery.
God brought her through the procedure successfully. While at home resting, on Sunday, it entered into my heart to go to church to pray for her. We had just moved into the area (1995) where I now live 15 years ago and did not know of any Catholic churches to go to in the area. I remembered going to a Pentecostal church that a friend of my wife recommended to us and that I had visited once and vowed never to return. I thought the people were nuts jumping and shouting praising God with great reverence, falling out on the floor in the Spirit. I never saw such behavior in the Catholic Church. So to me, they were nuts.
So I went to Sunday service at that local Pentecostal church by myself. The date was June 23, 1997, 10:30 AM, a clear and sunny day. By 1:30 PM that day, my life had changed forever. On that day, I became born of the Spirit of God. Frankly, I believe I died at the altar that day, but not physically. My Spirit was reborn, quickened, made alive by God. I adhered to the altar call to pray for my wife not intending to make Jesus the Lord and Savior of my life. However, I did not plan for the eventful experience that I walked into. I've seen lots of people go to the altar and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I saw no one experience what happened to me. Thirteen years later, I have a better understanding though and I have no regrets. I was touched by the Glory of God.
Once the presence/Glory of God touched me at the altar, I did not want to turn back. The touch felt so good there was nothing that compared to it in this world. Yes, that too, did not compare to the touch of his Glory. I made a split second decision to accept Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior right then and there.
What Jesus was saying to Nicodemus (a Master teacher of Jewish law) is that unless you are born again of water and the spirit of God, you will die in your sins and go to hell for eternity. Jesus pointed out clearly, while you will enter into heaven for judgment you will not stay for eternity if you die while in your sins. There is nothing on this earth a man can do to wash away his sins, not good works, being a good person, going to church every Sunday, none of those good deeds qualifies mankind to make heaven their home for eternity. However, God had a plan to redeem his created mankind to himself away from Satan. So he sent Jesus to earth. Jesus paid a price for all mankind's sins by dying on the cross, going to hell and on the third day, he rose from the dead with the keys to the kingdom of heaven and the debt of all mankind's sins paid in full. All we have to do is receive the gift of salvation that Jesus purchased for us with his LIFE. God's Word is clear stating, no man comes to the Father but by the Son.What is the gift Jesus purchased? He purchased our liberty from Satan, hell, and the grave by shedding his BLOOD on the cross. That's mad LOVE. He laid down his life for all mankind and then picked it up again on the third day.
Verse 6- "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit."
When a man is born into this world, he is flesh comprised of a spirit being living inside of a body. Because of the curse of Adam, we are all born into this world in sin and shaped in iniquity, not even knowing this. Your spirit is separated from relationship with God. Meaning, you cannot hear the voice of God and have fellowship with him while you are in your sins. Please understand this fine difference, you can have the Hand of God on your life guiding you, protecting you, leading you, until you come to your senses and repent from your sins, turning your life around and coming to God by accepting his son as your personal Lord and savior. You then become a son of God or joint heirs with Jesus. In God’s eyes, when a person is born of HIS Spirit, they can then enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and live there for eternity because his sins were washed away by the shed blood of his Son. It was God’s intent for all mankind before the first sin was committed in the Garden of Eden that he would live in eternity with his created man. If you were able to get hold of you dying so someone else whom you loved could escape eternal damnation, then are you able to fathom the LOVE of God toward his mankind. That is why it is said in the Bible that the LOVE of God passes all understanding. His LOVE is beyond the comprehension of our finite minds. Our God is a Holy God and he expects his creation to be just like him. Remember, he made us and not we ourselves.
What is involved in re-Birth of Our Spirit?
