One Bad Tomato

Yes, I am back on that rant. You know, the one you hate to talk about but deep down inside you know it needs to be discussed. Yup, that's right I'm going off again about separation. Separation from sinners to be exact. I lead a small Bible Study group and this is a topic that has been the source of great debate on more than one occasions. On one occasion some argued that we have been redeemed to be the salt and light of this earth therefore what sense would it be to go light a place that already has light or go be salt in a salty place. They argued that it would make more sense if we took our light to the darkest of places and took our salt to the blandest of areas. Others argued that we are to love everyone, is not the second greatest commandment to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Mt. 22:39)? And still there were those who maintained that even Jesus Christ himself was a friend of publicans and sinners (Lu. 7:34). If you've read some of my previous blogs, you will know that my stand has always been, and will always be, that we need to come out from among this untoward generation and separate ourselves from sinners. So as you might have guessed these arguments threw me off a bit. Until, that is, I did some research.

Yes, it is true that we have been called to be the salt and light to this earth, but the scripture goes on to say "but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men" and also "a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house" (Mt. 5:13-15). What do you think makes salt lose its savor? What do you think is the bushel under which a light should not be hid? Sin! Sin is what makes us lose our savor and hide our lights under bushels. So what am I saying? While we are the salt and light of the earth, we must be careful not to let ourselves get contaminated by sin.

So yes, it is true that we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves but the word of God also says, "But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no not to eat" (1 Co. 5:11). The Bible also says "Be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" (2 Co. 6:14). Huh! There it is! That word again… darkness. So you're saying that to have fellowship with unrighteousness is to make your light commune with darkness, to hide your light under a bushel? Yessiry Bob! That's exactly what I, and the word of God, are saying.

So how come Jesus Christ was a friend of publicans and sinners (Mt. 9:9-11)? Well let's see what kind of "friendship" Jesus had with these publicans. One publican of note we can look at is Mathew. Look at how Jesus made friends with Mathew, "And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Mathew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him" (Mt. 9:9). Did you see that? Jesus simply walked up to Mathew and commanded Mathew to follow Him, and what did Mathew do? He followed Jesus! Although Mathew was a publican, he heeded the savior's call and left his old life behind to follow Jesus and become His disciple.

When Jesus was questioned by the Pharisees about sitting down to have dinner with publicans and sinners he said, "They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick" implying that He was the physician come to make the publicans and sinners, who were sick, whole. But wait a minute; is it not necessary for a man to first admit to himself that he is sick for him to be able to take himself to the doctor? These publicans and sinners who came to dine with Jesus knew they were sinners and came looking for someone to save them from their wretched states. These people are what we would call repentant people. And what does God do for all those who repent? He forgives their sins and makes them whole. So is it safe to say that those publicans and sinners who came to Jesus were made whole, or forgiven of their sins, by the physician? I would think so.

Such are the sinners we are to have communion with; those who know they are sinners and are looking for a savior. These are the people we will lead to Jesus with our lights and savor with our salt. The sinners we need to separate ourselves from are the kind even Jesus Christ himself did not have communion with, the kind who think they are whole and therefore have no need of a physician. But why is it important for us to steer clear of sinners? Well, I love using the children of Israel as an example because there is a lot that we can learn from them. When the children of Israel had finally settled into their promised land they resorted to serving other gods, which resulted in God delivering them into captivity over and over again (see the book of Judges). But what I want to know is where did these false gods come from?

The Israelites had been instructed by God to destroy all the inhabitants of the land God gave them and not to make any sort of pact with them (Ex. 34:12, Nu. 33:52-55). When the children of Israel moved into their promised land, however, the failed to completely drive out the Canaanites and instead made a deal with them that the Canaanites would be their servants (Jud. 1:28). This is where the false gods that the Israelites began worshipping came from, from the very Canaanites that they had refused to completely drive out. Because they failed to obey God and separate themselves from these evil people God said, "I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you" (Jud. 2:3). These evil associations that we fight so hard to keep will, in the long run, become thorns in our sides and a snare unto us.

Don't fool yourself into thinking that by hanging out with sinners you will somehow make them turn to God. Putting one rotten tomato in a basket of good tomatoes makes all the tomatoes go bad, despite the fact that the good tomatoes are more in number than the one bad tomato. "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners" 1 Co. 15:33. "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful" (Ps. 1:1). "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed" (Pr. 13:20). Ladies and Gentlemen, need I say more?

Remember!

