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"And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, HAVE YE RECEIVED THE HOLY GHOST SINCE YE BELIEVED? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. WHEN THEY HEARD THIS, THEY WERE BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS. AND WHEN PAUL HAD LAID HIS HANDS UPON THEM, THE HOLY GHOST CAME ON THEM; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve." Acts 19:1-7 "Now if any man have NOT the Spirit of Christ, HE IS NONE OF HIS." Romans 8:9 |
With very FEW exceptions today, the vast, vast majority of professing Christians are in the EXACT same boat as those Ephesian disciples described in the verses above before Paul laid hands on them, in that the VAST, VAST MAJORITY of professing Christians today have been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus with water, BUT -- like the Ephesian disciples above -- have NOT YET RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT, and consequently they are NOT SAVED. Not a chance. Not in a million lifetimes. Not no way, not no how.
As the Scripture also notes, unless you have had an UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL EXPERIENCE in which Jesus Christ PERSONALLY INTRODUCES HIMSELF to you in the SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, you are NOT SAVED, and you will NOT set foot in the kingdom of heaven unless that changes.
I could expound this until the cows come home, but there is no need. The above Scriptures are PLAIN. As Bunyan would say, LOOK TO IT, PROFESSING CHRISTIAN.
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"A sinner saved by grace will ALWAYS refer in his TESTIMONY to the MOMENT at which he EXPERIENCED new birth." Oswald Chambers, Bringing Sons Unto Glory "They are not Christ's that neither know how they are called, nor can give any proof that they are called... to some God speaketh in thunder, to others in a still small voice, but to all he speaketh." Thomas Manton, The Epistle Of Jude, v.1 "Believing in Christ and spiritually seeing him are parallel... he that has had A CLEAR SIGHT OF THE SPIRITUAL GLORY OF CHRIST may say, I have not followed cunningly devised fables, but have been an eyewitness of his majesty, upon as good grounds as the Apostle Peter, when he had respect to the outward glory of Christ that he had seen." Jonathan Edwards, A Divine And Supernatural Light "If we believe not with faith divine and supernatural, we believe not at all." John Owen, The Reason Of Faith "Why, if thou art born again... THOU KNOWEST THAT GOD HATH GIVEN THEE THY FAITH... WHEN DID THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD JESUS SHEW THEE THAT THOU HADST NO FAITH IN THEE BY NATURE? And when did the Spirit of Christ convince thee of sin because thou didst not believe in him?... ART THOU BORN AGAIN?... Then thou seest that thy great sin was want of faith in the Son of Mary... THEN THOU KNOWEST THAT GOD HAS GIVEN THEE THY FAITH that thou hast in his Son: Then thou art to say through grace that THERE WAS A TIME IN WHICH I COULD NOT BELIEVE IN THE SON OF GOD FOR ETERNAL LIFE." John Bunyan, Some Gospel Truths Opened |
And be fully apprised that if the Ephesian disciples in the above verses HAD NOT GONE THE EXTRA STEP of RECEIVING THE HOLY GHOST, they would NOT have been saved, and they would NOT have entered the kingdom of heaven.
The same is true of YOU, whoever you may be, however long you have professed to be a Christian, no matter if you are a minister or a missionary or what-have-you. If you have never been INDWELT by the Holy Spirit in the UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL EXPERIENCE of the NEW BIRTH, wherein Jesus Christ PERSONALLY INTRODUCES HIMSELF to you, then you are deluding yourself if you think you're saved, and you are deluding yourself if you think you're heaven-bound, for it will never be.
And don't chase after the rank heresy of the so-called Charismatics and Pentecostals in pursuit of being born of and filled with the Holy Spirit. Rather, pay close attention to the following, and actually put into practice what I have advised below, for if you do, and if you PERSIST, then Jesus will VERILY MANIFEST HIMSELF TO YOU in the UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL EXPERIENCE of the NEW BIRTH. And you won't have to take my word for it, for Jesus HIMSELF will reward you... if you PERSIST.
