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"As among all the doctrines of the gospel, there is none opposed with more violence and subtlety than that concerning OUR REGENERATION BY THE IMMEDIATE, POWERFUL, EFFECTUAL OPERATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GRACE; so there is not scarce ANYTHING MORE DESPISED OR SCORNED by many in the world THAN THAT ANY SHOULD PROFESS THAT THERE HATH BEEN SUCH A WORK OF GOD UPON THEMSELVES, OR ON ANY OCCASION DECLARE OUGHT OF THE WAY AND MANNER WHEREBY IT WAS WROUGHT... THE HOLY WORK OF GOD'S SPIRIT IS TO BE OWNED." John Owen, A discourse Touching The Holy Spirit NOTE: it is very likely that Owen had, for one, John Bunyan in mind when he penned these words, as Bunyan, whom Owen was very fond of, and other truly regenerate Christians of that era, were very emphatic in stressing that the supernatural miracle of the new birth was the very touchstone by which a person was counted a true Christian or not, and these supernatural new birth testimonies, such as Bunyan's, brought forth vehement denunciations from the unregenerate religionists of that day, just as they still do in our day. Tozer, three hundred years later, recognized this as well... "Brethren, Let's not forget that THE NEW BIRTH IS A MIRACLE -- A MAJOR MIRACLE!... I think the difference is in the emphasis of the MAJOR MIRACLE which we ought to expect in GENUINE CHRISTIAN CONVERSION. Those old-timers would not have believed if a MAJOR MIRACLE had not taken place." A. W. Tozer, The Tozer Pulpit, Vol II |
You will find legions, and I do mean LEGIONS, of professing Christians today who are willing to talk about the Bible, or Christianity, or doctrine, or church, or apologetics, or miracles, or spiritual gifts, or just about any other thing under the sun related to Christianity.
You will, on the other hand, find very, very FEW who can KNOWINGLY and EXPERIENTIALLY talk about Jesus HIMSELF, an INTIMATE Jesus whom they KNOW PERSONALLY and whom they COMMUNE with PERSONALLY, and whom they fellowship with SUPERNATURALLY, but no less REALLY, and no less TANGIBLY, than they do with any other being in existence, people for whom Jesus is MORE REAL, in fact, and MORE INTIMATE, than ANY human interaction they have EVER had, even if they've been married to the same spouse for a century or more.
Indeed, you will find very, very FEW who can ESPECIALLY and EXPERIENTIALLY -- I say, EXPERIENTIALLY -- talk about Jesus in the context of Jesus HIMSELF being the Bible, of Jesus HIMSELF being Christianity, of Jesus HIMSELF being doctrine, and so on and so forth. I say, you will find very, very FEW who can talk to you EXPERIENTIALLY about Jesus Christ, very FEW who can not only HONESTLY and LEGITIMATELY tell you that they have MET Jesus Christ PERSONALLY in the UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, but who can likewise tell you in GLOWING DETAIL how that meeting came about, along with the COMMUNICATIONS therein. And there is not a GENUINELY born again Christian on this planet who can't meet that threshold. Not one. Nor is such a meeting metaphorical, or symbolic, or hyperbolic, ad nauseam. Not in any wise.
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"It is said expressly, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. By this one word, down goes all carnal privilege of being born of flesh and blood, and of the will of man. CANST THOU PRODUCE THE BIRTHRIGHT? But art thou SURE thou canst?... THE BIRTHRIGHT AND THE BLESSING GO TOGETHER, miss of one, and thou shalt never have the other." John Bunyan, The Strait Gate |
Behold! Can YOU produce the birthright? He who has MET Jesus Christ PERSONALLY in the SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH has GREATER witness of Jesus Christ than did Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, and he who can't say AMEN to that truth EXPERIENTIALLY as a result of the SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH is he who has NEVER met Jesus Christ PERSONALLY, and he who consequently will not set FOOT in Jesus Christ's kingdom. Not unless he repents and becomes born again. Wait and see.
I tell you again, and I mean this just as literally as if I were telling you to move out of the path of a charging rhinoceros, he who has MET Jesus Christ PERSONALLY in the SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH has GREATER witness -- mark it -- has GREATER WITNESS -- indeed, he who has MET Jesus Christ PERSONALLY in the SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH has GREATER WITNESS of Jesus Christ than did Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration. And that is not even REMOTELY hyperbole IN THE SLIGHTEST. Thus, if this is not true of YOU, if you have never MET Jesus Christ PERSONALLY -- and I do mean PERSONALLY -- in the UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, wherein you can testify more certainly to KNOWING Jesus Christ more INTIMATELY than Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, then go and learn what that meaneth -- "YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN." [John 3:7] [John 16:7-15]
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"THERE IS A DISCOVERY OF THE DIVINE SUPERLATIVE GLORY AND EXCELLENCY OF GOD AND CHRIST PECULIAR TO THE SAINTS; AND THIS IS AS IMMEDIATELY FROM GOD AS LIGHT FROM THE SUN, AND IT IS THE IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF HIS POWER AND WILL... THIS LIGHT, AND THIS ONLY, WILL BRING THE SOUL TO A SAVING CLOSE WITH CHRIST." Jonathan Edwards, A Divine And Supernatural Light "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 |
Moreover, when you do find a GENUINELY born again Christian who can discourse EXPERIENTIALLY in this fashion about Jesus, it is primarily the religious crowd that will be the first to descend with gnashing teeth. Indeed, it is the religious crowd ESPECIALLY who, as Owen stated above, despise and scorn the man with a GENUINE SUPERNATURAL TESTIMONY, who despise and scorn the fact that "ANY SHOULD PROFESS THAT THERE HATH BEEN SUCH A WORK OF GOD UPON THEMSELVES, OR ON ANY OCCASION DECLARE OUGHT OF THE WAY AND MANNER WHEREBY IT WAS WROUGHT."