I have been going through an especially hard time these last few weeks. Everything around me seems to be going down the drain, and nothing I try seems to be working out. The harder I try to fix things, the more messed up they get. And so I sat there disappointed, miserable, and just about ready to quit, and asked God what needed to be done to overcome this. Where is my deliverance going to come from? I wailed. How will I receive my breakthrough? I begged. And in the awesome ways in which the Lord speaks to me, He said one thing to me "remember".

Remember?! Remember what? How am I going to overcome my present situation by remembering my past? Why would I even want to remember my past, it's not a pleasant one. But the Lord kept impressing upon me to "remember". So remember I did. I remembered my horrible past and the pit I had myself in, but I also remembered how the Lord dug me out and set my feet on solid ground. I remembered the various mistakes I've made and how I could have avoided them all, but I also remembered how the Lord forgave each and everyone one of my mistakes and washed me in His blood. I remembered how my back has been up against the wall more times than I'd like to count, but I also remembered how the Lord has delivered me and made a way out for me each and everyone one of those times.

Life is not a straight road; it's a winding road with twists and turns, and ups and downs. The only thing that remains constant in life is God. He is the same yesterday, and today, and forever (He. 13:8). And so when nothing seems to make sense and everything that should be right-side up is upside down remember the Lord. Keep your mind focused on what He has done for you and it will remind you of what He CAN and WILL do for you. Don't believe that remembering will bring you through? Let's see what scripture has to say.

When the children of Israel were finally settled into their promised land, and all the naysayers had died in the wilderness, they quickly turned to serving other gods (Jud 2:11-12). The reason they did this is because these new children of Israel did not know the wonderful works of the Lord. The old generation that had seen God part the Red Sea, pour manna from above, and make water spring forth from a rock had died. Even Joshua's generation that had seen God deliver the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites into the hand of the Israelites had died off. This new generation of Israelites did not know what the God of their fathers was capable of. They did not remember what God had done for them. Therefore, it was easy for them to turn to other gods and worship them because to them all gods were the same.

"And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord, the he did for Israel" (Jud 2:7). When Joshua and the elders died no one remembered the great works of the Lord. "And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after then, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel" (Jud 2:10).

So what did the Lord do so that this new generation would cease from worshipping false gods and return to Him? He stopped fighting their battles for them (Jud 2:21). Whenever this new generation of Israelites forgot God and started worshipping other gods, he delivered them into captivity. When they remembered God and put away their idols He delivered them. Over and over again throughout the book of Judges we see this cycle repeating itself. God's chosen people forgetting Him and getting beaten up, then remembering Him and getting delivered. As I said before, God is the same yesterday, and today, and forever. That means His ways and His methods do not change.

While God does not, today, deliver us into the hands of our enemies when we forget Him, He does test us to see whether we will remember Him even in times of great distress. The reason God kept delivering the children of Israel into the hands of their enemies when they would turn to other gods is because He wanted to "prove (test) Israel whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not" (Jud 2:22). God still tests His children today to see whether we will keep the way of the Lord to walk therein, as our fathers did keep it, or not.

So the next time you find yourself caught between a rock and a hard place "Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually. Remember his marvelous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth" (1 Chr. 16:11-12). Remember how he brought you out of your own Egypt and delivered you from sin. Remember how he parted the Red Sea in your life and you walked on dry ground. Remember all that the Lord has brought you through and "seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Remember his marvelous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth" (Ps. 105:4-5).

Cling to the hope that the same God who rescued you way back when can still rescue you today. Be like Jonah who said, "When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple" (Jona. 2:7). Everyone "remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them" (Ec. 12:1). Like Moses admonished the children of Israel, let us "only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and they sons' sons" (De. 4:9).

Remembering the Lord's goodness will bring you out of whatever situation you're in because it's only by remembering His goodness that we can begin to praise Him. Like one evangelist said, "praise inspires God's creativity". When we praise God we move Him to do the impossible. So remember God's goodness today and praise your way right out of that rut!

Holy Ghost Filled!

This is a lesson I taught last week at Bible Study. I am posting it on my blog upon special request from a very wise person who asked me to discuss the evidence of receiving the Holy Ghost.

What Is The Holy Ghost?

- It is God in activity as Spirit.

o We all know that God is one (De.6:4), He robbed himself in flesh and came to earth to die for our sins (Jn. 1:1, 14, 1 Ti. 3:16).

o So God is the father in creation, the son in redemption, and the Holy Ghost in ACTION (2 Co. 3:17, 1 Jn. 5:7).

