I CAN'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND THE NEW THEOLOGY
No matter how hard I try not to find myself in a situation where I have to poke holes into what fellow Christians do, I really find myself many times feeling guilty for not rebuking what conscience tells me is wrong. I'm sorry if any Christian brother, sister or fellow finds this offensive.
There seems to be an increasingly popular heresy being preached in churches and television screens which depicts God as some vindictive being waiting to torment "OUR ENEMIES ." That even His blessings to us is a means of getting back at those who we perceive as enemies.
What happened to "love your enemies?"
All these teachings are contrary to Biblical teaching and are a warped representation of some of the psalms of David and a failure to read the Bible in context.
The Bible from Genesis to Revelation, does not exist in fragments but is a compact WORD of GOD. If you remove as little as a letter from the Bible, I can assure you that what you're left with is not the word of God. This is why I agree with a wise scholar who said that if you reject parts of the Bible and accept others, it's not the Bible you believe in but yourself. So that it is not possible to agree with what Paul says in his epistles and refuse to accept what James says in his write-up.
The book of Psalms has been widely preached because it is easily twisted to appeal to the faithfuls who are starved of teachings on forgiveness and repentance. This is the reason we have a more religious but more wayward society today than ever. It is common to hear pastors today preaching about how God will deal with our enemies but seldom do we hear such vigour directed towards the teaching of forgiveness and prayer for enemies. As a result we have vengeful Christians in the church today who are in the church to ask God to hurt their perceived enemies on their behalf.
Such is the confusion of the contemporary Christian. I feel that such a Christian is deluded. They believe in what they don't understand or rather something they think they understand. This is because the contemporary Christian believes in the almighty man of God at the pulpit. They're taught that speaking ill or questioning the spiritual viability of of the man of God is deadly and will attract the wrath of God because God says "touch not my anointed and do no harm to my... " This is what I call boxing Christians into submitting to the so called spiritual authorities. A negation, in and of itself of the apostle John's warning against accepting every spirit.
(Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. I John 4:1 NKJV)
There behaviour is similar to that of the Pharisees at various points in the Bible who adopted a holier than thou posture whenever they dealt with congregants in the temples until Jesus debunked their hypocrisy. Whenever I see a Christian congregation shouting and cheering a "Man of God" as he hypes a hypnotized lot with this heresy of God helping kill, cripple, shame, confuse and blind all enemies, I sense a bunch of individuals who are in the church for all the wrong reasons. Devoid of the love that the good religion teaches and instead filled with hate and vengeance. I perceive a spiritless church filled with bitterness and emotions which a foul spirit from the enemy has taken advantage of and made them believe they're filled with the Holy Spirit. I feel sympathy for the whole lot for believing that delusion.
Christianity and forgiveness are Siamese twins. Indeed forgiveness is the very foundation of Christianity. Christ came so that we may be forgiven. The person you forgive does not remain an enemy and your relationship becomes as if they had never wronged you at all. This happens with or without them apologizing. When Jesus Christ says;
(“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust....") - Matthew 5:43-45 NKJV, He's not just asking us to embark on a task but also reminds us that that is indeed the character of God our Father. He adds "....that you may be sons of your Father..." (because when you're a son you take after you father).
Remember what John 1:12 says;
(But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:) John 1:12 KJV. If you're not able to forgive and love your enemies then you can't claim to believe in or to have received Christ (the WORD) and therefore you have not obtained the power or right to be a son and it is no wonder you are not yet taking after God your Father.
I don't understand how you can want God to shame people you've forgiven. Forget this lie and turn to the true WORD of God.
Sunday, 3 December 2017
Thursday, 5 October 2017
TRUTH
Over the course of my reading and study of the Bible, I have to appreciate the definition of TRUTH as only that which God Himself in His word defines as true. To paraphrase, if it is not in conformity with God’s truth, then it is a lie. The general finding from my studies is that we men can not agree upon the definition of TRUTH because we are a bunch of scheming swindlers who only want to accept the truths that fit our fantasies. Our own version of the truth. I call it “truth for convenience.”
When He was confronted with a question by Thomas, His disciple on how to know the way, Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6 NKJV). Jesus gives a definition of Himself in a way He never did at any instance in his life on earth. by finding Jesus, you find the WAY. Because that way is the right way, it can only lead to the TRUTH. The truth as we know is the very source of LIFE. God is true. The way, the truth, and the life are not three things that exist separately. They are all one and the same. It is like the Trinity of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are not distinct but one Who exists in the various forms. One is the other which is also the other.