Friend, YOU may have made a commitment to Jesus Christ, but unless you have EVIDENCE -- SUPERNATURAL EVIDENCE -- unless you have SUPERNATURAL EVIDENCE that Jesus Christ has made a commitment to YOU, by FILLING you with his Spirit, indeed, unless you have SUPERNATURAL EVIDENCE that Jesus Christ has made a commitment to YOU by FILLING you with his Spirit, EXACTLY as described in the quotations noted in these two works on the FILLING of the Holy Spirit -- Part I, Part II -- then you will NEVER enter the kingdom of heaven, for if Jesus Christ has not borne witness to you here by FILLING you with his Spirit, neither will he bear witness to you there, when you stand before him at his judgment seat.
| "In that great and terrible day, there will be those WHITE WITH SHOCK when they find that they have depended upon a mental assent to Christianity instead of upon the miracle of the new birth." A. W. Tozer, The Tozer Pulpit, Vol I |
Consequently, I challenge every one of you, every one of you reading this right now, to SERIOUSLY EXAMINE YOURSELF, and be BRUTALLY HONEST with YOURSELF, for you can NEVER be FILLED with the Holy Spirit until you are BORN of the Holy Spirit in a MANIFEST SUPERNATURAL EXPERIENCE -- MANIFEST -- MANIFEST -- MANIFEST SUPERNATURAL EXPERIENCE -- and you will NEVER be BORN of the Holy Spirit unless you are BRUTALLY HONEST about your condition [2 Corinthians 13:5]. Accordingly, I warn you again, if you cannot HONESTLY and LEGITIMATELY claim the EXPERIENCE of being FILLED with the Holy Spirit, EXACTLY as demonstrated in the quotations here -- Part I, Part II -- a FILLING which occurs IMMEDIATELY UPON the MOMENT of REGENERATION, then do something about it NOW, while you still can -- I say, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT NOW, WHILE YOU STILL CAN -- for if you INSIST on DECEIVING YOURSELF, God not only will NOT STOP YOU, but God will actually ENHANCE YOUR ABILITY to FURTHER DECEIVE YOURSELF, and God will do this by imposing JUDICIAL BLINDNESS upon you, for God HATES LIES, and there is NO LIE that God HATES WORSE than the SELF-DECEIVING LIE, for the SELF-DECEIVING LIE is ROOTED IN PRIDE, and that is the very NATURE of wickedness and iniquity [2 Thessalonians 2:11, John 8:44, Matthew 11:25-26].
Have you ever FELT, have you ever EXPERIENCED, the MANIFEST POWER of the Holy Spirit SUPERNATURALLY INDWELLING YOU? If not, then never think of going to heaven, for you are not yet meet for heaven. And yet...
I tell you -- and I call Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to record against that day I stand before the Lord Jesus at his judgment seat -- indeed, I tell you that Jesus Christ can be KNOWN, and KNOWN more INTIMATELY than ANY other person in existence. Jesus Christ is not only the source of all life, he is likewise the sustainer and dispenser of all life, and he is therefore capable of making HIMSELF MANIFEST to his ELECT more certainly than any created being can make himself known to you, exactly as he has promised in [John 14:21-23], and numerous other passages.
If you will not prize your soul above ALL ELSE, you will NEVER be granted a SAVING audience with Jesus Christ. Blind Bartimaeus, as recorded in the gospels, would be saved at all costs. Will you be saved at all costs? If you will not be saved at all costs, you will not be saved by Jesus Christ at all.
Would you be born again? GENUINELY born again?
Then take wise counsel --
pick up a Bible based on the Traditional Text -- in English, the ONLY VALID
Bible based on the Traditional Text is the King James Bible -- and then read
with SOLEMNITY, beginning in the Gospels preferably, and beg Jesus Christ
to reveal himself to you, and give him no rest until he does, for if you read
the TRUE written Word of God, you will find the Lord of Glory, even Jesus
Christ, moving upon the face of the waters in its pages, just as he moved upon
the face of the waters when he walked across the Sea of Galilee, and if you
follow the advice just given, and if you persist, Jesus Christ HIMSELF
will verily MANIFEST HIMSELF to you (for he HIMSELF promises to do
this for those who truly heed this advice), just as he MANIFESTED HIMSELF
to his disciples when he moved upon the face of the waters as he walked across
the stormy sea some two thousand years ago, and just as he did with ME
not too many years ago, and just as he has done with a FEW others from
day to day since that time, in this very generation, and just as he will do for
YOU if -- IF -- you heed my advice, and if -- IF -- you
persist therein, for he who promised is FAITHFUL.
John 14:21-23,
Matthew 14:25-27
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"Never leave off watching, reading, praying, striving, till you EXPERIMENTALLY find Christ Jesus formed within you... Be frequent in self-examination morning and evening. Pray earnestly from your heart. WRESTLE WITH GOD, BEG HIM TO HASTEN THE NEW BIRTH." George Whitefield, Letters, XI "He that thirsteth aright, NOTHING BUT GOD CAN QUENCH HIS THIRST... Cry to God to reveal Jesus Christ unto you; there is none teacheth like him." John Bunyan, The Water Of Life & Grace Abounding To The Chief Of Sinners |
The Great Gamble
Regeneration And The Holy Spirit
Where Have All The Preachers Gone?