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Author: Thomas Taylor

What Do You Mean “Born Again”?

by Thomas Taylor

There is nothing more important than being born again. This is what determines your relationship with God for eternity. Where do we get the term “born again”? We get it from Jesus Christ Himself:

John 3:7, 16, 17 KJV  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again… For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Jesus said you must be born again. It is not optional – it is something every man or woman must have. It is available to all for God sent His Son to die for the whole world.

This term “born again”  is somewhat strange. Jesus calls our salvation “born again.”  The original language of Greek for “born again” actually is “born from above.” This means we must be born from Heaven. We do not enter into our mother’s womb again but we must be born of God. 

The born again experience is not physical but spiritual. When you become born again you do not get a new body or mind. You get a new spirit that is born from Heaven. 

Why Must We Be Born Again / Saved?

When you become born again, there is a legal transaction that takes place. Satan no longer has legal dominion over you through the Sin Nature. Jesus died on the cross shedding His blood for you. He was sacrificed and died in your place. He took the punishment you deserved thereby laying dormant the Sin Nature in your life.

Isaiah 53:6 KJV  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Once you become born again, your sins are gone forever because Jesus took them upon Himself. There is no greater act any being has ever done than Jesus dying on the cross for you. There is no greater substance than the blood of Jesus that was shed for you. Accepting what Jesus did for you on the cross secures your eternity in the Kingdom of God.

Not only is the Sin Nature rendered dormant in your life, and passed sin forgiven, but you become righteous in the eyes of God forever. A great exchange takes place. All of Jesus’ righteousness becomes yours when all of your sin becomes His.

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB  He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

You become a whole new being in Christ Jesus. The old you is dead and passed away forever. The new you is in right-standing with God forever!

Faith

You may say, “What good things must I do to get right with God? You actually do nothing. It has nothing to do with your good works or religious works. You do not need to join a church, get water baptized, or take communion to be saved. There is only one thing that is necessary and that is to believe. Believe the good news that Jesus died for you, took your sin upon Himself on the cross, and rose again on the third day. 

You may think it is too good to be true – it is too easy.  God is so good that He made it so that a child can even believe and be saved. He made it simple so that all could partake. It is not about what we do for Him that saves us; it is about what Jesus has done for us that saves us. 

“How Do I Become Born Again?”

Romans 10:8-10 NASB  But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,  that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;  for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Pray this prayer from your heart and with your mouth:

Holy God, I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sin. He took my place and received my punishment. I now repent and turn away from my sin with all my heart. I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I believe He died and rose again on the third day for me. I believe your Gospel. Father God, I give you my life. Thank you for forgiving me and receiving me. Amen

If you prayed that prayer, let us know. Click the Contact link on this page and tell us. Let your pastor know so that he may help guide you spiritually. The angels of Heaven are rejoicing with exceedingly great joy today!

God paid the ultimate price for you to be purchased. His own Son died so that you might live. We could not do anything to make it to Heaven because we were all sinners. So God sent Jesus down to be tortured on a cross and die for you. Salvation is the most important thing you will ever do. But it is only the first step to a life of sanctification – to continually give your life over to God.

How Could a Loving God Send People to Hell?

by Thomas Taylor

The question is often asked by both serious seekers of truth and also by those who desire to questions God’s goodness.  Allow me to provide some food for thought regarding this question.

Firstly, God is the eternal being. Accordingly both His reward of heaven and His punishment of hell are likewise eternal.  God has inspired the Bible to be written in great detail to explain the demands of His redemption plan. Man’s response to God’s redemption plan is ultimately what dictates an eternity in Heaven or Hell. The fact that most remain willfully ignorant of God’s redemption does not negate the reality of eternal consequence.

The Bible tells us in Matt 25:41 “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”.  Hell was not originally created for men. The Genesis account of creation shows a loving God working 5 days to create a paradise for men. This paradise fulfilled every need men would ever need. The greatest need man has is “water”, so a loving God’s cover 70% of the earth’s surface with water. Man’s second greatest need is food, so a loving God caused food to grow on trees across the entire planet. Every sunrise and sunset is a unique work of art by the Creator, because He is a loving God.

In fact, every bad thing that occurs of Earth is due to mans rebellion against His Creator and man’s inhumanity to his fellow-man. Since Adam sinned in the garden, the earth has been filled with violence, death, war, hardships, and horrors. And these horrors are brought about by man who remain in rebellion against God and His plan to redeem man from ultimate destruction.

