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"Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost." Acts 8:14-17 |
The Samaritans took the next step, for they would go to heaven. The Samaritans, under the skillful leadership of Philip, knew that they must be born again before they could be considered true Christians, so they obediently waited for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, undoubtedly because they had been taught by Philip and the rest of the Apostles what Paul would later canonize as sound doctrine in his epistle to the Romans --
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"Now if any man have NOT the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Romans 8:9 |
Spiritually speaking, this is the missing link today, for multitudes, even multitudes, have never taken the next step, and yet they THINK they are saved when they are NOT, for they have never EXPERIENCED what the Samaritans EXPERIENCED, namely, the UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, and unless that changes, unless they take the next step and receive the Holy Ghost, just like the Samaritans did, they will NEVER enter the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Never.
If you've been told that the Holy Spirit simply must have indwelt you when you believed in Jesus Christ, even though nothing happened, even though there was not a MANIFEST SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE, then you have been deluded and deceived to the uttermost, and you have NO claim to heaven WHATSOEVER. None.
The Scriptures in the above passage likewise testified that the Samaritans believed in Jesus, yet they were not yet born again, not yet saved, for it was not a SUPERNATURAL BELIEVING, it was not a SAVING BELIEVING, which can only occur under the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
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"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." John 3:6 |
Friend, you MUST be born again, and thus, if you cannot HONESTLY and LEGITIMATELY testify to an UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE whereupon Jesus Christ HIMSELF has PERSONALLY INTRODUCED HIMSELF to you through the POWER of the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, then you are utterly, utterly DELUDED if you think you're born again. You are, in fact, the most deceived person on the planet, and unless that changes, you will not set foot in the New Jerusalem.
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A certain teaching tells us to 'take it by faith' and not to worry about feelings. 'You may feel nothing at all,' it says, 'but if you believe this Word and its teaching you can take the Holy Spirit by faith irrespective of any feeling.' THE WHOLE OF THE NEW TESTAMENT TEACHES THE OPPOSITE. So does the subsequent history of the Christian Church... YOU CANNOT BE BAPTIZED OR FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT WITHOUT KNOWING IT. IT IS THE GREATEST EXPERIENCE ONE CAN EVER KNOW. THE TEACHING THAT ASSURES US THAT WE MAY FEEL NOTHING AT ALL RUNS ENTIRELY CONTRARY NOT ONLY TO THE TEACHING OF THE SCRIPTURE BUT TO THE RECORDED EXPERIENCES OF COUNTLESS CHRISTIANS THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES." D. M. Lloyd-Jones, Romans - The Sons Of God |
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This generation of professing Christianity is the quintessential apostate generation of the world (whoever hath ears to hear, let him hear), and is WHOLLY without the Holy Ghost, and if you remain within the walls of the false, fleshly doctrine of this modern generation of preachers, from the conservatives to the liberals -- it doesn't matter, for they are ALL of them PURELY of the FLESH -- you will NEVER see the inside of heaven, you will NEVER enjoy the inheritance of the saints in light. Not a chance.
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
The Great Gamble
Regeneration And The Holy Spirit
Where Have All The Preachers Gone?