Glad you asked, go with me to the book of Romans, chapter ten, verses nine to ten (Romans 10: 9 – 10). For the scripture saith: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." I mentioned above about going to the altar during the altar call part of service. This is done by the pastor at the leading of the Holy Ghost or in most Pentecost churches, after the sermon is preached. As I prayed the above scripture at the direction of the pastor believing in my heart the words which I confessed, my knees locked. I felt a force pushing down on my head, so I said in my mind if I dropped to my knees, the force would release. I dropped to my knees and the force did not release. Only, the force lifted off my head and surrounded my body while on my knees and crying profusely. Why was I crying, the force that surround me felt very, very, very sweet. The force had overpowered me, but the guy on my left (a police officer) who also came to the altar to accept Jesus it did not have the same effect on him. I saw this out the corner of my left eye. While on my knees and asking God to heal my wife, I suddenly felt my entire body short circuit and I collapsed to the ground prostrate. My face is eating carpet my eyeglasses were trapped between my face and the carpet such that I could not move my head, neck or arms to remove my eyeglasses from my face. My eyes are shut tight, I could not open them. I heard lots of commotion and screaming going on around me while on the floor, but I was totally lifeless as a dead man, yet alive. My entire body became extremely hot and I was sweating profusely. I stayed in that state for what felt like an eternity, but after it all passed, I found out that I was slayed in the Spirit for over 30 to 45 minutes. I finally experienced what I saw on television and with my eyes which I once believed was a hoax. I said in my mind while on the floor, "now I know being slayed in the Spirit is NO hoax, it is real and most of all, GOD IS A LIVING SPIRIT BEING". Finally, I came to and needed assistance standing up from the floor as my legs were as rubber. At 6' 6" 300 pounds I needed help to stand from the floor. My entire body felt like it had been struck by lightening. All of my garments were soaked through including pants and there was a ringing in my head as if my bell had been rung by a blindside tackle.
The Gift of the Holy Ghost
The following Sunday, I again went to church. I took the altar call to complete what I had begun the prior week at the altar. See Acts 2:38.” Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Jesus sent the Holy Ghost to live on the inside of all believers as a comforter and guide here in the earth when he resurrected from the dead back to heaven to be with the Father. Once a person receives the gift of the Holy Ghost (he is the operative part of the Godhead. He does all the manual labor in the earth. He is the Spirit of God), by the laying on of hands of the pastor. The evidence that you have received him is that your will begin to speak in other tongues or a language that you did not learn. That other tongue(s) is your heavenly language. It is a very important ability to possess as it is the only language that Satan cannot interpret. So you then have an option of praying to God in you known language or praying in tongues.
Praying in tongues is the more powerful of the two if you have personal issues that you need to communicate to the Father. For the Holy Ghost knows what you have need of when you pray and offers up the perfect prayer to God on your behalf with groaning. This is very powerful stuff. The practice of prayer in the Holy Ghost is important for the development of your Spirit man and should be practiced on a consistent daily basis. That should not detract from the importance of daily prayer. For reading the word of God has its place of importance in the development of your Spirit man as well. Daily prayer is vital for daily nourishment of your Spirit as food is vital to the daily nourishment of your body. Because we need Faith to please God, your Faith can only come by HEARING yourself pray and your HEARING, by the word of God. Now that your Spirit man is renewed you MUST pray daily so he can be nourished and become healthy and strong.
Born of Water
Please go with me to the book of Acts, chapter eight, verses thirty-four to thirty-nine (Acts 8:35-39). “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If though believeth with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still; and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went his way rejoicing.”
My baptism experience was similar in magnitude to my experience of being Born of the Spirit. It is of the most critical importance that your mind is focused exactly where you are told to be by the pastor during every second of the baptismal process in order for you to reap the full benefit of the experience. I do remember when my 6’6” body was raised out of the water I heard an explosion and felt a shift in the atmosphere. There was crying and screaming by the women in attendance at that baptismal ceremony. While driving home that day, I noticed that my vision saw colors in a rich text form. The green leaves were greener and blue flowers were a deeper blue.
One of the many definitions of baptism is to immerse somebody totally in water as an outward manifestation of the internal re-birth of the spirit. You are baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Water baptism symbolizes your identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So that when the person is raised out of the water it symbolizes his resurrection from death or corruption into the newness of life. They are a new creature. All old things are passed away, like your sins, and behold, all thing are made new. You are now on the road of salvation. Yours to work out, with the leading of the Holy Ghost sent to lead you and guide you into all truth and show you things to come. Please know that being born again is the beginning of salvation although it is used interchangeably in the Bible with the term “Saved”. You are saved when you have successfully completed the walk of Faith and have translated from this world to be present with the Lord. While you are here, God has given you all that you need to make it through including the church that he assigns you to “go and receive further instructions” as was told me and as Jesus told Paul on the highway to Damascus. Why is it important to become a member of a home church? So you may study and learn the word of God from pastors after God’s heart toward the renewing of your mind. You have a far greater part to play in the renewal of your mind through daily reading of God's word. Do not just open your Bibles on Sunday mornings, but open it every day you are blessed to open your eyes to see another day of life on earth. Remember, when you are at first “Born Again” you come in with baggage from the old man. The baggage will not all fall away immediately but will eventually with patience with yourself and persistence in the pursuit of the knowledge of God.