We can answer the question “How could a loving God send people to Hell” with a question.  After men have destroyed God’s paradise and maintained their rebellion against God for 6,000 years, how could a loving God allow these rebels to also destroy heaven?  Because He is a loving God, those who have contributed to creating a “hell on earth” and continue to rebel against Him, must be quarantined away from those who desire His guiding hand and His goodness in the lives.  That place of quarantine is called Hell.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Is Church Attendance Required?

by Thomas Taylor

During the year of 2020 I have watched many walk away from weekly Christian church attendance and they felt 100% justified in doing so.

I pondered, the week of the crucifixion and resurrection anti-Christian sentiment was throbbing in Jerusalem. Even with open hatred and hostility against believers, Jesus’ disciples assembled themselves together. They were both surprised and blessed by a personal appearance of Jesus among them (Mark 16:14). Instead of hiding behind locked doors, Jesus commanded the disciples to “Go ye into all the world” in Matthew 16:15. This was the example set by the early church which changed religious gatherings from meeting on the Sabbath day (Saturday) to meeting together on the Lord’s Day (Sunday). That has been the standard for approximately 2000 years.

Hebrews 10:25 commands us to “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

Let’s take a closer look at what is being said here. This first phrase “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is” divides believers into two distinct categories. The first category would be those who do not forsake assembling and the second category is those whose manner it is to forsake the assembling together. Of course, we know that anyone can miss a week in church and that is not abnormal or grounds for condemnation. However, when we can miss 6, 8, 10 consecutive months, one would have to place that person in the group whose manner is to forsake the assembling together.

The second phrase of the verse give us further instruction which would only apply to those whose manner it is not to forsake assembling as a community of believers. It instructs us while in the local assembly to be “exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Paul characterized the last days as being perilous times. In Matthew 24:7 Jesus said the last days would be characterized by “…famines, and pestilences (pandemics), and earthquakes in divers places.”  Considering this, we are given very specific instructions from the Holy Spirit that we should assemble ourselves “so much the more as we see that day coming.”

2020 has been a testing year and it put many in conflict with the Word of God. Unfortunately, 2021 promises more of the same. I encourage us all to make sure that we don’t become convinced that walking away from Christian fellowship is the right thing to do. No matter how we have responded in these challenging times, the Lord has promised us this: “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you…” James 4:8

How A Christian Gets Free From Pornography

by Thomas Taylor

Powerful forces in society have profited multiple billions of dollars annually from the sale of pornography.  It is not a problem that will go away anytime soon.

However we can find true freedom from pornography in Christ Jesus. For the unsaved, the first step is to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord through a true heart-felt repentance and born-again experience – the kind that changes your life forever. Such a choice is the kind of Christianity that produces fruit that others can see is real. I believe it is nearly impossible to walk away from pornography, or any serious addiction, without the real change that takes place when Jesus Christ makes you a new creation through regeneration.  (2 Corinthians 5:17).

But what about the Christian who struggles with pornography? How can a Christian who has allowed this addiction into their life find freedom?  Firstly, we must deal openly and honestly. Pornography is not a cultural fad or a form of release; it is sin. It must be confessed as such and we must ask the Lord for help in moving away from its addition. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Realize also that all personal sin do not always just disappear in one day. You will need to have your mind renewed which takes place over time as you get into the Truth of God’s Word and with the help of the Holy Spirit daily changing you. In this process, you will need to make the decision every day to instantly obey what God says to you by the written Word and the leading of God’s Spirit. This is the fastest way to develop spiritually and become a mature Christian. It is also the path to having sins that gave you problems before not even be a temptation to you today. That is the goal as you start this path to true freedom from pornography.

Rom 6:11-14 “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,   and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.   For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”

Roman’s is an excellent starting place in renewing your mind with the Truth that will set you free. You must consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God, which means your response to the sin of pornography will be ineffective and at the same time your response to the prompting and convicting of the Holy Spirit will be very effective.  If the Bible says not to let sin reign in your mortal body, then this is possible for you to do.

I was exposed to pornography as a fifteen year old boy. And for years I struggled, even as a Christian, to get free. But I will say the number one thing that set me free was my heart making the steadfast decision to surrender my whole life to Jesus Christ. One day as I attended Bible School, I surrendered all. I fully committed to Jesus Christ. And from that day onward God gave me the grace and power to live free from pornography.

Being a nominal Christian doesn’t bring real freedom. You must be a committed Christian wholly devoted to letting Jesus be Lord in every area of your life. Choose to the let Jesus fully have the rest of your life – every thought, every decision, every action.