- It is God’s spirit in us.

o When Jesus ascended back into heaven he promised that he would not leave us comfortless, that he would come to us; that is, he would put his spirit within us so that we would have him with us at all times (Jn. 14:16-18).

o We are the temple that God has chosen to dwell in and that is why his spirit dwells in us (1 Co. 3:16, 1 Co. 6:19-20).

- It is a gift and a promise to all believers.

o The outpouring of God’s spirit on all men was prophesied of in the Old Testament, and we all know that God’s word does not return to him void but that it accomplishes whatever it has been sent out to do (Jl. 2:28-29, Zec. 12:10).

o In the New Testament the outpouring of the Holy Ghost upon all flesh was promised to all believers following the ascension of Jesus into heaven (Mt. 3:11, Lu. 11:13, Lu. 24:49, Jn. 7:38-39).

o The promise of the Holy Ghost is for every single person who believes in Jesus Christ (Acts 2:39).

How Do You Know You Have Received The Holy Ghost?

- Speaking in tongues is the initial sign.

o Jesus said that after we receive the Holy Ghost (His spirit) we would receive power to do great works and speak in new tongues (Mk. 16:17).

o The first time the Holy Ghost was poured out on all men (the day of Pentecost) they spoke with other tongues and that is how they knew that the Holy Ghost Jesus had promised them had been poured out on them (Ac. 2:3-4).

o The first time the Holy Ghost was poured out on the Gentiles they spoke in tongues and that is how the Jews knew that the promise of the Holy Ghost had been extended to the Gentiles (Ac. 10:45-46).

o When the Holy Ghost was poured out on John the Baptist’s disciples, they spoke in tongues and that is how Paul knew they had received the Holy Ghost (Ac. 19:1-6).

o It was prophesied in the Old Testament that God would speak to His people with “stammering lips and other tongues” (Is. 28:11).

Why Do We Need The Holy Ghost?

- It is necessary for salvation.

o Jesus said except a man is born of water (baptized) and of the SPIRIT (receives the Holy Ghost) he would not enter into the kingdom of God (Jn. 3:5).

o On the day of Pentecost when the church was founded the disciples told everyone who believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ that they needed to repent, be baptized in Jesus’ name for the remission of their sins, and RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST (Ac. 37-39).

o The early church emphasized believers receiving the Holy Ghost because they understood its importance (Ac. 19:1-6, Ac. 8:14-17).

o If we do not have the spirit of God in us, we are not His (Ro. 8:9).

o After we believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ we are sealed with His spirit, that is how we know that we are a part of Him (Ep. 1:13).

- The Holy Ghost bears witness to the spiritual adoption of believers.

o Receiving the Holy Ghost confirms that we are the children of God (Ro. 8:14-16, Ga. 4:6).

o When we receive the Holy Ghost we become part of Christ’s family and therefore are entitled to all of God’s promises to believers (1 Jn. 3:24, 1 Jn. 4:13).

- It is the Holy Ghost that teaches.

o When we are witnessing to others about Jesus it is the Holy Ghost that gives us the words to speak (Lu. 12:12, 1 Co. 2:13).

o When we are reading the word of God it is the Holy Ghost that teaches us and helps us remember what we read (Jn. 14:26, 1 Jn. 2:27).

o When we pray it is the Holy Ghost that teaches us how to pray and what to pray for because we do not know how to pray or what to pray for ourselves (Ro. 8:26-27, 1 Co. 15).

- The Holy Ghost guides us into all truth.

o The Holy Ghost reveals to us what is truth, that is what is of God and what is not, and things to come (Ez. 36:27, Jn. 16:13).

o The Holy Ghost directs believers where to go and what to do (Ac. 10:19-20, Ac. 16:6, Ac. 13:2).

- The Holy Ghost gives life or strengthens.

o We are spiritually dead without the spirit of God in us (Jn. 6:63, 2 Co. 3:6).

o The Holy Ghost strengthens our mortal bodies to overcome anything, even death (Ro. 8:11, 1 Pe. 3:18).

- The Holy Ghost gives believers power.

o The disciples received the power to do greater works than Christ after they received the Holy Ghost, so will we (Lu. 24:49, Ac. 1:8).

o It is after we receive the Holy Ghost that “rivers of living water shall flow out of our bellies” (Jn. 7:38-39).

o After we receive the Holy Ghost then we can receive the gifts of the spirit which are word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, divers kinds of tongues, and interpretation of tongues (Jl. 2:28, 1 Co. 12:8-11).

Hear, O Isreal: the Lord our God is one Lord!