Finally, just how did the Father accomplish salvation through the cooperation of Satan? As you know, God is perfect in all knowledge. God will use a thing you love the most to accomplish his purpose through you. Only difference, he will not do so the way in which you think he will. For example, Jesus said that Satan comes but for to steal, kill and destroy, but that he came that we may have life more abundantly. Because Satan loves to kill and destroy mankind, he though that by destroying Jesus he had victory over heaven and God. He knew that Jesus was the Son of God. The Bible is filled with examples of how demons actually gave more reverence to Jesus than people and exited a body at the command of the Lord. But what Satan did not plan was for God to use his own greed against him. See, it was critical that Jesus died a despicable death. In those days, crucifixion on a cross was just that, a curse. Jesus had no sins. Dying sinless on the cross in a cursed fashion, made void the curse of the law, sin and death instituted upon mankind by God through the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden. That is why Jesus is called the sacrificial Lamb of God and the Last Adam. At the end of three and a half days, God declared that the debt of all sin had been paid and commanded the release of Jesus from hell. Therefore, God executed a perfect plan for the redemption of man from Satan through his Son. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is available to come and live on the inside of you if you will receive him.
About the Author
Martin Maturine is a Born Again Christian dedicated to bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the World through the leading of the Holy Ghost. He has created many weblogs in the Christian, Health and Fitness, Nutrition and Yoga, Education and Internet Marketing niches.
|
|
Def Leppard English Flag Coolie Cup $9.99 Keep your drink cold while rocking out with this coolie... |
|
|
Alex Super Baking set - 18 Piece Metal and Plastic Set $12.49 Measure, mix, prep, and bake some imaginary treats| This 18-piece set features a loaf pan, bear pan, heart pan, mixing bowl, rolling pin, whisk, measuring spoons and cup, pastry wheel, 2 star cookie cutters, 2 heart cookie cutter, and an oven mitt. Bon Appetit|... |
|
|
Set of 2 Heated Stainless Steel Travel Mugs Product Description Keep your favorite beverages hot at all times with this set of 2 stainless heated travel mugs. Plug the detachable cords into any standard 12v car adapter of your car truck or R/V. Durable stainless-steel construction and locking lids ensure a safe trip anywhere. Product Details 12V Heated Travel Mugs - Set of 2 ⢠Capacity: 16 ozs. ⢠Airtight l... |
|
|
Comforter - Crumble Bear $17.99 This is a soft plush comforter from the Once Upon a Time collection, featuring Crumble Bear. This super soft comforter is perfect to hold on to. Crumble is the feature of this comforter, his head and arms are built into the design. It doubles as a... |
|
|
Passion of the Christ: Songs (Original Songs Inspired by the Film) $16.99 ... |
|
|
Egyptian Hieroglyphs Made Easy $19.99 Learning and understanding of the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic language. The hieroglyphic script was the longest lived and earliest form of the Egyptian language. Its use was limited primarily to religious and monumental inscriptions, whereas a more cursive script called hieratic was preferred for administrative and epistolary purposes. Hieroglyphic Egyptian employs pictures of objects, each with... |
|
|
GE 37771 R40 Heat Lamp, Red, 250-Watt $3.39 250 watt 120 volt R40 Medium Screw (E26) Base Red Heat Lamp Red Incandescent GE Light Bulb... |
|
|
Scarface - Vinyl Wall Decals Murals Stickers Art Graphic - 44H x29W - by üBer Decals $44.99 Better than wallpaper, wall stickers are a perfect way to decorate your room and express yourself. They are a fun, easy and removable decor solution. These stickers are pre-cut and will only take you several minutes to apply on any surface - walls, doors, windows, and more. Each of our designs come with easy instructions to follow. This is an original design from uBer Decals. All other sellers are... |
|
|
Botanical Interest - Squash Winter Tble King Acorn (Certified Organic) $2.99 Isn't acorn squash the epitome of a fall vegetable? These glossy ribbed beauties are so attractive, you may want to display them in a basket on your table for awhile before cutting them open for dinner! An All America Winner in 1974, 'Table King' is still very popular decades later for its fabulous traits. The orange flesh has marvelous, rich flavor, and the fruit grows on very compact 4' vines. (... |