Truth does not need to prove anything to confirm that it is true. Satan employs heavily the strategy of challenge in order to tempt us into his dark depths of hell. It has always been his way. The devil many times offers what looks like a genuine Christian challenge and we men, in our insatiable desire for recognition have numerously fallen for it. Be careful.
At the end of a hugely consuming and thoroughly exhausting forty days fast in the wilderness, Jesus has an annoying encounter with the devil and has to endure a series of temptations. The devil slyly pauses what appears to be a very suggestive challenge with his typical “If you are…” formula. The devil here attacks the very truth of Jesus' identity. This is the most inducing challenge I know of in my entire little life. When you are challenged to prove that you are a man, you’ll most certainly feel obligated to do it. The person giving the challenge most probably knows you’re a man. This is a dangerous arsenal in the armory of the devil and he uses it to great effect in his core mission to “kill, steal and destroy.”
The devil in this passage (Matthew 4) challenges the truth about Jesus being the son of God. But that’s not the extent of the temptation; Jesus is in dire need for food and the devil points this out as a weak area to hit Jesus from (how familiar). He asks Jesus to do what he(the devil) knows Jesus can do in order to quench his hunger. How many of us, being able to do stuff, can resist the temptation to do them just to prove some point? How many times have you been challenged to, for example, ‘type Amen' on social media, “If you are…” and you did?
At the core of this “if you are…” is a very insinuating attempt to question the TRUTH. Jesus, knowing the word, quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 because the word is the bedrock of truth.
•••But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” (Matthew 4:4 NKJV)•••
Human beings like to decide for themselves what the truth is. This is because we refuse to accept the infallibility of God’s word and if we accept, we forget or selectively choose what fits our postures and this is how we end up plunging into the deep dark pits hopelessness, confusion and brutality. We forget that all the little truths we know are tributaries to the vast river of truth that is Jesus Christ, which then meanders its way slowly and steadily into the glamorous Kingdom of our creator.
From Fred Arani ArapNyankuru's wisdom pamphlet
Friday, 25 August 2017
Why the educated are poor
Most educated people in Kenya are poor. Not just poor, but very Poor. Why?
Because 80% of the educated people in Kenya earn less than Kshs. 50,000 for a salary before tax and other deductions. When the deductions are put into consideration, the net salary comes to around Kshs 35,000.
The net salary then suffers from loan deductions of up to 10,000 leaving the salary at around kshs 25,000. The landlord then demands for his 10,000 and monthly shopping takes away 5,000 leaving one with a 10,000. The bus will demand for 4,000 going to and from work and relatives get another 2,000. Remaining 5,000 can't even take care of one kid in a nice private school, whole salary is gone and borrowed money starts operating. The borrowed money includes short loans and salary advances whereby payment is up to 50% in interest.
The difference between poverty and prosperity is property. A prosperous person has property to his name while a poverty stricken person has no property to show. Using this understanding, therefore, most of the degree holders are poverty stricken, borrowing money to buy chicken and chips, pizza, buy expensive gadgets for show off and loaned cars to surprise their enemies.
The biggest excuse for getting paid such low amounts of money and having to sit and work for another person for 30 days in 30 years plus is THE DEGREE that one possesses and that’s all. This has made most of the degree holders very poor to poverty stricken and will die that way most likely. A degree holder does not know how to generate money unless that money is generated for the employer. A degree holder is so dependent on the salary that he can do anything to get a job but will not think of starting a business of his own to employ others. Employee is good but use it as a doorway into entrepreneurship. You are not good in business. Then build rental houses.
1. A degree holder is not prepared to sell chips but is very happy to work in Kenchic, Java etc for hungry lion.
2. A degree holder is not prepared to sell popcorn in the street but is very happy to work at Safaricom/Airtel/Suppermarket outlet daily standing from 8:00am to 6:00Pm going home with 10,000,20,000 or 25,000 per month.
3. A degree holder is not prepared to sell second hand clothes but is very happy to be employed by an Asian selling same clothes.
4. A degree holder is not prepared to make Kshs100,000 monthly doing his own business but is very happy to work at the till in a bank getting paid 40,000-70,000 while 50% of same cash go for Tax and Vat.
