We Must Be Born Again

Have you been born again?

The question is not, "Have you joined a church"? Nor is it, "Are you trying to do your best"?

Nor is it, "Do you have religion"? The correct answer means one will go to Heaven when they die.

John3:3 in the New Testament states, "Except a man be born again, he cannot seek the kingdom of God." We enter the physical world by birth. Likewise, spiritual life begins with a new birth.

There is no other way to become part of God's family. Neither education, cultivation, reformation, or "turning over a new leaf" will accomplish this. What is neededis not a new "leaf" but a new "life"! "Ye must be born again" (John 3:7)".

A New Nature Needed

By physical we become partakers of the human nature; by being born again we become "partakers of the divine nature", it says in 2 Peter 1:4; A Christian is the product of a divine
"begetting", says James 1:18.

The second birth is not an improvement of the old nature; it is the imparting of an entirely new nature. The old nature is hopelessly corrupt and incapable of ever being made for His presence, says Romans 3:9-20 & 8:7.

The new birth requires a creative act of the Holy Spirit. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." says 2 Corinthians 5:17 and repeated in Ephesians 2:10.

Not Trying But Trusting

Trying to "follow Christ" is not Christianity. Christianity is not an imitation of Christ; it is the indwelling of Christ. Christianity is not trying to do anything. It is trusting Christ who has done it all.

He has "finished the work" and there is nothing left to do but simply to receive and trust Him. He shed precious blood on the cross and the work is all done once and forever! Cease

trying and begin trusting!

What Must i Do To Be Saved?

To get "saved", we must simply "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ," according to Acts 16:31. "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God,"says John 5:1

"As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them the believe on His name: which were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God," says John 1:12-13.

We are born again and become Christian by trusting a Person and receiving a Person. The very moment we do this, the Lord Jesus Christ comes in and life begins!

What Is Meant By "Believe"?

To "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" means more than simply believing the historic facts concerning Him. Intellectual belief about Christ is not sufficient. The belief that brings salvation must be with the heart, with the whole being, states Romans 10:10.

This belief also includes repentance: "Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, says "Acts 20:21. "God ...now commandeth all men everywhere to repent", says Acts 17:30.

The faith that saves includes the necessity to repent, and to receive Christ as Savior and Lord, to rest upon Him alone for salvation. It means we are to trust Him so utterly and completely that, if He should fail, there would be no hope at all!

May I Know That I Am Born Again?

This is an important point. We know that we are born again by the testimony of God's Word. God says in John 54, "He that hearth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not com into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."

Have you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as explained by God's Word? If so, you are saved, you are "born again", you have "passed from death unto life". God says so! Take God at His Word, and go on your way rejoicing!

One Final Word

You may belong to a church, you may be trying to do the best you can, and you may be striving to live right. Your outward life may be the model of moral correctness. You may be
looked up to, be honored, revered, and respected.

You may teach in the Sunday school, read the Bible, sing, shout, feel happy, and all the rest. But, if you have never been born again, you are still in your sins and a stranger to the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you have not been born again, you are as lost as if you had never heard of Christ.

One Sin Will Block Us From Heaven

According to the Bible, any ONE unforgiven sin will keep us out of Heaven.

It took only one sin by Adam to drive him out of the Garden of Eden and away from God. He did not lie, kill, steal, commit adultery, or any of the large menu of sins. It took just one act of sinful disobedience.

If people realized that the Bible declares that one sin is enough to keep them out of Heaven, they would quickly look to Christ to save them. It seems people must KNOW they are lost first, in order to get saved. Our sins will keep us out of Heaven and send us to Hell forever.

One sin that will keep us out of Heaven is certainly the sin of "not believing in Christ", says John 16:9. it is fundamental to realize that Christ died for our sins. Peter says "To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins".

Forgiveness is available because the Lord Jesus loved us and died for our sins. God laid "all our iniquities on Him", says Isaiah 53:6. We can benefit from His gift of eternal life by placing our faith in Him and His sacrifice.

Let me explain what believing does not mean. It does not mean to believe ABOUT Jesus Christ dying for our sins. That is necessary, but not enough. It does not mean to believe and then do the best you can. It really means to trust, lean upon, and depend upon entirely. It is trusting Him only.

Salvation is by faith in Christ alone. Nothing added. To know that our sins are all gone and that we have eternal life; will transform us into a new person. If you are not saved, then, this is exactly what you need. It is not religion, but salvation. Surely a clean conscious is what people need, but do not have.

Acts 13:38-39 says, "Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins; and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses".

Do you really believe these verses? Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and the Word of God is the way to be saved, and, the way to know it. How do we get "saved"? By praying something like this:

Dear God:
I am a sinner. Others have sinned greater than I have. But, nevertheless, I stand before you now as a lost sinner, deserving of Hell. I choose to believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, who, became a man.

I choose to believe that He allowed Himself to be put to death, that he arose again on the third day, and that He is alive today.

The Bible says our sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ and, I believe that. Father I want to be cleansed of all my sins right now.


I know I am not right with God and, I want to be forgiven. I want to go to Heaven when I die. Right now at (Time and Date) ______ I bow at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ, and I am dumping all of my sins there. And I mean ALL of them!


I ask that the blood of Jesus Christ wash away all my sins; past, present, and future. I am sorry for my sins God, and I accept your forgiveness. Right now, I declare that I am a Christian. I ask Father, that you will make me aware of when I want to sin, and give me the courage to say NO.


I ask too, that you will help me understand the Bible, and to make the rest of my days on earth count for eternity. I pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, my new Lord and Savior.
Amen

WHERE IS TED KENNEDY NOW?

Based on what Senator Ted Kennedy wrote to the pope before he died (see below), it doesn’t appear to me that Kennedy is in Heaven today.