|
|
Gecko Nasal Pad - Large, 4.12 Long $24.95 The Gecko Nasal Pad (formerly the Sleep Comfort Care Pad by Sequal) is intended for patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) who experience pain and discomfort on or around the bridge of their nose associated with using nasal or full face masks. The pad acts as a cushion between the patient's face and mask, and is simply placed across the bridge of the nose under the mask. The protective polyme... |
|
|
Def Leppard English Flag Coolie Cup $9.99 Keep your drink cold while rocking out with this coolie... |
|
|
Alex Super Baking set - 18 Piece Metal and Plastic Set $12.49 Measure, mix, prep, and bake some imaginary treats| This 18-piece set features a loaf pan, bear pan, heart pan, mixing bowl, rolling pin, whisk, measuring spoons and cup, pastry wheel, 2 star cookie cutters, 2 heart cookie cutter, and an oven mitt. Bon Appetit|... |
|
|
Set of 2 Heated Stainless Steel Travel Mugs Product Description Keep your favorite beverages hot at all times with this set of 2 stainless heated travel mugs. Plug the detachable cords into any standard 12v car adapter of your car truck or R/V. Durable stainless-steel construction and locking lids ensure a safe trip anywhere. Product Details 12V Heated Travel Mugs - Set of 2 ⢠Capacity: 16 ozs. ⢠Airtight l... |
|
|
Comforter - Crumble Bear $17.99 This is a soft plush comforter from the Once Upon a Time collection, featuring Crumble Bear. This super soft comforter is perfect to hold on to. Crumble is the feature of this comforter, his head and arms are built into the design. It doubles as a... |
|
|
Passion of the Christ: Songs (Original Songs Inspired by the Film) $16.99 ... |
|
|
Egyptian Hieroglyphs Made Easy $19.99 Learning and understanding of the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic language. The hieroglyphic script was the longest lived and earliest form of the Egyptian language. Its use was limited primarily to religious and monumental inscriptions, whereas a more cursive script called hieratic was preferred for administrative and epistolary purposes. Hieroglyphic Egyptian employs pictures of objects, each with... |
|
|
GE 37771 R40 Heat Lamp, Red, 250-Watt $3.39 250 watt 120 volt R40 Medium Screw (E26) Base Red Heat Lamp Red Incandescent GE Light Bulb... |
|
|
Scarface - Vinyl Wall Decals Murals Stickers Art Graphic - 44H x29W - by üBer Decals $44.99 Better than wallpaper, wall stickers are a perfect way to decorate your room and express yourself. They are a fun, easy and removable decor solution. These stickers are pre-cut and will only take you several minutes to apply on any surface - walls, doors, windows, and more. Each of our designs come with easy instructions to follow. This is an original design from uBer Decals. All other sellers are... |
|
|
Botanical Interest - Squash Winter Tble King Acorn (Certified Organic) $2.99 Isn't acorn squash the epitome of a fall vegetable? These glossy ribbed beauties are so attractive, you may want to display them in a basket on your table for awhile before cutting them open for dinner! An All America Winner in 1974, 'Table King' is still very popular decades later for its fabulous traits. The orange flesh has marvelous, rich flavor, and the fruit grows on very compact 4' vines. (... |
|
|
Gecko Nasal Pad - Large, 4.12 Long $24.95 The Gecko Nasal Pad (formerly the Sleep Comfort Care Pad by Sequal) is intended for patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) who experience pain and discomfort on or around the bridge of their nose associated with using nasal or full face masks. The pad acts as a cushion between the patient's face and mask, and is simply placed across the bridge of the nose under the mask. The protective polyme... |
Other Bible Websites
- W City News » Blog Archive » Christianity and Islam – Geneva – Deedat 6 of 8 - World City Information and Tourism
- Nokia N97 Mini : Quick Review, In the Flesh Photos, Verdict | TopOneMusic Windows Mobile(Windows Phone) Android iPhone Blog
- Honesty with Scriptures » Blog Archive » Encountering the Holy Spirit 1
- Apple Macbook » Blog Archive » iMac baby – Apple remix of Bust it baby by Plies ft Neyo.
- Basics Christianity | Christianity Exposed!
- Living with the Holy Spirit | 24-7 Christian News
- How Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus Risked All to Give Jesus An Honorable Burial | 24-7 Christian News
- The Tripartite Man (Body, Soul and Spirit) | 24-7 Christian News
- The Spirit is Willing! Is Your Flesh Weak? | 24-7 Christian News
- The Last Verse in Bible Versus Quran – Chapter (3) | 24-7 Christian News