There is a lot of debate about who God is, who Jesus Christ is and who the Holy Ghost is. It is really quite a simple matter to solve if you ignore the voices of men and religions and read the Bible for yourself. The Bible is the only authority we should be listening to because it is the divine word of God. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. That being said, let us see what the word of God has to say about who God is, who Jesus is, and who the Holy Ghost is.

The first thing we discover in reading the Word is that God is one. Dueteronomy 6:4 gives us the first and most important commandment, “Hear, O Isreal: the Lord our God is one Lord: And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might”. This verse is what the Jews refer to as the Shema. The Jewish people understand the importance of worshipping only one God so much that thy recite the Shema in the morning, in the evening, before they go to bed, during prayers, on special occasions… basically any chance they get they remind themselves that “Hear O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord”.

In Isaiah 44:6 God says, “I am the first, and the last: and beside me there is no God”. In verse 8 he declares, “Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God; I know not any”. In verse 24 of the same chapter in Isaiah God says, “I am the Lord that makes all things; that stretches forth the heavens alone, that spreads abroad the earth by myself.” Galatians 3:20 says simply, “God is one”. So over and over again in scripture we see that there is one God and he alone created the heaven and the earth.

The second thing we discover in reading the Word of God is that God is an invisible spirit. John 1:18 says, “No man hath seen God at any time”. John 4:24 says, “God is a Spirit”. In Luke 24:39 Jesus says, “a spirit has not flesh and bones”. Therefore God is invisible and we cannot see him; which therefore brings us to Jesus Christ.

From reading the Word of God we understand that God is one and that he is an invisible spirit, but we also see that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. I Timothy 3:16 says, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, receive up into glory”. So God became flesh or took on flesh, he was justified in the spirit, he was seen of angels, he preached to the Gentiles, he was believed on in the world, and he was received up in glory? Hhmmm, let’s see. Who was flesh? Jesus was. Who was justified in the spirit? Jesus was. Who was seen of angels? Jesus was. Who preached to the Gentiles? Jesus did. Who was believed on in the world? Jesus was. Who was received up in glory? Jesus was. So what does that mean? That Jesus is God? Let’s see what the Bible has to say about that.

When Jesus resurrected he came looking for Thomas, who had said he would not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead until he saw the nail scarred hands and his bruised side. In John 20:26-29 Jesus finds Thomas and shows him his nail scarred hands and his bruised side. But notice what Thomas says when he finally realizes that this is the same Jesus who was nailed to the cross, “My Lord and my GOD” (vs.28). In John 14:8 Philip asked Jesus to show him this Father that he kept talking about and what did Jesus answer Philip, “Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?” (vs.9 NIV). Basically Jesus was telling Philip, how can you ask to see the Father yet I am the express image of the Father who by the way is an invisible spirit (He. 1:3)? I am the Father!

So wait a minute. Are you saying that God is Jesus? That God and Jesus are one? John 1:14 says, “And the Word (which Word we saw in verse 1 was God) was made flesh, and dwelt among us”. So God was made flesh and dwelt among us. John 1:10-11 says, “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not”. But wait a minute, we read a while back that God said he alone created the world and that he had no help. So why is this scripture saying that Jesus, who was in the world, made the world? Because God and Jesus are one! God simply robbed himself in flesh to come and die for us on the cross because he knew that only he had the power to forgive sin.

Isaiah 9:6 when prophesying about the coming of Jesus Christ says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Look at these descriptions of Jesus; The mighty God, The everlasting Father. If ever you had doubts about Jesus being God this scripture sums it up. In Acts 9:5 when God asks Paul why he is persecuting him and Paul asks who he is what does God say to Paul? “I am Jesus”!

So what about the Holy Spirit? If Jesus is God what about the Holy Spirit? Where does it factor into all this? In John 4:18 Jesus said, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you”. So the comforter that he promised us, the Holy Ghost, is his spirit? Yes! Jesus is God and the Holy Ghost is his spirit living inside of us. There is no such thing as a trinity. To say that there are three Gods in heaven who are co-equal, co-existent, and co-dependent is to break the first and most important commandment which clearly states, “Hear O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord”.

That is why everything we do must be done in the name of Jesus Christ, because it is the name of God. Acts 4:12 says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”. Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus”. That is why when we get baptized we are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ; not in the titles Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Why? Because the name of the Father is Jesus, the name of the Son is Jesus, and the name of the Holy Ghost is Jesus. All three are one and the same God! Revelation 4:2 says, “A throne was set in heaven, and one sat upon the throne”. There is only one throne in heaven and only one God! Those of you expecting to find three Gods in heaven will be sorely disappointed.