5. A degree holder is not prepared to start a company and grow it in two to three years but will spend three years searching for a job.
6. A degree holder is not prepared to sell food to students but will be happy to be reporting to a boss with no qualifications as long as he is paid 30,000 for a salary.
7. A degree holder is so eager to get out of this country and work in another country than spend time to develop his own country.
8. A degree holder staying in a foreign land is very keen to condemn Kenya but never contributing to the development of this country.
9. A Kenya degree holder would rather sweep the streets of London or USA than start a business and make money in Kenya – others work in people’s homes doing some work you can't explain.
10. A degree holder in Kenya will watch porn on his laptop but never to write a book using the same laptop to sell and make money.
11. A degree holder will blame the government for lack of jobs even after he was on government bursary for him to have his degree.
12. A degree holder will spent entire day betting rather than looking for proper way to grow their income.
13. Kenya is blessed with people who have master’s degree and others are doctors in different technical fields such as IT and Engineering but all of them have failed to create a cartoon character and develop a movie from the same instead very happy to buy Tom and Jerry for their children thereby promoting America.
At the school I go to, there is a man that is of very humble background. He does not speak English but sells Coke, Fanta and Sprite at 35 each making a profit of around 10 on each drink. He also sells chips at 100 making a profit of 30 on each portion. Not less than 100 students buy chips and a drink every single day. This means he makes a profit of 40 for a drink and chips and a total profit of 4,000 per day…every single day. In ten days he makes a profit of 40,000, in twenty days 80,000 and in thirty days 120,000. Which means in a bad month he goes home with not less than 70,000.
The degree holder working in a bank at the till gets a salary of 50,000 every month.
Why are the degree holders poor?
Because they have decided to pride themselves in a degree and failed to think better than a man who does not have even a certificate to his name.
Degree holders spend their time liking articles on linkedIn and facebook but never have any care in the world to implement what they like. Poverty starts from the mind, a mind that just likes things but never to implement those things.
If you want to progress, throw away that degree and start thinking better than someone without a degree. Be prepared to get your hands dirty and work like an ox for your business. Your hard work will pay off.
Mind shift
©Opuk Jaki
Via Kelvin Benedict's facebook.
Because 80% of the educated people in Kenya earn less than Kshs. 50,000 for a salary before tax and other deductions. When the deductions are put into consideration, the net salary comes to around Kshs 35,000.
The net salary then suffers from loan deductions of up to 10,000 leaving the salary at around kshs 25,000. The landlord then demands for his 10,000 and monthly shopping takes away 5,000 leaving one with a 10,000. The bus will demand for 4,000 going to and from work and relatives get another 2,000. Remaining 5,000 can't even take care of one kid in a nice private school, whole salary is gone and borrowed money starts operating. The borrowed money includes short loans and salary advances whereby payment is up to 50% in interest.
The difference between poverty and prosperity is property. A prosperous person has property to his name while a poverty stricken person has no property to show. Using this understanding, therefore, most of the degree holders are poverty stricken, borrowing money to buy chicken and chips, pizza, buy expensive gadgets for show off and loaned cars to surprise their enemies.
The biggest excuse for getting paid such low amounts of money and having to sit and work for another person for 30 days in 30 years plus is THE DEGREE that one possesses and that’s all. This has made most of the degree holders very poor to poverty stricken and will die that way most likely. A degree holder does not know how to generate money unless that money is generated for the employer. A degree holder is so dependent on the salary that he can do anything to get a job but will not think of starting a business of his own to employ others. Employee is good but use it as a doorway into entrepreneurship. You are not good in business. Then build rental houses.
1. A degree holder is not prepared to sell chips but is very happy to work in Kenchic, Java etc for hungry lion.
2. A degree holder is not prepared to sell popcorn in the street but is very happy to work at Safaricom/Airtel/Suppermarket outlet daily standing from 8:00am to 6:00Pm going home with 10,000,20,000 or 25,000 per month.
3. A degree holder is not prepared to sell second hand clothes but is very happy to be employed by an Asian selling same clothes.
4. A degree holder is not prepared to make Kshs100,000 monthly doing his own business but is very happy to work at the till in a bank getting paid 40,000-70,000 while 50% of same cash go for Tax and Vat.
5. A degree holder is not prepared to start a company and grow it in two to three years but will spend three years searching for a job.
