WHERE HAVE ALL THE PREACHERS GONE?

by
Scott Jones

The late but very godly E. M. Bounds made a simple and yet profound doctrinal statement in his great treatise on prayer. Unfortunately, his statement is one that is not truly understood except by the regenerate --

He who has EXPERIENCED the RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, and he ONLY, can truly comprehend and appreciate those words. All others can give only intellectual -- as opposed to EXPERIENTIAL -- assent. [1 Corinthians 2:14]

In other words, even though a man may speak words that are true, yet, if his words are not prompted and energized by the Holy Spirit, then he does NOT SPEAK THE TRUTH, even though the words he speaks may of themselves be true. I tell you again, even though a man may speak words that are true, yet if those very words are not inspired and energized by the Holy Ghost, then that man does NOT SPEAK THE TRUTH, even though the words he utters may be true in and of themselves. A corrupt tree cannot produce good fruit, and a corrupt sinner cannot produce truth, even if he quotes God. Except the words proceed through a REGENERATE man FROM the Holy Spirit, who is the SPIRIT OF TRUTH, then speaking the TRUTH is a complete and utter IMPOSSIBILITY, even if the words themselves are true words, as it is written --

Satan quoted God, but lied in the doing of it --

Satan spoke words that were true, but he held the truth in unrighteousness, thus turning the very quotation of God into a lie.

I won't bother to expound further in developing this theme, for the regenerate man needs no explanation, for the regenerate man knows what Jesus Christ meant when he said that HE -- HE HIMSELF -- is the TRUTH, and that TRUTH is therefore not a paradigm, but a PERSON, and even though the unregenerate may THINK he understands all that, he in fact has NO CLUE -- none whatsoever, having never EXPERIENCED the RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH -- and thus the unregenerate man wouldn't understand this matter EXPERIENTIALLY even if somebody rose from the dead and laid it out for him in scrupulous detail. And this is EXACTLY why the Lord Jesus REFUSED to explain himself to Nicodemus in the third of John, why the Lord Jesus REFUSED to explain himself to a congregation of professors in the eighth of John, why the Lord Jesus REFUSED to explain himself to Pilate, and why the Lord Jesus REFUSED to explain himself in so many other places. [John 14:6; John 1:14; John 1:17; John 8:32; Colossians 2:9; Luke 16:31]

I say the truth in Christ, I lie not -- I can't remember the last time I heard a REGENERATE preacher proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ under the UNCTION of the Holy Spirit. And like other TRULY REGENERATE believers, I CRINGE when I hear the gospel proclaimed by the universal mass of UNREGENERATE preachers of our day, just as A. W. Tozer so solemnly observed --

The pulpits are LITERALLY OVERFLOWING with UNREGENERATE preachers, preachers who have NOT the Spirit of Christ, and who know NOTHING of the NEW BIRTH EXPERIENTIALLY. Nothing whatsoever. That includes both conservative and liberal denominations, both Reformed and Arminian, and so forth and so on. And I may as well state right here that I won't even bother to answer in this treatise those who ask how one can know if another person is truly born again or not, for that is not a question that any genuinely born again believer would ever ask. [1 Corinthians 2:15; John 7:17; 1 John 3:24; 1 John 4:1-3; 1 John 4:13]

Every time a person sits under the proclamation of an unregenerate sermon, his heart is further hardened, and he doesn't even know it. Even if the sermon is doctrinally accurate, scripturally pure, it is nevertheless nothing but a DEADLY plague if the words do not go forth by a REGENERATE preacher under the UNCTION of the Holy Ghost. Bit by bit, piece by piece, slowly but surely, like the monotonous dripping of a leaking rusty faucet, the hearer is being killed, suffocated to death by words that have no POWER. No power at all, because the preacher himself has no POWER. The preachers of our day are as dead in their trespasses and sins -- and as POWERLESS -- as the congregations they preach to. [1 Corinthians 4:20; 1 Corinthians 2:4; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5; 1 Thessalonians 1:5]

Their DEAD WORDS -- even if the words themselves are true words -- yet emanating from an UNREGENERATE preacher, they are DEAD WORDS -- aye, their DEAD WORDS do nothing but blanket the spirit with yet another layer of insulation against LIGHT, weighing ponderously but imperceptibly on the spirit like a fatal contagion that settles clandestinely over the land and silently smothers it in a hazy, murky mist, clogging the thoughts of the mind and the intents of the heart like a filthy sludge as every syllable becomes nothing but another nail in the coffin of the sinner's soul, all of which is in direct opposition to the LIVING WORDS of Jesus, who stated --

This is exactly what E. M. Bounds was talking about. When Jesus spoke, his words had POWER -- LIFE-GIVING POWER. So did Peter's; so did Paul's; so did Bunyan's, Whitefield's, Spurgeon's, Edwards', and so many other GENUINELY born again Christians throughout history. Their words went forth under the POWER of the Holy Spirit, under the UNCTION of the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit of God therefore and thereby moved with REGENERATING POWER upon the souls of those who heard them. As a born again Bunyan stated --

When REGENERATE men preach under the UNCTION of the Holy Spirit, the POWER of the Holy Spirit goes forth, and men are made ANEW in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, and not a single "invitation" is given, for it is not necessary -- nor is it scriptural. When REGENERATE men preach under the UNCTION of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit FALLS on people AS THEY HEAR (and what GENUINELY born again Christian has not witnessed this when led by the Holy Spirit to preach or give his testimony?), and thus, when REGENERATE men preach under the UNCTION of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit FALLS on people AS THEY HEAR, and men and women are correspondingly born again on the spot. That's how men and women are GENUINELY born again -- MANIFESTLY born again -- for "invitations" and "decisions" are the carnal inventions of carnal, unregenerate religionists, religionists who are themselves UNREGENERATE and who thus have no POWER with God. None at all. Accordingly, the BIBLICAL phenomena of people being born again ON THE SPOT is virtually unknown today. [Acts 10:44; Acts 16:31; 1 Corinthians 4:19]