So why did Jesus always pray to the Father if he was the Father you might ask? Again let’s look at the Bible. As we read the Word of God we realize that God was completely human and completely God at the same time. He took on the limitations and weaknesses associated with the flesh in order for him to set an example for us. He was completely human but the spirit within him was the spirit of God. The same way our flesh struggles with our spirit, his flesh struggled with his spirit as well. The humanity of Jesus is the reason he is referred to as the Son of God, and it is the reason Jesus was constantly saying, “I and my Father are one” (Jn. 10:30). We are made up of three parts, our bodies (flesh), our spirits, and our souls; does that mean that each of us is three different people? By all means no! It was the same way with Jesus, he too had a spirit and a body because he was completely human and that is why he too had to pray for strength.

In Revelation 1:8 Jesus declares, “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty”. It is simple to see, and easy to understand, if you search the scriptures diligently that God wrapped himself in flesh, came down to earth and died for us on the cross so that we might be saved, and then dispensed his spirit upon us so that we would be comforted and guided. Look at it this way, if I wanted to prove to someone that something could be done would I send someone else to show then that it could be done or would I myself get up and show them that it could be done? So it was with God. He wanted to show us that we could live a life free from sin despite our flesh so he decided to robe himself in flesh to come show us that it was possible.

Belief Essential, But Not Enough

This might come as a surprise to most of you but simply confessing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is not enough to get you to heaven. Now when I say confessing, I am talking about simply saying that you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, not the true confession required of us in the Bible. This might sound confusing but I will explain the difference. You see, nowadays people think that by simply saying the words “I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior” they are saved and that they are therefore going to make it to heaven. I am sorry to be the one to burst your bubbles everyone but this is simply not true. What the Bible means when it says, or rather commands us, to confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and believe in our hearts that God has raised him from the dead and we shall be saved (Ro. 10:9) is to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is indeed our Lord and Savior, not just to say it. To acknowledge something and to simply say it are two different things.

I can say that I love someone but if I do not treat them with love then my words are meaningless. However, if I treat someone with the respect and care befitting a loved one then I have acknowledged the fact that I am in love with them and therefore my saying I love them is meaningful. But what does it mean to acknowledge Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior? Well, let’s look at the two words, Lord and Savior, separately. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary the word Lord means ‘one having power and authority over others: a ruler by hereditary right or preeminence to whom service and obedience are due’. Therefore to acknowledge the Jesus Christ is your Lord is to accept the fact that Jesus Christ has power and authority over you, and that he is your ruler and therefore deserves your service and obedience. Simply saying with your mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord but then refusing to serve him and obey him is meaningless because you have not acknowledged the fact that he is indeed your Lord.

Now let’s look at the word Savior. The dictionary definition of Savior is ‘one that saves from danger or destruction: one who brings salvation’. So, in the same line, to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is your Savior is to understand the fact that he died on the cross and rose on the third day so that he could save us from sin and we would no longer be held captive by the powers of sin. If you continue to live in bondage of sin then you have not acknowledged the fact that Jesus Christ is your Savior. After all, had you acknowledged that fact, you would understand that you have the power to overcome any sin through Jesus Christ. Many of us “confess” that Jesus Christ is our Savior but then continue to be held back by the same sins that beset us before we knew Christ. How then have we acknowledged that he is our Savior if we have not even let him save us from our sins?

So now we know that to confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, as commanded in the Bible (Mt. 10:32, Lu. 12:8, Ro. 10:9, Ph. 2:11, I Jn. 2:23, I Jn. 4:15), is to obey Jesus, let him free you from sin, and to continue to follow him towards salvation. That being said, what does Jesus command us to do to be saved? A man named Nicodemus once asked Jesus that very question. In John 3:3 Jesus told Nicodemus, “Verily, verily, I say unto you. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus, being confused, asked Jesus how a man can enter back into his mother’s womb and be born a second time. Jesus then explained to Nicodemus what being born again means by saying, “Verily, verily, I say unto you. Except a man be born of the water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” So this is what Jesus, our Lord, commands us to do to enter the kingdom of God? He commands us to be born of the water and of the Spirit? But what does being born of the water and of the Spirit mean?

Well, being born of the water means being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Mark 16:16 says, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved”. To be baptized symbolizes the death of our old man and the resurrection of our new selves in Jesus Christ. II Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” We cannot enter the kingdom of God with our old, sinful ways: we must put to death our old man, bury him in water in the precious name of Jesus, and put on a new man after Christ. That is why Jesus said unless you are born of the water you will not enter the kingdom of God. When you are baptized in Jesus’ name you come out of the water a new person, you are born again.