6. A degree holder is not prepared to sell food to students but will be happy to be reporting to a boss with no qualifications as long as he is paid 30,000 for a salary.
7. A degree holder is so eager to get out of this country and work in another country than spend time to develop his own country.
8. A degree holder staying in a foreign land is very keen to condemn Kenya but never contributing to the development of this country.
9. A Kenya degree holder would rather sweep the streets of London or USA than start a business and make money in Kenya – others work in people’s homes doing some work you can't explain.
10. A degree holder in Kenya will watch porn on his laptop but never to write a book using the same laptop to sell and make money.
11. A degree holder will blame the government for lack of jobs even after he was on government bursary for him to have his degree.
12. A degree holder will spent entire day betting rather than looking for proper way to grow their income.
13. Kenya is blessed with people who have master’s degree and others are doctors in different technical fields such as IT and Engineering but all of them have failed to create a cartoon character and develop a movie from the same instead very happy to buy Tom and Jerry for their children thereby promoting America.
At the school I go to, there is a man that is of very humble background. He does not speak English but sells Coke, Fanta and Sprite at 35 each making a profit of around 10 on each drink. He also sells chips at 100 making a profit of 30 on each portion. Not less than 100 students buy chips and a drink every single day. This means he makes a profit of 40 for a drink and chips and a total profit of 4,000 per day…every single day. In ten days he makes a profit of 40,000, in twenty days 80,000 and in thirty days 120,000. Which means in a bad month he goes home with not less than 70,000.
The degree holder working in a bank at the till gets a salary of 50,000 every month.
Why are the degree holders poor?
Because they have decided to pride themselves in a degree and failed to think better than a man who does not have even a certificate to his name.
Degree holders spend their time liking articles on linkedIn and facebook but never have any care in the world to implement what they like. Poverty starts from the mind, a mind that just likes things but never to implement those things.
If you want to progress, throw away that degree and start thinking better than someone without a degree. Be prepared to get your hands dirty and work like an ox for your business. Your hard work will pay off.
Mind shift
©Opuk Jaki
Via Kelvin Benedict's facebook.
Monday, 21 August 2017
The Alternative Theory to Kenya political Murders
Good people it doesn't hurt to speculate now and then because speculation makes us think outside the box. I have this feeling that we have a hyena in a sheep's skin that has been devouring our flock unashamedly. This hyena has killed at least three innocent people in his pursuit for political glory. I want to speculate about these three deaths, and this is how I see it....
In 2005 during the clamour for a new constitution, the chairman of the Devolution Committee was one Dr. Odhiambo Mbai....a luo. The government of the day was opposed to devolution as was being advocated by the then opposition and some Bomas delegates. There was even a time when the then Justice Minister Kiraitu Murungi lead some delegates in a mass walkout from the talks. Then one day in his sitting room, Dr. Mbai was gunned down. Mr. Norman Nyagah was by then a government hawk and fierce Kibaki defender. He was also Mr. Mbai's neighbor. When Dr. Mbai was shot, Nyagah rushed to the scene and upon seeing the mess on the floor, he naively opted to mop the floor in an attempt to protect his neighbour's children to see the mess firsthand. He would live to regret this action because after that (Nyagah) and the government were accused by the opposition for causing Mbai's death in a bid to block devolution. What happened next was that the delegates passed all the contentious issues without thinking after all the government had killed one of their own. But my question was then and still is, did the government need to kill Odhiambo Mbai to stop devolution? Was there no any other option? Who benefitted from Mbai's death? The answers to these questions will give you Mbai's killers.
1) After being passed at Bomas, the Constitution was to be given to the AG (Wako) for fine tuning and drafting. This is the point where the government would remove the contentious issues. It did not need to kill Dr. Mbai to do this.
2) After his death, the delegates voted with emotions and passed the draft with all the contentious issues. In other words, the opposition massively benefitted from Mbai's death.
Let us now look at Jacob Juma. It is funny that is like this guy had a premonition of his death. My gut feeling tells me that Jacob Juma was killed by a guy he totally trusted....A guy who was his source of government Intel. JJ trusted his source stupidly and every time he was given some intel, he rushed to his twitter handle to share it. The source knew all this and decided to set up JJ for his death. JJ was told by his source that the Deputy President wanted him (JJ) dead and stupidly JJ rushed to his twitter handle to share the information.....That's how he predicted his death time and again. By killing JJ his killers achieved two things....1) portraying the government as a killer government and.... 2) Consolidating the Luhyas vote by passing the message that their son was targeted.