His letter does not mention Jesus Christ once. Kennedy wrote about this earthly goals and accomplishments. They were noble but, even with his church linkage, they do not qualify him - or anyone else - worthy of Heaven.

As well, the letter from the Vatican to Kennedy, who died Aug. 25 from brain cancer, is sadly void of the biblical gospel.

The senator wrote, “I have always tried to be a faithful Catholic.”

Do we qualify for Heaven by being a faithful Roman Catholic, or Protestant? No. Neither word is in the Bible.

Do we qualify for Heaven by church affiliation or doing good works? No, despite these being admirable attributes.

Good works are an out growth of our accepting what the Lord Jesus Christ completed for us when He paid our total sin debt and arose from the dead. Salvation is in that, alone.

To gain Heaven when we die, we must repent of our sin and put our faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible does not support the idea that our good deeds count for a hill of beans. Jesus secured our salvation 100 per cent.

The Bible states in 1 John 1:7, “…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."

The Vatican is miles off base in suggesting that our suffering is part of our salvation. This Vatican statement to Ted Kennedy is heresy: “He (the pope) invokes upon you the consolation and peace promised by the risen savior to all who share in his sufferings, and trust in his promise of eternal life.”

How do we choose Jesus as our Savior as the sole way to Heaven?

Pray something like this and mean it:

Dear God:

I am a sinner.

Others have sinned greater than I have. But, nevertheless, I stand before you now as a lost sinner, deserving of Hell.

I choose to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who became a man.

I choose to believe that He allowed Himself to be put to death, that He arose again on the third day and is alive today.

The Bible says our sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ, and I believe that.

Father I want to be cleansed of all my sins right now.

I know I am not right with God, and I want to be forgiven. I want to go to Heaven when I die.

Right now at (Time and Date)______________, I bow at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ, and I am dumping all of my sins there. And I mean ALL of them!

I ask that the blood of Jesus Christ wash away all my sins - past, present and future.

I am sorry for my sin, God, and I accept your forgiveness.

Right now, I declare that I am a Christian.

I ask, Father, that you will make me aware of when I want to sin, and give me the courage to say No.

I ask, too, that you will help me understand the Bible, and to make the rest of my days on earth count for eternity.

I pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ - my new Lord and Savior - amen.

Anything else? Yes.

(1.) Tell someone that Jesus is now your Lord.

(2.) Start attending a church where the Bible is

clearly proclaimed.

(3.) Get baptized by immersion as a public confession

of your new life in Christ.

(4.) Read your Bible and pray regularly.

(5.) Continue - or start - doing good stuff as a witness that you care like Christ cares.

(CNN) -- Shortly before he died from brain cancer, Sen. Ted Kennedy wrote a letter to Pope Benedict XVI. President Obama delivered the letter to the pontiff during his visit to the Vatican in July.

Sen. Ted Kennedy wrote to Pope Benedict XVI, asking the pontiff to pray for him as he dealt with cancer.

Sen. Ted Kennedy wrote to Pope Benedict XVI, asking the pontiff to pray for him as he dealt with cancer.

The following are excerpts from the letter as read by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick at Kennedy's private burial service Saturday in Arlington National Cemetery:

"Most Holy Father, I asked President Obama to personally hand-deliver this letter to you. As a man of deep faith himself, he understands how important my Catholic faith is to me, and I am so deeply grateful to him. I hope this letter finds you in good health.

"I pray that you have all of God's blessings as you lead our Church and inspire our world during these challenging times. I am writing with deep humility to ask that you pray for me as my own health declines. I was diagnosed with brain cancer more than a year ago, and although I continue treatment the disease is taking its toll on me. I am 77 years old, and preparing for the next passage of life.

"I have been blessed to be part of a wonderful family. Both of my parents, particularly my mother, kept our Catholic faith at the center of our lives. That gift of faith has sustained and nurtured, and provided solace to me in the darkest hours.

"I know that I have been an imperfect human being, but with the help of my faith I have tried to right my path. I want you to know Your Holiness that in my nearly 50 years of elective office,

“I have done my best to champion the rights of the poor and open doors of economic opportunity. I have worked to welcome the immigrant, to fight discrimination, and expand access to health care and education. I have opposed the death penalty, and fought to end war. Those are the issues that have motivated me and been the focus of my work as a United States Senator.

"I also want you to know that even though I am ill, I am committed to do everything I can to achieve access to health care for everyone in my country. This has been the political cause of my life. I believe in a conscience protection for Catholics in the health field, and I'll continue to advocate for it as my colleagues in the Senate and I work to develop an overall national health policy that guarantees health care for everyone.

"I have always tried to be a faithful Catholic Your Holiness. And though I have fallen short through human failings, I have never failed to believe and respect the fundamental teachings of my faith. I continue to pray for God's blessings on you and on our Church, and would be most thankful for your prayers for me."

Two weeks later, Kennedy received a response from the Vatican. McCarrick read the response in part, as follows:

* * * * *

"The Holy Father has read the letter which you entrusted to President Obama, who kindly presented it to him during their recent meeting. He was saddened to know of your illness, and asked me to assure you of his concern and his spiritual closeness. He is particularly grateful for your promise of prayers for him, for the needs of our universal church. "His Holiness prays that in the days ahead, you may be sustained in faith and hope, and granted the precious grace of joyful surrender to the will of God, our merciful father. He invokes upon you the consolation and peace promised by the risen savior to all who share in his sufferings, and trust in his promise of eternal life.

"Commending you and the members of your family to the loving intervention of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Father cordially imparts his apostolic blessing as a pledge of wisdom, comfort, and strength in the Lord."