So what about being born of the Spirit? The Spirit we know is the Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit. Therefore we understand that being born of the Spirit is being filled with the Holy Ghost. Acts 2: 38 says, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Notice that it says you SHALL, not you might, or you could, or possibly will… it says you SHALL. Receiving the Holy Ghost is more than just a command from the Lord, it is a PROMISE! Notice what verse 39 says, “This promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all at that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” In John 3:6, Jesus goes on to explain to Nicodemus that, “that which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Meaning if you were to enter again into your mother’s womb and be born a second time you would still be born of flesh and therefore would not be able to enter the kingdom of God because the kingdom of God will not be inherited by flesh. However, when you burry the old man, who was led by your flesh, under the water and are filled with the spirit of God, the Holy Ghost, you are a new man now being led of the spirit. Therefore you are not born of flesh, but are born of the spirit.

So to confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior does not mean to simply say the words, it means to acknowledge that Jesus is your ruler and therefore you must obey his commandments and let him free you from sin as your Savior. You cannot simply say Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior and ignore his commandment to be born of the water and of the spirit because you will not see the kingdom of God. You think simply believing in Jesus Christ is enough to save you? James 2:19 says, “You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe and tremble”. Does that mean that the devils will be saved as well and will therefore enter the kingdom of God? I don’t think so!

In Mathew 8:28-34 Jesus is met with two men who are possessed with demons; and notice what the demons say in verse 29 when they see Jesus, “What have we to with you, Jesus, you son of God?”. These demons “confessed” with their mouths that Jesus was the son of God. In Mark 3:11 unclean spirits fall before Jesus and say “You are the Son of God”. In Luke 4:41 more demons cry out, “You are Christ the Son of God”. So does that mean that these demons got saved simply because they confessed Jesus with their mouths; or simply because they believed in Jesus? No! Believing in Jesus is essential to salvation, but it is not enough. Unless you are born of the water and the Spirit you will not see the kingdom of heaven.

Follow the example of the early church in the book of Acts. Every person who believed the Gospel the apostles preached was immediately baptized and received the Holy Ghost. In Acts chapter 8 Philip preaches the gospel to the church in Samaria and “when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women” (vs.12). As soon as the other apostles heard that the church in Samaria had received the gospel the sent Peter and John to pray for them to receive the Holy Ghost and they did (vs.15-17). In Acts chapter 10 Peter is sent to preach the gospel to Cornelius, a Gentile, and what happened? “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all of them which heard the word” (vs.44). And notice what Peter said as soon as he saw these Gentiles speaking in tongues being filled with the Holy Ghost, “Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord” (vs.47-48). So what say you? Why not hearken to the words of your Lord and get baptized today in Jesus’ name for the remission of sins and receive the wonderful gift of the Holy Ghost?

When? NOW!

There once was a man living in a very old house. The house was falling apart bit by bit every month. One month a shingle fell off the roof. The next month a window cracked and broke. A few months later tiny holes in his roof started to appear. Confused and baffled the man decided to call an architect friend of his to ask him what was going on with his house. The architect looked over the house very carefully, from top to bottom, and finally concluded that the house was slowly but surely crumbling around them. You see the land the house was built on was once a marsh so the foundation of the house was very shaky and unstable. The instability of the house’s foundation was making the house fall apart bit by bit. Knowing the dangers of living in as unstable house, the architect advised his friend to move out of the house as soon as he could before it came crashing in on him. The man looking at his house and figuring it would take a lot of work to move all his stuff out, asked his friend how much time he had before the house completely gave in. His friend, being an expert, looked at the house and said “well, no one can tell you that. It could be today it could be next year. I don’t know exactly when but I know this house is going to fall down one day.” The man decided that he would spend just a few more months in the house… until things got really bad. Every month the house deteriorated, and then the decay became more frequent. Now it was every week that the house was falling. But still the man refused to move. He figured, “since it’s just every other week, I still have time”. Soon the house was falling apart day by day in bigger and bigger chunks. Every day the man came home from work and said, “Tomorrow I’ll move”. One rainy day what was left of the roof came crashing in on the man while he was sleeping and killed him. The architect, when he heard about his friend’s death exclaimed, “I told him months ago to move. Why didn’t he just listen to me? Had he moved out of his house he would have been saved!”