Now the death of Chris Msando. Just like Odhiambo Mbai he was a luo. This is what I think happened. After several approaches by his "relative" within the opposition, the guy maintained that he was not in a position to help them in their hacking endeavours. Then "the hackers" said that they could easily access and manipulate the system if only they had the super admin password. In their thinking Msando was the holder of the super admin password and maybe he could be coerced or even killed to get the password. Killing was even a better option because it would....
1) Enrage his IEBC colleagues prompting them to apply their emotions when conducting the elections.
2) Take a notch higher the narrative of a killer government with the hope that citizens will vote with emotions.
3) Advance a narrative of a government ready to do anything to retain power.
My friends by now you all know who this hyena is and if not stopped it will devour more. KIKULACHO KINGUONI MWAKO NA UMDHANIAYE SIYE NDIYE.
Via Theresa Christian Ohuru's facebook.
In 2005 during the clamour for a new constitution, the chairman of the Devolution Committee was one Dr. Odhiambo Mbai....a luo. The government of the day was opposed to devolution as was being advocated by the then opposition and some Bomas delegates. There was even a time when the then Justice Minister Kiraitu Murungi lead some delegates in a mass walkout from the talks. Then one day in his sitting room, Dr. Mbai was gunned down. Mr. Norman Nyagah was by then a government hawk and fierce Kibaki defender. He was also Mr. Mbai's neighbor. When Dr. Mbai was shot, Nyagah rushed to the scene and upon seeing the mess on the floor, he naively opted to mop the floor in an attempt to protect his neighbour's children to see the mess firsthand. He would live to regret this action because after that (Nyagah) and the government were accused by the opposition for causing Mbai's death in a bid to block devolution. What happened next was that the delegates passed all the contentious issues without thinking after all the government had killed one of their own. But my question was then and still is, did the government need to kill Odhiambo Mbai to stop devolution? Was there no any other option? Who benefitted from Mbai's death? The answers to these questions will give you Mbai's killers.
1) After being passed at Bomas, the Constitution was to be given to the AG (Wako) for fine tuning and drafting. This is the point where the government would remove the contentious issues. It did not need to kill Dr. Mbai to do this.
2) After his death, the delegates voted with emotions and passed the draft with all the contentious issues. In other words, the opposition massively benefitted from Mbai's death.
Let us now look at Jacob Juma. It is funny that is like this guy had a premonition of his death. My gut feeling tells me that Jacob Juma was killed by a guy he totally trusted....A guy who was his source of government Intel. JJ trusted his source stupidly and every time he was given some intel, he rushed to his twitter handle to share it. The source knew all this and decided to set up JJ for his death. JJ was told by his source that the Deputy President wanted him (JJ) dead and stupidly JJ rushed to his twitter handle to share the information.....That's how he predicted his death time and again. By killing JJ his killers achieved two things....1) portraying the government as a killer government and.... 2) Consolidating the Luhyas vote by passing the message that their son was targeted.
Now the death of Chris Msando. Just like Odhiambo Mbai he was a luo. This is what I think happened. After several approaches by his "relative" within the opposition, the guy maintained that he was not in a position to help them in their hacking endeavours. Then "the hackers" said that they could easily access and manipulate the system if only they had the super admin password. In their thinking Msando was the holder of the super admin password and maybe he could be coerced or even killed to get the password. Killing was even a better option because it would....
1) Enrage his IEBC colleagues prompting them to apply their emotions when conducting the elections.
2) Take a notch higher the narrative of a killer government with the hope that citizens will vote with emotions.
3) Advance a narrative of a government ready to do anything to retain power.
My friends by now you all know who this hyena is and if not stopped it will devour more. KIKULACHO KINGUONI MWAKO NA UMDHANIAYE SIYE NDIYE.
Via Theresa Christian Ohuru's facebook.
Sunday, 13 August 2017
There's got to be something More
There’s Got to Be More
Do you ever have the feeling that you are chasing something in life that won’t fully satisfy you? Pay attention to that feeling. It’s from God.