When is the last time you heard a genuine supernatural testimony come forth from the pen or the lips of your pastor? Every single GENUINELY born again Christian on this planet has a GENUINE SUPERNATURAL TESTIMONY wherein he can describe in GLOWING DETAIL how Jesus Christ PERSONALLY INTRODUCED HIMSELF to him in the SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, and he absolutely LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to proclaim this testimony whenever it is even REMOTELY apropos to do so, and he who does NOT have such a testimony, I don't care if he's been preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ accurately for fifty years or more, or if he's been a notable evangelist or missionary, if he doesn't have a GENUINE SUPERNATURAL TESTIMONY wherein he can describe in GLOWING DETAIL how Jesus Christ PERSONALLY INTRODUCED HIMSELF to him in the SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, he is deluding himself and others if he thinks he's born again, for he is INFALLIBLY unregenerate, and unless that changes, he will not set FOOT in the kingdom of heaven. Wait and see.
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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 |
Indeed, this is the class of religionist who will decry the supernatural in Christianity, who will despise and scorn, if not openly, at least secretly, those who DO have a GENUINE SUPERNATURAL TESTIMONY. Unlike the truly regenerate, who absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to give their TESTIMONY as often and as many times as they possibly can, the unregenerate religionist shies away from the personal testimony to the same degree, while at the same time secretly despising and scorning the true supernatural member of Christ's mystical body. That's because there is no pride more deeply rooted, and no pride more cunningly disguised, than religious pride, for there is no pride in this world OR the spiritual world that is so wicked and so diabolical as religious pride, for religious pride is LITERALLY the FIRST-BORN of Lucifer. [Ezekiel 28:17]
This religious pride among professing Christians generally takes the form of a voluntary humility [Colossians 2:18], a shallow, outward, pretentious humility, a humility which is full of condescension, and this is one way you can always discern this false humility, in that it is always accompanied by a spirit of condescension, whereas TRUE HUMILITY breaks forth in the truly regenerate BOLDLY, just like it did in Jesus, of whom it is written, "THE ZEAL OF THY HOUSE HATH EATEN ME UP." [John 2:17]. TRUE HUMILITY bursts forth as a ZEAL for the GLORY of Jesus Christ, and therefore prosecutes a TOTAL LACK OF CONCERN FOR ONE'S OWN PERSONAL GLORY, unlike the hypocrites who continuously intrude into those things they have not seen, those true spiritual matters of which they are EXPERIENTIALLY ignorant, and who are thereby vainly puffed up in their fleshly mind due to their learning or standing within their own religious sphere, a learning or standing which soothingly strokes their fleshly mind, and who thus get their pride ruffled when their fleshly spirit and their dead-letter ecclesiastical dicta are exposed. Not so for the TRULY REGENERATE, however. Indeed, TRUE HUMILITY burns WHITE-HOT in the TRULY REGENERATE to EXALT the GLORY of Jesus Christ while SUFFERING REPROACH for doing so, a reproach that only causes the TRULY REGENERATE to REJOICE in, not whine about, or boast about, or wax smugly condescending about.
My friend, if you are not sitting under the teaching of a man or woman with a GENUINE SUPERNATURAL TESTIMONY, then you are not merely wasting your time. Not even close. You are, in very fact, doing EXTREME DAMAGE to your own soul, and it will be found on the day of judgment just how CATASTROPHIC the damage of ORTHODOX BUT DEAD PREACHING has truly been. Take these words of E. M. Bounds solemnly to heart, for there is more truth in these words than you can POSSIBLY fathom, not unless you are GENUINELY born again with DEEP EXPERIENCE in the Holy Spirit --
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"Preaching is to give life; IT MAY KILL. This letter-preaching has the truth. BUT EVEN DIVINE TRUTH HAS NO LIFE-GIVING ENERGY ALONE; IT MUST BE ENERGIZED BY THE SPIRIT, with all God's forces at its back. TRUTH UNQUICKENED BY GOD'S SPIRIT DEADENS AS MUCH AS - OR MORE THAN - ERROR. It may be the truth without admixture; but without the Spirit its shade and touch are DEADLY, its truth ERROR, its light DARKNESS." E. M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer |
As I said, there is more truth in those words than all but a few can possibly fathom. Accordingly, there are preachers of great notoriety at this day, with great followings, many of whom preach correct doctrine, but who are nevertheless unregenerate to the core, and even though to the world, and to professing Christianity, it appears that they are blessing many, they are in fact nothing but murderers of souls, whose fleshly spirit will be revealed at the day of judgment, and whose true spiritual barrenness and true spiritual fruitlessness will be exposed before all the world.
