We Must be Born Again

[CoreyD]

I think you are somewhat confused my friend.

My personal experience of being born again had nothing to do with any sort of water, it was my simple confession by my mouth asking for forgiveness from my heart that brought about my salvation. I was engulfed with The Holy Spirit that night and Jesus paid me a personal visit the next afternoon. I wasn't even water immersed till around 6 months later, then a full year later I was filled with The Holy Spirit and received the gifts of The Spirit, I even had tastes of what the anointing is from The Father.

I don't think any sort of persuasion on your part is even remotely going to change my personal experiences of over 30 years.

Have you ever asked, 'Why me? What's so special about me, that Jesus would do something that he never did in all these years, for billions of people who have sore knees, and damp bed sheets, from pouring out their heart to God, in tears'?

Men have been visited by spirits.
For example, Eliphaz the Temanite. Job 4:12-16

Why do you suppose Jesus would visit anyone to give them a Revelation, after John, and after he had these things written:
Revelation 22:18-20; John 12:47-50; John 17:3, 17; John 8:31, 32

Have you ever asked, 'Why would God have prophets, and apostles of Christ, pen pages of instructions, prophecies, future promises, and example, both good and bad Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Use men to preserve it - some of whom were martyred, only to bypass it, to visit a person"?

What about Peter's and Paul's words.
2 Timothy 3:16, 17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work

2 Peter 1:21
For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Doesn't it seem a very strange that God would use holy spirit to direct chosen men to write everything we need (2 Timothy 3:15) to make us complete, and fully equipped for every good work, and then, give "special treatment" to individuals.
I don't want to ask a personal question, but I assume you are able to read, and are not suffering brain damage.

Does all of this mean nothing.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Proverbs 28:9

Or is it the means by which a person listens to God?
This very strange @ARBITER01. Very strange.

 

[ARBITER01]

Have you ever asked, 'Why me? What's so special about me, that Jesus would do something that he never did in all these years, for billions of people who have sore knees, and damp bed sheets, from pouring out their heart to God, in tears'?

Men have been visited by spirits.
For example, Eliphaz the Temanite. Job 4:12-16

Why do you suppose Jesus would visit anyone to give them a Revelation, after John, and after he had these things written:
Revelation 22:18-20; John 12:47-50; John 17:3, 17; John 8:31, 32

Have you ever asked, 'Why would God have prophets, and apostles of Christ, pen pages of instructions, prophecies, future promises, and example, both good and bad Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Use men to preserve it - some of whom were martyred, only to bypass it, to visit a person"?

What about Peter's and Paul's words.
2 Timothy 3:16, 17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work

2 Peter 1:21
For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Doesn't it seem a very strange that God would use holy spirit to direct chosen men to write everything we need (2 Timothy 3:15) to make us complete, and fully equipped for every good work, and then, give "special treatment" to individuals.
I don't want to ask a personal question, but I assume you are able to read, and are not suffering brain damage.

Does all of this mean nothing.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Proverbs 28:9

Or is it the means by which a person listens to God?
This very strange @ARBITER01. Very strange.

Christianity,..... in case you didn't know this,..... is a personal relationship with Jesus. An everyday, ongoing, Spiritual relationship with our risen King,..... not some thing of our mind that we have to convince ourselves each day is real. Or worse yet,.... an idolatrous relationship with our bible instead of Jesus.

If you don't have an ongoing relationship with The Lord, then you are living in your mind, like a lot of other Christians are. If your Christian walk is not a tangible, experienced based, relationship with Jesus, then you are fooling yourself.

The only thing different about me, was that I was a brand plucked out of the fire, I was a chosen not a called.

 

[CoreyD]

Christianity,..... in case you didn't know this,..... is a personal relationship with Jesus. An everyday, ongoing, Spiritual relationship with our risen King,..... not some thing of our mind that we have to convince ourselves each day is real. Or worse yet,.... an idolatrous relationship with our bible instead of Jesus.

Yes, Christianity today is all sorts of things to people, but Christianity, as started in the first century meant something quite different.
Many today even think that Christianity is believing in Jesus Christ, or believing that Jesus Christ is Lord.
However, Jesus said, Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I say? Luke 6:46
See Matthew 7:21, and James 1:22

Aren't the words in Matthew 7:21, words we can relate to, in light of the fact that there are many thousands of people on whose lips the name Jesus is, but you can't tell the different between them, and Ted Bundy?

Christianity involves more than what is in our mind, which can be imagining that we have a personal relationship with Jesus. It involves what we do, and if we aren't doing the things that Jesus says - the things everyone on earth can read for themselves, we don't have a relationship with Jesus.
Remember the illustration Jesus gave, of the wise man, and the foolish man.
He said, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock." Matthew 7:24

We find Jesus words in the Bible, don't we?
If a person disagrees with this, and thinks hearing voices is listening to Jesus, I think the counsel of Paul, at Galatians 1:8-20, as well as the words of the aged apostle John, at 2 John, verses 8-10. are words they should give serious consideration to.

If you don't have an ongoing relationship with The Lord, then you are living in your mind, like a lot of other Christians are. If your Christian walk is not a tangible, experienced based, relationship with Jesus, then you are fooling yourself.

Isn't that all in the mind?
How do we know something is more than what's in the mind?
Isn't it by observing what another apostle - James - said.

James 2:18-26
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without [a]your works, and I will show you my faith by [b]my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe - and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is [c]dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made [d]perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was [e]accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

The only thing different about me, was that I was a brand plucked out of the fire, I was a chosen not a called.

If you don't mind my asking - What were you chosen for?

 

[ARBITER01]

Yes, Christianity today is all sorts of things to people, but Christianity, as started in the first century meant something quite different.
Many today even think that Christianity is believing in Jesus Christ, or believing that Jesus Christ is Lord.
However, Jesus said, Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I say? Luke 6:46
See Matthew 7:21, and James 1:22

Aren't the words in Matthew 7:21, words we can relate to, in light of the fact that there are many thousands of people on whose lips the name Jesus is, but you can't tell the different between them, and Ted Bundy?

Christianity involves more than what is in our mind, which can be imagining that we have a personal relationship with Jesus. It involves what we do, and if we aren't doing the things that Jesus says - the things everyone on earth can read for themselves, we don't have a relationship with Jesus.
Remember the illustration Jesus gave, of the wise man, and the foolish man.
He said, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock." Matthew 7:24

We find Jesus words in the Bible, don't we?
If a person disagrees with this, and thinks hearing voices is listening to Jesus, I think the counsel of Paul, at Galatians 1:8-20, as well as the words of the aged apostle John, at 2 John, verses 8-10. are words they should give serious consideration to.


Isn't that all in the mind?
How do we know something is more than what's in the mind?
Isn't it by observing what another apostle - James - said.

James 2:18-26
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without [a]your works, and I will show you my faith by [b]my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe - and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is [c]dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made [d]perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was [e]accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.


If you don't mind my asking - What were you chosen for?

I don't think there is going to be any real fellowship between you and I. It's better that we just agree to disagree and move on.