We’re not just talking about substance abuse issues, although drinking and pursuing other addictions are certainly ways of chasing something futile. But we’ve also known a lot of “good church people” who sit in a service every week—or who preach from a pulpit to those people—who feel themselves to be far from God. They’re “successful” or “put together” or “righteous” on the outside, but they’re missing God on the inside. They keep busy with religious practices and work, school, or family, but it just isn’t enough. They long for God to feel real to them.
That longing is the first spiritual awakening for all of us finding our way back to God: “There’s got to be more.”
When you long for a love that is deep and satisfying, when you want to give yourself to something that will truly make a difference, or when you seek answers to life’s most difficult questions, you are looking for God. You’ve really got two options: you can keep searching to fill these longings on your own, or you can look to the One who gave you those longings in the first place.
Our longing for real love goes all the way back to how the human race was made in the first place. God intended that we experience his love both directly from him and through others we relate to in a healthy way. What we long for, God doesn’t just have but actually God is. He is love and he pursues us with love.
We’ve heard it said that every man who knocks on the door of a brothel is really looking for God. If you are knocking on the door of some self-destructive behavior or relationship, you might actually have arrived at an important point in your journey back to God. Why? Because the disappointment you inevitably feel in cheap substitutes will make you wonder where you can find real love. Will you open yourself up to letting God fill your longing to love and be loved?
From Bible.com
Thursday, 9 February 2017
The Concept of Born-Again
The concept of Born-again.
Many a Christian preacher today seldom do their services in churches without mentioning to the congregants the need to be “born again” and build a “personal relationship” with God. This two phrases without a doubt are some of the most commonly used in various sermons in the contemporary body that forms the Church. However, this phrases also are some of the least understood of the Christian concepts. The phrase “personal relationship with God” more often confusing than it is misunderstood.
Personal Relationship with God
Now, every person has some sort of relationship with God and that includes the wicked ones. God does not discriminate and everything he created, he loves.
The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. Ps 145:9 (KJV)
The reason I say this phrase is more a confusing one than it is a misunderstood one is because the word personal is a bit unclear as far as the nature of the relationship goes. It's a little ambiguous. Everyone can say the way they relate with God is personal.
There are three kinds of relationships a person can keep with God and the three are what would bring me to the concept of Born-again.
1. Creator-creation relationship: - This is the commonest kind of relationships that is kept by all and sundry. Any person created by God has this relationship with Him and so have trees, mountains, rivers, seas, creatures of the waters, beasts of the earth and birds of the air. If this is the way your relationship with God is, then you are to God what every tree or animal is to him.
2. Master-servant relationship:- This is the type that most Christians keep. Christians who confess to be born again but they have remained servants in the Kingdom all their life. Their Faith is premised about the notion that God will bless you according to your works. They speak of grace but they don't know how it works. All the good things they do, they do because they want to enter God's books. They are good so that God can bless them. They are like a servant who must work hard in the performance of his duties in order to qualify for a months wage. They believe that God's abundance is scarce and that hard work alone qualifies them to a part of it.
This is wrong though. This notion takes away your right to belong.
3. Father-son relationship:- This is the type of relationship that we all ought to keep with God. Any Christian who confesses to be born again is supposed to keep this kind of relationship with God. This brings me to the concept of Born again.
Born-again
This concept is most often misunderstood by those who are not born again and a good number of Christians also have an unclear understanding of this concept. In the bible Jesus Christ introduces this to a Pharisee called Nicodemus and says:
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. John 3:3-8 (KJV)
This excerpt is one of the most elaborate you can ever come across in the Bible touching on this subject. To be born again is a form of reincarnation. Stop belonging to the human race and become of a spiritual race.
When a baby is conceived it is from a different world. When it is born, it comes into a new world a totally new place for it. But more basically it has its parents to look after it. It has a father and mother of whom it's born. The person of whom a child is born is called the child's father. This is what becomes of a person born again. He is born of the spirit and henceforth becomes a child of the spirit hence child of God.
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:24 (KJV)
Those who become born again obtain the right to call Him Father. The rest are bastards. This doesn't mean that you can never go wrong and incur the wrath of God. It only means that if you find yourself in a mistake you'll be chastised and not punished. The wages of sin is death, but for those that have become His children, they are chastised.
