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Showing posts from July, 2016

The New Birth

John 3:1-3 – “ There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’   Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”             When we pray to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior we experience the new birth.   Jesus defined this as being, born again .   What happens when we are born again?   We leave behind a life of sin.   We become citizens of another kingdom.   Colossians 1:13 reads, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” We become citizens of the kingdom of God.   Psalms 145:11 says this kingdom is both glorious and majestic.               The Apostle Paul writes concerning the new birth in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Ch

The Way Out

John 14:6 – “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. On a recent family trip to London, England our family spent a lot of time riding the tube (train) to different sights in the city.   I noticed at each train station the signs did not read “exit,” but read, “Way Out.”   I began to think about how Jesus is our “way out.” Jesus is the “way, the truth, and the life.” He is the way to salvation and deliverance.   In Acts 4:12 Peter revealed, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”   In Luke’s Gospel we learn of Jesus mission, “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Jesus is our way out.   The moment you receive Christ you are born again.   You experience forgiveness and a way out of guilt and shame. In Genesis 3:8, Adam and Eve hid from God when He came to the garden in the cool of the day. Prov

Honoring the Gifts of God

Ephesians 4:8-12 – “ Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.”   (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He Himself gave some  to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, f or the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”          There are three chapters in the New Testament where the majority of the spiritual gifts are mentioned.   In Romans 12:4-8 the Apostle Paul lists seven motivational gifts. In 1 Corinthians 12:4-8 we learn about the manifestation gifts of the Spirit.   In the fourth chapter of Ephesians we learn about the five ministry gifts.          These five gifts, “apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors, and teachers are gifts that are given to the