DAILY HOPE DEVOTIONAL: JULY 2 THE PRINCIPLES OF NEW BIRTH (1). SCRIPTURE: JOHN 3: 1 – 3
The phrase “Be Born Again” is the most pronounced faith proclamation of Pentecostal Christians. One of the generally accepted quality that admits someone into full membership of Pentecostal, Evangelical, Apostolic etc., churches these days is “a must be born again and tongues speaking.”_ The root of this doctrine is from Jesus’ discussion with one very rich young man called Nicodemus. He came asking Jesus what he would do to see the Kingdom of God. Jesus told him to be born again. With further emphasis, Jesus told him “unless one is born of water and of the Holy Spirit” such will not enter into the Kingdom of God. The issue of being born again with water and the Holy Spirit has created expanded fields of reasoning for theologians. However, this devotional is pitching its tent with the basic principles of new birth, void of theological differences though.
The first practical steps towards being born again is coming out openly in Christian gathering and confess one’s sins, pronounced forsaken them and proclaim Jesus Christ as one’s personal Lord and Saviour. This exercise makes the confessor accepted being born again. The next exercises are receiving the water baptism by immersion and allow the Holy Spirit comes upon one making him or her capable of speaking in tongues. These two exercises of faith finally qualified the person a fully born again Christian. With this, the Church believes such a person is bona fide candidate of heaven. This exercise is also explained as “born again”, “rebirth”, “regeneration” and “new birth”.
This devotional is presenting more exercises that can be involved in “The New Birth” believe, aside the mere confessing Jesus Christ as one’s personal Lord and Saviour; and speaking in tongues. Repentance is a progressive exercise and not just one single action which last for one’s life time. We will be going through some basic principles of this New Birth or New Life in Christ in the subsequent series of this devotional. Readers of this devotional series are requested to go through all the information with prayers.Let us drop subjectivity as we get along. Be as spiritually objective as the Holy Spirit will lead you.
PRAYER:
LORD JESUS, issue of being born again came directly from you. Please grant me grace to understand this principle of the new birth in you. I believe that after this study, I will be fully acquainted with what “Being Born Again” really is. Amen!!
POSITIVE DECLARATION:
I embrace the Spiritual Knowledge of God and that of the Holy Ghost to accept Jesus as LORD.
bishopubaudenyi@hopealivechurch