But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Heb 12:8 (KJV)
If as an owner of a house you find that someone has broken in and stolen some item, then you'll ensure that the person is met with the full force of the law and be jailed as per the provisions of the law. But if that person is your son, then you'll have tamper justice with mercy. You'll spare your son a jail term but you'll still make him feel the gravity of his offense outside the provisions of the law. Chastisement is what sons who err face not punishment. This is what being born again does. This is the privilege of being born again.
Take a look at this verse:
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13 (KJV)
To be born again therefore is to be born of God. God becomes your father. You're no longer His servant but his child. A rightful heir to His unlimited abundancy. When you ask anything of Him as a child he'll give it to you as any father would his child. By right , you qualify for whatsoever you may ask of Him. Jesus pauses:
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Matt 7:11 (KJV)
That's what to be born again means and that's what it brings along.
Many a Christian preacher today seldom do their services in churches without mentioning to the congregants the need to be “born again” and build a “personal relationship” with God. This two phrases without a doubt are some of the most commonly used in various sermons in the contemporary body that forms the Church. However, this phrases also are some of the least understood of the Christian concepts. The phrase “personal relationship with God” more often confusing than it is misunderstood.
Personal Relationship with God
Now, every person has some sort of relationship with God and that includes the wicked ones. God does not discriminate and everything he created, he loves.
The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. Ps 145:9 (KJV)
The reason I say this phrase is more a confusing one than it is a misunderstood one is because the word personal is a bit unclear as far as the nature of the relationship goes. It's a little ambiguous. Everyone can say the way they relate with God is personal.
There are three kinds of relationships a person can keep with God and the three are what would bring me to the concept of Born-again.
1. Creator-creation relationship: - This is the commonest kind of relationships that is kept by all and sundry. Any person created by God has this relationship with Him and so have trees, mountains, rivers, seas, creatures of the waters, beasts of the earth and birds of the air. If this is the way your relationship with God is, then you are to God what every tree or animal is to him.
2. Master-servant relationship:- This is the type that most Christians keep. Christians who confess to be born again but they have remained servants in the Kingdom all their life. Their Faith is premised about the notion that God will bless you according to your works. They speak of grace but they don't know how it works. All the good things they do, they do because they want to enter God's books. They are good so that God can bless them. They are like a servant who must work hard in the performance of his duties in order to qualify for a months wage. They believe that God's abundance is scarce and that hard work alone qualifies them to a part of it.
This is wrong though. This notion takes away your right to belong.
3. Father-son relationship:- This is the type of relationship that we all ought to keep with God. Any Christian who confesses to be born again is supposed to keep this kind of relationship with God. This brings me to the concept of Born again.
Born-again
This concept is most often misunderstood by those who are not born again and a good number of Christians also have an unclear understanding of this concept. In the bible Jesus Christ introduces this to a Pharisee called Nicodemus and says:
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. John 3:3-8 (KJV)
This excerpt is one of the most elaborate you can ever come across in the Bible touching on this subject. To be born again is a form of reincarnation. Stop belonging to the human race and become of a spiritual race.
When a baby is conceived it is from a different world. When it is born, it comes into a new world a totally new place for it. But more basically it has its parents to look after it. It has a father and mother of whom it's born. The person of whom a child is born is called the child's father. This is what becomes of a person born again. He is born of the spirit and henceforth becomes a child of the spirit hence child of God.
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:24 (KJV)
Those who become born again obtain the right to call Him Father. The rest are bastards. This doesn't mean that you can never go wrong and incur the wrath of God. It only means that if you find yourself in a mistake you'll be chastised and not punished. The wages of sin is death, but for those that have become His children, they are chastised.
But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Heb 12:8 (KJV)
If as an owner of a house you find that someone has broken in and stolen some item, then you'll ensure that the person is met with the full force of the law and be jailed as per the provisions of the law. But if that person is your son, then you'll have tamper justice with mercy. You'll spare your son a jail term but you'll still make him feel the gravity of his offense outside the provisions of the law. Chastisement is what sons who err face not punishment. This is what being born again does. This is the privilege of being born again.
Take a look at this verse:
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13 (KJV)
To be born again therefore is to be born of God. God becomes your father. You're no longer His servant but his child. A rightful heir to His unlimited abundancy. When you ask anything of Him as a child he'll give it to you as any father would his child. By right , you qualify for whatsoever you may ask of Him. Jesus pauses:
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Matt 7:11 (KJV)
That's what to be born again means and that's what it brings along.
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