The Institute for Family Studies said, “Across all religious groups in America, people who attend religious services more frequently are far less likely to view pornography. Nominally-Protestant men are nearly five times more likely to view pornographic films as men who frequently attend religious services (more than weekly). And across all levels of religious attendance, Protestant men are about 5 to 10 percentage points less likely to have viewed porn in the last year.” –https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-truth-about-conservative-protestant-men-and-porn

That is evidence that being a nominal, in-and-out of church Christian, will not work. You need to commit to the Lord Jesus Christ with your whole heart and life.

Other things that will help you get free include humbly crying out to God for His grace and help. Make sure your heart stays in a place of humility and submission to His will. Also put away anything inappropriate that can tempt you, like throw out inappropriate magazines and use pornography blocking on websites. Your spouse or other Christian friends can help keep you accountable. Finally, learn how to control your thinking so that any thought that is ungodly, cast it down and put your mind on that which is pure and godly.

Christians In Relationships With Non-Believers?

by Thomas Taylor

Some Christians have come to believe that it is okay to have romantic relations with people of other religions, atheists, agnostics or unbelievers in general. But what does the Bible say?

2Cor 6:14-17 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?  Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?  Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.  Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you.

This passage should put away all doubt whether it is okay for a Christian to be romantically involved with a non-Christian. For a Christian, the purpose of romance should only lead to  marriage. Therefore, why be involved romantically with a person that you are not considering for marriage?

The purpose of dating or courting is to see if this potential mate is a good match for marriage. So, what should be on your checklist for a marriage partner? Number one, the biggest and most important question is, do they have a personal relationship with Christ, which is proven by their habitual church attendance and their knowledge of the Word of God. If they are not a Christian, it doesn’t matter if everything else on your checklist is perfect, they are NOT God’s will for you. No need to pray about. No need to go ask your pastor. 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 has made the will of God abundantly clear. So consider the relationship over and run way. Don’t linger. Run.

To be married to a non-believer is the worst mistake a Christian can make besides forsaking their faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, marrying a non-believer may lead to forsaking your faith. 1Co 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” Being bound to this person for the rest of your life will absolutely corrupt your walk with God. However, the most likely outcome will be divorce. Don’t put yourself through that pain. Be wise and run away from any relationship that is contrary to the will of God. Christians and non-Christians should never ever date, court, or become romantically involved under any circumstances (period).

Christians should act hospitably and kind to those that are without Christ. Love is the defining characteristic of any true Christian. But a romantic relationship cannot be engaged in between Christians and those not in personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

One may ask, “Is it okay to become romantically involved with someone with hopes of winning them to Christ?” That is what is sometimes called missionary dating – dating a lost person in hopes of leading them to Christ. But consider the devastation that is most likely to occur if they don’t want Christ. Or worse yet, they fake an interest in Christ in hopes of intimacy only to destroy your life later when their true motivations are revealed.

Many Christians have been ruined for life through missionary dating. If you shun this behavior you will save yourself tremendous heart-ache. If you you are truly concerned about that person’s soul, simply minister the Gospel to them, but never become intimate – that is not a means that the Lord uses for evangelism.  Find a potential mate that is as strong in their Christian walk as you before considering romance.  More importantly, pray for God’s will concerning who He has for you.

Can Christians Lose Their Salvation?

by Thomas Taylor

This is a very important question for every Christian to understand the answer to and that provides great comfort in times of failure or distress. Simply stated, God has hung His lamp in your soul and it is not easily extinguished.

What Does it Mean to be a Christian?

To better answer this question, “Can a Christians lose their salvation?” let’s first define what a Christian is or isn’t. A Christian is a person who has come into contact with the supernatural power of God. He is a person who as a result of faith in Christ, has been spiritually crucified and buried with Christ, and subsequently resurrected into a new Christ-like creature. A Christian is not a person who has merely attended a church or said a prayer, or one who has a Christian family or has performed good social deeds

A true Christian is one who comes into a living relationship with Christ as the result of placing their trust faith in Christ and His great sacrifice. Once faith is placed in the fact that Christ died for one’s personal sins, the entire following process is performed by God Himself. It is a process which has an immediate, undeniable impact on the person’s thoughts and lifestyle.

Can a Christian Lose Their Salvation?