What is salvation?
Salvation refers to us being saved or redeemed from our sins by God because of his grace and mercy towards us. We know that Christ left his home in glory to come live and die on earth as man in order to save us from our sins (Lu. 19:10, I Tim. 1:1, Ac. 4:12, Ro. 5: 8-9, He. 5:9).
He did so in order to take away our sins and to break the power that the devil had over us. Because Jesus died on the cross for us we know that we can come to him for the forgiveness of our sins and walk in newness of life (Is. 53:3, He. 2:9, I Pe. 3:18).

How do we receive salvation?
The Bible outlines for us a three step method of salvation. In order to be saved from our sins we must first of all
1. Repent: which means to turn away from our sins and to never go back to them.
(Lu. 13:3, Ac. 3:19, Ac. 17:30, Ez. 18:21)

2. Be baptized in Jesus name: which symbolizes the burial of our old selves and the resurrection of our new selves.
(Mk. 16:6, Jn. 3:5-6, Ac. 22:16, Ga. 3:27, I Pe. 3:21)

3. The third step is actually a gift to all who follow the first two steps. Everyone who repents and is baptized in Jesus’ name will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues.
(Ac. 2:38, Joel 2:28, Mat. 3:11, Lu. 11:13, Ac. 1:8)

The Holy Ghost is the comforter and guide we need to be able to withstand the attacks of the enemy. Without the Holy Ghost we cannot make it in this world as Christians because we do not have it within ourselves to do good, or to even know what is good and what isn’t.
(Ez. 36:27, Jn. 16:13, Jn. 15:26, Jn 16: 7-8)

When do we receive salvation?
The Bible says there is a time for everything. However, when it comes to salvation the Bible is very clear that the time for salvation is now.
• 2 Corinthians 6:1-2 : “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I sucoured thee: behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation.” (KJV)
• Romans 13:11-12
• Hebrews 3:7-8

Why NOW? Because we, first of all, don’t know when the Lord is coming back (Rev. 3:3, 5). Secondly, because it is better to get saved too early than to wait and end up being too late(Ec. 11:4, Mt. 25: 1-13). And thirdly, because we are not promised tomorrow (Pr. 27:1).

Most Common Reasons for procrastination
- I’m not good enough.
Who says you need to be? God wants us to come to him as we are, diseased, wicked, possessed, addicted, whatever it might be only God has the power to heal and to free you. Of all the lepers and diseased people in the Bible Jesus healed which one of them first made themselves whole before they came to Christ for help?

- I still want to have fun.
Answer me this then, while you’re busy “having fun”. What will it profit you if you gain the whole world but then lose your own soul in eternal hell (Ja. 2:14)?

- I’m not a bad person, I don’t need to do anything to go to heaven because I’m already good enough.
You think so huh? Well have I got news for you! The Bible says you are not saved by works of righteousness which you have done, but according to God’s mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. Good intentions alone cannot get you to heaven. Unless you are born of the water (baptized) and of the spirit (Holy Ghost filled) you will not see the kingdom of heaven (Jn. 3:5, Ga. 2:16, Ep. 2:8-9, Tit. 3:5).

God stands with his hands outstretched waiting to forgive you of your sins and to save you from the trap the devil has set before you. But he’s a gentleman; he cannot force himself on you. God will never force you to do anything you do not want to do. He will never force you to love him. He will always, always, wait for you to call out to him, to ask for him.

There will come a time when all who have been planted in this world will be harvested. It is plain to see from the parable in Luke 13:6-9 that only those who bear fruit will survive. Those who do not bear fruit will be cut down. But how do bear fruit you might ask? John 15:4-6 says God is the vine and we are the branches and we are to abide in him in order that we may bear fruit.

If you show God that doing evil is more important to you and “more fun” for you than his gift of salvation, he will leave you to your evil deeds (Rom. 1:24, 26, 28).
A father can only warn a child so many times until he has to let the child learn from experience. But how painful do you think it is going to be for you to go through life hurting and scared because you ignored a warning as opposed to carefree and happy because you heeded good advice?

What makes it even worse is that we are not like God, we are restricted by time. This world will one day pass away and the lives we are living here will one day end (Ja. 4:14). Like the man in the old house, we are living in a world built on unstable ground. Wars break out every day, and terrorist attacks spring up from all corners of the world. Cars are becoming faster and faster, and it now seems like the world is moving at the speed of light. The fact of the matter is if we don’t move out of this house of the world and take refuge in the Lord and make him our rock, our shelter, and our fortress, we will surely die. NOW is the time for salvation, NOW is the time to move out of this house into God’s grace and mercy before the world comes crashing in on us and kills us.