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"That soul is dead to which the Spirit of Christ is not given in the work of regeneration; and all its works are dead works." John Flavel, The Method Of Grace |
While it looks to all the world that these orthodox but dead preachers are doing mighty works for the kingdom of God, raising money, gathering crowds, yet there is in fact one fruit that these orthodox but unregenerate preachers CANNOT produce, and that fruit is the ONLY fruit that matters, and that fruit is GENUINE SUPERNATURAL NEW BIRTHS, for this preacher has himself NEVER MET Jesus Christ PERSONALLY in the SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, and thus, every word he speaks is a DEAD word, even while imprecating the name of Jesus, and every truth he utters, though it may be the truth without admixture, is a DEAD truth that settles upon the soul of his hearers like a fatal contagion and anesthetizes their spirits more FATALLY than the unsuspecting and unknowing could POSSIBLY imagine, thereby making it more and more unlikely for that soul to EVER come SAVINGLY to that well of LIVING WATER in the SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, whereby Jesus Christ PERSONALLY INTRODUCES HIMSELF to that soul, and indwells him, and makes him a NEW CREATURE for evermore.
| "It is the SPIRIT that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the WORDS that I SPEAK unto you, they are SPIRIT, and they are LIFE." John 6:63 |
As Bunyan proclaimed, and others, the world is going to be SHOCKED at the MANY NOTABLES -- RELIGIOUS NOTABLES -- both orthodox and not -- indeed, the world is going to be SHOCKED at the MANY RELIGIOUS NOTABLES that are shut out of the kingdom of heaven in the day of judgment. Absolutely, utterly SHOCKED and DUMB-STRUCK. There are MANY who have been preaching orthodox Christianity for forty or fifty years or more, who are nevertheless still DEAD in their spirits, and therefore still DEAD in their trespasses and sins. The world is going to SHOCKED indeed. And he who tells you that GENUINE SUPERNATURAL NEW BIRTH EXPERIENCES are only the provenance of SOME, and not ALL, are only given by the Lord Jesus to SOME of his elect, and not to ALL, indeed -- mark it well, and mark it hard -- he who tells you such a thing is the VERY MOUTHPIECE OF SATAN, and his inward apostasy and lying words will be shouted from the housetops on the day of judgment. Wait and see.
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"I know some say they do not know when they were converted; those are, I believe, VERY FEW; generally - nay - I may say almost ALWAYS, God deals otherwise." George Whitefield, The Method Of Grace "Comparatively but FEW of those that are born of water, ARE BORN OF THE SPIRIT; likewise; to use another spiritual way of speaking, MANY ARE BAPTIZED WITH WATER, WHICH WERE NEVER BAPTIZED WITH THE HOLY GHOST... If we are not inwardly wrought upon, and changed by the POWERFUL OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, and our moral actions proceed from a principle of a NEW NATURE, however we may call ourselves Christians, we shall be found naked at the great day." George Whitefield, On Regeneration "Judge ye then, whether it is not high time for the TRUE MINISTERS OF JESUS CHRIST, WHO HAVE BEEN MADE PARTAKERS OF THIS HEAVENLY GIFT, to lift up their voices like a trumpet; and if they would not have those souls perish, for which the Lord Jesus has shed his precious blood, to declare, with all boldness, THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE COMMON PRIVILEGE AND PORTION OF ALL BELIEVERS IN ALL AGES; AND THAT WE AS WELL AS THE FIRST CHRISTIANS, MUST RECEIVE THE HOLY GHOST, BEFORE WE CAN BE TRULY CALLED THE CHILDREN OF GOD... Indeed, I will not say that all our letter-learned preachers deny this doctrine in express words; but however, they do in effect; for they talk professedly against INWARD FEELINGS, and say, we may have God's Spirit WITHOUT FEELING IT, WHICH IS IN REALITY TO DENY THE THING ITSELF... Had I a mind to HINDER the progress of the gospel, and to ESTABLISH THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS, I WOULD GO ABOUT TELLING PEOPLE THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE THE SPIRIT OF GOD, AND YET NOT FEEL IT." George Whitefield, The Indwelling Of The Spirit This blessed Spirit, who once moved on the face of the great deep; who over-shadowed the blessed Virgin before that holy child was born of her; who descended in a bodily shape, like a dove, on our blessed Lord, when he came up out of the water at his baptism; and afterwards came down in fiery tongues on the heads of all his Apostles at the day of Pentecost: this is the Holy Ghost, who must move on the faces of our souls; this power of the Most High, must come upon us, and we must be baptized with his baptism and refining fire, before we can be stilled true members of Christ’s mystical body." George Whitefield, Marks Of Having Received The Holy Ghost |
My friend, 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 [John 14:21-23].
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,
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?