50_Cent's_dog Posted February 6, 2006 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 18 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 377 Content Per Day: 0.06 Reputation: 1 Days Won: 0 Joined: 01/24/2006 Status: Offline Birthday: 01/31/1977 Share Posted February 6, 2006 There is a burden in my heart for the people who claim to be Christians. The truth is not all people who claim to be Christians are Christians. I mean many people here in America have a good idea of who God is but do they know Jesus as Lord and Savior? Is he in their hearts? There are so many denominations of the Christian faith today. How many of them teach ( John 3:3 )? Jesus declared, " I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is Born Again. To be Born Again is the most important thing in Christianity. That also means to be Born of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit you can do nothing to please God. You can not please God on your own. Only when you let the Holy Spirit work through you can you be pleasing to God. Apart from Him your Christianity is in vain. (John 3:5-8) Jesus answered," I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. (Being born of water means a natural birth not baptism). Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying," You must be Born Again." The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear it's sound, but you can not tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. A Christian should be like the wind and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide them while they are living this life. Again ( John 4:23-24 ) Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. People try to worship God all the time but you can not do it with out the Holy Spirit living inside of you. You can not have the Holy Spirit unless you are Born Again. To be Born Again is in my opinion the most important thing in Christianity. That is the only way to get to heaven and the only way to have a relationship with God. You must be Born Again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st. Worm Posted February 6, 2006 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 2 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 1,447 Content Per Day: 0.22 Reputation: 45 Days Won: 0 Joined: 12/26/2005 Status: Offline Share Posted February 6, 2006 QUOTE: "There are so many denominations of the Christian faith today. How many of them teach ( John 3:3 )? Jesus declared, " I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is Born Again." I would have to ask you how many denominations are you aware of that don't teach this? I have seen so much denomination bashing on this site that when I see a comment like this I always wonder if this might be another one. Sorry if I am misunderstanding your point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Chad Posted February 6, 2006 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 6 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 136 Content Per Day: 0.02 Reputation: 7 Days Won: 0 Joined: 01/16/2006 Status: Offline Share Posted February 6, 2006 There is a burden in my heart for the people who claim to be Christians. The truth is not all people who claim to be Christians are Christians. I mean many people here in America have a good idea of who God is but do they know Jesus as Lord and Savior? Is he in their hearts? There are so many denominations of the Christian faith today. How many of them teach ( John 3:3 )? Jesus declared, " I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is Born Again. To be Born Again is the most important thing in Christianity. That also means to be Born of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit you can do nothing to please God. You can not please God on your own. Only when you let the Holy Spirit work through you can you be pleasing to God. Apart from Him your Christianity is in vain. (John 3:5-8) Jesus answered," I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. (Being born of water means a natural birth not baptism). Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying," You must be Born Again." The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear it's sound, but you can not tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. A Christian should be like the wind and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide them while they are living this life. Again ( John 4:23-24 ) Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. People try to worship God all the time but you can not do it with out the Holy Spirit living inside of you. You can not have the Holy Spirit unless you are Born Again. To be Born Again is in my opinion the most important thing in Christianity. That is the only way to get to heaven and the only way to have a relationship with God. You must be Born Again Where do you get that being born of water is a natural birth? If water baptism isn't that important to new believers then why did Jesus get baptized? Why did all new converts in Acts get baptized? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50_Cent's_dog Posted February 6, 2006 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 18 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 377 Content Per Day: 0.06 Reputation: 1 Days Won: 0 Joined: 01/24/2006 Status: Offline Birthday: 01/31/1977 Author Share Posted February 6, 2006 QUOTE: "There are so many denominations of the Christian faith today. How many of them teach ( John 3:3 )? Jesus declared, " I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is Born Again." I would have to ask you how many denominations are you aware of that don't teach this? I have seen so much denomination bashing on this site that when I see a comment like this I always wonder if this might be another one. Sorry if I am misunderstanding your point. No I wasn't bashing a denomination. I do know of a denomination that laughs at Born Again believers but I didn't mention it. So I did not bash them. I just mentioned this so that people understand that they must be Born Again. Nobody understands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st. Worm Posted February 6, 2006 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 2 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 1,447 Content Per Day: 0.22 Reputation: 45 Days Won: 0 Joined: 12/26/2005 Status: Offline Share Posted February 6, 2006 'Nobody understands." Actually I do understand and agree many churches, both denomination and non-denomination, no longer teach the Gospel. However also understand that being born again is a function of God's grace and not a choice we make. First comes the born again and then we are capable of believing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieK Posted February 6, 2006 Group: Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 7 