A Christian came into a living relationship with Christ as a result of their personal faith and the only way a Christian can lose that salvation is to remove their faith from Christ. As long as the Christian is trusting in Christ and retaining faith in His sacrifice, they are saved. They may have committed sins or may even be bound in a spiritual bondage in their life, but that does not impact their salvation.

So as not to minimize the impact of sinful activity upon the quality of one’s salvation, it is important to understand that although a Christian may not lose his salvation due to sin, it will have a definite negative impact upon his relationship with Christ. It will hinder his growth as a child of God. Ultimately sin works to wear away at a Christian faith in Christ and over time, if not repented of, may cause a total lapse of faith in Christ and therefore result in a loss of salvation.

Jesus, Savior From Sin By Grace

by Thomas Taylor

God cannot simply wipe your sin away without penalty or He wouldn’t be a just God. Your sin must be punished. God doesn’t say, “I’m just going to wipe all your sins away because you’re a good person.” He doesn’t simply say, “You’re good and I love you so your sins are fine.” He wouldn’t be a just God if He did that. For example, imagine if there were a judge, and people were being brought before him for murder, bank robbing, and kidnapping. Suppose he gave every one of them twenty-five to fifty years, or put them to death. But then his nephew Bobby comes in convicted of robbing a bank and killing four people. So the judge says to Bobby, “Oh, you know what? I love you, so I am releasing from your crimes. Go free.” That judge wouldn’t be just.


On a hill two thousand years ago, all of the punishment for our sin was laid upon Jesus. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all.” Then, when He had hung upon the cross for six hours, He bowed His head and gave up the ghost. He endured the burning wrath of God’s judgment against sin.The impact of God’s wrath is infinite; that is why the Lake of Fire is infinite. Therefore, the infinite Son of God paid all of our sins, even for those of us who had not yet been saved. However, that payment is only applied to those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour. Jesus carried the sin debt of the human race and He stood before the Father in judgment. An infinite Father smote the infinite Son with infinite wrath. But because the Son is infinite, the only thing that was demolished was the sin debt! Hallelujah! The Son is now the Saviour and your sins are gone!

 

Saviour, Redeemer

If you are saved today, you have a relationship with the Father. I don’t mean that you agree with God’s political slant. I don’t mean you are a Republican, therefore you are saved. I mean that when you wake up in the morning, God is the first thing on your mind. You would have to extremely violate your conscience to live outside of relationship with God.   Jeremiah said (I am paraphrasing), “God, I’m done. I will not be preaching your Word any more.” The Bible said he tried to walk away. Then he noticed, “Wait a minute…this Word is like a fire shut up in my bones! I can’t hold it! I have got to open my mouth! I have got to say something for the Lord!” You may not have the Word burning in you, but God has placed a lamp in your soul that you cannot easily extinguish. Even when you try to go left, you know you are supposed to be going right. When you try to go left, something inside, the conviction power of the Holy Ghost, says, “No, don’t go that way. God’s power is sustaining us right now. Considering all of the sins I was involved in, some of the greatest addictions in life, I am being held by the power of His resurrection today! He is holding me firm so that every morning, I don’t go to the dope house. I don’t go to some woman’s house. I come to the church house! I have a relationship with my God. Hallelujah!

God’s Grace

Grace is unmerited divine assistance. Grace is the effectual working of the Spirit of God in your heart and life. Simply, it is help from God. Keep in mind that God is omnipotent; as much help as you need, He has. No matter what the problem is, He has all the help you need and then some. It doesn’t take very long before the failures start stacking up. I had failed ten thousand times. I had gotten tired of trying to live Christianity through legalism. I ended up in a mental institution with the doors locked. I went to my room and fell across the bed. I was broken. My stubbornness had been broken. I said, “Lord, I can’t do it. I can’t go any further.” That is right where He wanted me. Just like that, it was over. I had to come to the place where I could admit I cannot do it. Learn how to live in God’s grace. That doesn’t mean you live in lawlessness. God still has a moral code. Even though I am walking in grace, God would be very displeased with me if I even had a mental relationship with another woman other than my wife, such as an office romance.  

Power from On High

The Holy Spirit holds you to a higher standard than simply, “Do not commit adultery.” He expects you to not mentally or emotionally engage with someone other than your spouse. The Law said “Thou Shalt not commit adultery,” but Jesus said, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”You are not going to make it without the Holy Ghost, which is part of our relationship with God. The powers of darkness are so strong now that if you don’t have the Holy Ghost, you are not going to make it. “For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.” Those are not just poetic words that Paul put on a sheet of paper. It is the thing that every Christians must understand.

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