The Glass House

Proverbs 23 gives us instructions about how to live wisely. We are advised not to set our eyes upon riches, for they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. We are advised not to speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of thy words. We are also advised against looking unto the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly. Above all, we are advised to BUY the truth, and sell it not. To BUY the truth, and sell it not! But what does it matter how we live? What does it matter what we do? Will one drink really send us to hell? Will one party be the death of us? Will the way I dress really result in the eternal torment of my soul? Maybe… maybe not… but here’s what the Bible does say.

II Corinthians 6: 17 urges us to come out from among this world and separate ourselves from it. Acts 2:40 warns us to save ourselves from this untoward, corrupt, perverse, crooked, and evil generation. All the way from the Old Testament we see God calling his followers to live a life set apart for him. In Leviticus 10:9-11 God calls Aaron and his sons to separate themselves from unclean things so that they may be an example to the children of Israel as priests. In Numbers 6: 1-21 God describes the Nazarite vow taken by Nazarites. The vow required all Nazarites to, among other things; abstain from wine and strong drink. What’s interesting is that the word Nazarite comes from the Hebrew word Nazir which means “consecrated” or “separated”. All through the Bible we see God putting up stipulations and regulations for those consecrated to or set apart for him to follow.

So where does that leave us? We know that God requires us to live separate from this world, to live in this world but not be of it, but what does that mean?

- To be separate from the world means to draw close to God (Ro. 12:1-2, Ro. 13:14, 1 Pe. 1:15-16)
- To keep our eyes from taking pleasure in evil (Ps. 119:37, Is. 33:15-16, Lu. 11:34-35, I Jn. 2:16)
- To keep our conversation godly (Pr. 6:16, 19, Mt. 12:34, 36-37, Col. 3:8-9, Tit. 3:2)
- To keep our hearts undefiled (Pr. 23:7, Mt. 15:19-20)
- To keep our thoughts pure (Ps. 19:14, II Cor. 10:5, Ph. 4:8)
- To keep our hearts free from the thorns that choke out the Word of God in our hearts and make us unfruitful (Mt. 13:22).
- To be separate from this world is not be distracted by the riches and cares of this world (I Jn. 2:16).

But why? Why must we do all these things and abstain from all these things? The purpose of living separate from the world is two-fold, one for your own sake and two for the sake of others.

For Us

Hebrews 12:14 says without holiness we shall not see the kingdom of heaven.
A few posts ago I told the story of the crow who wanted to fly with the doves to their promised land. The crow, unfortunately, did not make the journey because he took his eyes off his destination and began to focus on the pleasures below him. Much like the crow in this story, we must remain holy with our eyes fixed on God if we are to make it to heaven.

Separating ourselves from the world is how we make sure our eyes stay fixed of our destination, which is heaven. When we abstain from indulging in the idle pleasures of this world and instead choose to spend our time seeking and serving God we keep our fixed upon Jesus, the only one who can help us make it to our final destination; the author and finisher of our faith (He. 12:2).

For Others

As Christians we must remember that we live in glass houses. II Corinthians 5: 20 says we are ambassadors for Christ. When we want to know how people from a certain country behave or dress we consult the natives of that country, ambassadors or representatives of that country, because they would know best. When the world wants to know what God has to offer, what God is all about, what God requires of his people, they will look at Christians… at you. Knowing then that you are on display, it is in your best interest to make sure that you look your spiritual best all the time. I Corinthians: 8:13 tells us it is better to give up something you love so dearly if it weakens your brother spiritually than to continue to enjoy it. While some of the things required of us to give up may not be bad things in and of themselves, the effect they have on those who are watching us may be detrimental to their spiritual progress and so therefore are not worth it.

Mathew 5: 13 says we are the salt of the earth, but what is the point of salt if it has lost its savor? Verse 14 says we are the light of the world, but who lights a candle and hides it under a bushel? Will it still do its job of casting out the darkness if it is hidden under something? As the salt and light to this earth we have strict regulations to adhere to and we should be careful to do so or we might lose our savor and hide our lights under a bushel.

Is It Worth It?

The point is we were called by God to live separately from this world so that we may be an example to the world. So the next time we begin to ask ourselves if what we are doing really is all that bad, let us first stop and ask ourselves if it is worth it. Is whatever we want to do worth giving up our walk with God? Is it worth missing out on eternity with God? Is it worth sending our brothers and sisters to hell? Is it worth causing the weak to stumble and fall? Is whatever we are clinging onto, justifying, and fighting for really worth it? And if it’s not, why not let go?