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 47 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 1 Days Won: 0 Joined: 12/02/2005 Status: Offline Birthday: 06/15/1990 Share Posted February 6, 2006 There is a burden in my heart for the people who claim to be Christians. The truth is not all people who claim to be Christians are Christians. I mean many people here in America have a good idea of who God is but do they know Jesus as Lord and Savior? Is he in their hearts? There are so many denominations of the Christian faith today. How many of them teach ( John 3:3 )? Jesus declared, " I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is Born Again. To be Born Again is the most important thing in Christianity. That also means to be Born of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit you can do nothing to please God. You can not please God on your own. Only when you let the Holy Spirit work through you can you be pleasing to God. Apart from Him your Christianity is in vain. (John 3:5-8) Jesus answered," I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. (Being born of water means a natural birth not baptism). Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying," You must be Born Again." The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear it's sound, but you can not tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. A Christian should be like the wind and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide them while they are living this life. Again ( John 4:23-24 ) Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. People try to worship God all the time but you can not do it with out the Holy Spirit living inside of you. You can not have the Holy Spirit unless you are Born Again. To be Born Again is in my opinion the most important thing in Christianity. That is the only way to get to heaven and the only way to have a relationship with God. You must be Born Again Where do you get that being born of water is a natural birth? If water baptism isn't that important to new believers then why did Jesus get baptized? Why did all new converts in Acts get baptized? The second theif on the cross next to Jesus was probably never baptised of water yet Jesus declared that 'today you will be with me in paradise.' Water justifies no one! Jesus got baptised because the Father wanted him to not because it was really needed. New believers get baptised as a sign of that which has already taken place in the heart of the one being baptised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieK Posted February 6, 2006 Group: Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 7 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 47 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 1 Days Won: 0 Joined: 12/02/2005 Status: Offline Birthday: 06/15/1990 Share Posted February 6, 2006 'Nobody understands." Actually I do understand and agree many churches, both denomination and non-denomination, no longer teach the Gospel. However also understand that being born again is a function of God's grace and not a choice we make. First comes the born again and then we are capable of believing. God's grace is the only way we can be born again but we where not created as puppets. God gave us the right to choose for or against him. I can't comprehend how predestination works in prefect cooperation with free will but it must to because God gives us both. If God had not given us free will to choose for or against him I think we'd all still be in Eden. I "believed" long before I accepted Him as my Lord and Savior, before i had even heard that a personal relationship with God was possible. You can believe really easily without ever being born again. that's how so many people are going to get surprised on judgement day, they believed but where never born again. that's how america is 80% Christian: small percent born again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st. Worm Posted February 6, 2006 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 2 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 1,447 Content Per Day: 0.22 Reputation: 45 Days Won: 0 Joined: 12/26/2005 Status: Offline Share Posted February 6, 2006 "You can believe really easily without ever being born again." Jesus tells Nicodemus that no can even begin to see the Kingdom of Heaven without first being born again. Free will is a myth since the Fall. It can be argued well that Jesus uses the example of birth to portray regeneration since both are situations that we have no control over ourselves. Pelagianism was determined to be a heresy a long time ago and with good reason. Grace is not very gracious if its possible for us to do something apart from God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieK Posted February 6, 2006 Group: Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 7 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 47 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 1 Days Won: 0 Joined: 12/02/2005 Status: Offline Birthday: 06/15/1990 Share Posted February 6, 2006 What's pelagianism? If free will is a myth why does eveyone still sin? If we have no say n ourt own salvation then why isn't everyone saved if Matt 18:14 14In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost. ? How are seeing the kingdom of heaven and believing the same thing? what do you think believing means? your definaition is different from mine and I think if I got that much what your saying would make prefect sense. Currentally your word useage is confusing me. Maybe I should go study theology at the collogde level before I try toi understand this site. Ya'll use really big theological words I've never heard before. It's very confusing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st. Worm Posted February 6, 2006 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 2 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 1,447 Content Per Day: 0.22 Reputation: 45 Days Won: 0 Joined: 12/26/2005 Status: Offline Share Posted February 6, 2006 Katie We sin because we are sinners. We are conceived that way. That is how our wills are inclined, towards sin. Natural man's will is anything but free. My point was that our will must changed by a work of God's grace before we are capable of believing the Gospel. That change is called regeneration or being born again. People are not saved by their free will decisions. They are saved by God's grace. Pelagiaus was a 4th century monk who decided that man did not really have original sin and that man instead has a free will. His teaching was declared to be heretical. I would suggest Luther's Bondage of the Will if you would like more information. This is his response to another heretic, Erasmus who also taught free will. SW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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