Yet, that is no excuse. Make no mistake about it; God will certainly take VENGEANCE on the carnal, unregenerate preacher when he stands before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. WOE to the UNREGENERATE preacher. WOE, WOE, WOE unto him. Every soul he hardens -- and ultimately kills -- with his carnal, unregenerate preaching will be laid to his account in the day of judgment, and each and every heart he has hardened with his carnal, unregenerate words will be a millstone about his neck, damning him and tormenting him for all eternity. WOE unto that man. [Matthew 18:6; Matthew 23:13-29; Revelation 20:15]

Look to it, professors, you who have no POWER with God! [2 Timothy 3:5; 2 Corinthians 13:5]

The UNREGENERATE, POWERLESS preacher would do better to heed James' warning and not become a teacher until he himself has been taught DIRECTLY by the Spirit of the Living God. Witness one of Spurgeon's golden rules --

And Tozer let fly a similar and equally penetrating proverb --

If the UNREGENERATE preacher knew what lay before him in the day of judgment, having never EXPERIENCED the very RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, he would cease his preaching and teaching IMMEDIATELY, and he would not take it up again until he himself had had an UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL EXPERIENCE in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, whereby Jesus Christ PERSONALLY introduces himself to him, and indwells him, and makes him a new creature, and wherein he EXPERIENCES the very RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ. Then, if God so wills -- AFTER his NEW BIRTH -- if God so wills, then -- and ONLY then -- should he take up the mantle again. [Isaiah 6:5-8]

Anything less and that man stands condemned above all other men whatsoever, for there is no greater calling in this world, no greater responsibility in this life, than the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he who does not do so in SPIRIT and in TRUTH -- that is, under the UNCTION  of the Holy Spirit -- will rue the day he ever stood in the pulpit, and GREAT will be his torment in eternity. [James 3:1; Matthew 11:21-24]

Because this is not understood, multitudes of preachers go WITHOUT EVER HAVING BEEN SENT. Their carnal understanding of the Great Commission makes them nothing but busybodies -- POWERLESS busybodies. They have NO CLUE as to why Jesus told the disciples -- AFTER the resurrection -- yea, they have NO CLUE as to why Jesus told his disciples AFTER the resurrection to WAIT before going forth to preach. WAIT? Why wait? They had the message, didn't they? Jesus was risen, so why did the risen Jesus tell them to WAIT? People were dying daily, weren't they? Souls were going to hell by the boatload, never having heard the gospel. Why wait, Lord?

The UNREGENERATE not only have no COMMISSION -- because they are UNREGENERATE -- but they also have no CALL, and without a CALL (and this part applies even to the TRULY REGENERATE, that is, even the TRULY REGENERATE must have a CALL) -- for without a call DIRECTLY from the Holy Spirit, and I mean DIRECTLY from Jesus Christ HIMSELF by his Spirit, by the UNMISTAKABLE TESTIMONY OF THE HOLY GHOST -- I say, without a CALL, they can NOT, and they will NEVER, be endued with POWER FROM ON HIGH. [Galatians 1:15-16; Galatians 1:11-12; 1 Corinthians 2:10; Ephesians 3:3-5]

The Lord Jesus will not give these UNREGENERATE and UNCALLED preachers so much as a thread to a shoe latchet of his POWER. All they will ever have is their own clever intellect and their own natural abilities of human persuasion, which they and their carnal congregations habitually mistake for the power of the Holy Spirit, when in fact they are doing nothing but USURPING the role of the Holy Spirit, but which also leaves them without excuse, for the Scripture MANIFESTLY DISCRIMINATES between the carnal, unregenerate persuasions of man and the work of the Holy Ghost, and thus, as I said, they will be without excuse on the day of judgment. [1 Corinthians 1:25; 1 Corinthians 2:7; John 16:8-11]

Due to their ignorance and carnal comprehension of Scripture, these UNREGENERATE and UNCALLED preachers interpret the Great Commission as giving them Carte Blanche to preach the gospel, and such a scheme sounds noble to their carnal and unregenerate followers, but nothing could be further from the truth, for all the while they prove themselves BLIND to the works of God, and utterly IGNORANT of the tenets and APPLICATION of the Great Commission. They have no understanding of why the Holy Spirit FORBADE the disciples to go into Asia.

Weren't people dying in Asia and Bithynia? Didn't they need the gospel of Jesus Christ in Asia and Bithynia? Yes, but the Great Commission is a MILITARY CAMPAIGN; the Great Commission is GOD'S MILITARY CAMPAIGN, a campaign whose warfare and weapons are not carnal, but mighty through God, and like ALL military campaigns, the Great Commission must be directed by a GENERAL, by a SUPREME COMMANDER who applies strategy and pinpoint accuracy to his maneuvers so that his campaign is EFFECTUAL. [Isaiah 46:10; Romans 9:6-23]

This is how the TRUE Great Commission is prosecuted -- and the TRUE Great Commission is prosecuted by none other than Jesus Christ HIMSELF, and his sheep HEAR his VOICE in carrying out his orders -- and thus, unbeknownst to the UNREGENERATE and UNCALLED preachers of our day, God, who works ALL things after the counsel of his own will, including the TRUE prosecution of the Great Commission, is not in the least bit concerned about bringing his elect into the fold, for Jehovah Elohim, even the Lord Jesus Christ, sends his ELECT PREACHERS, his REGENERATE PREACHERS, into the EXACT places he intends -- into every nook and cranny he deigns to visit with his salvation -- and thus God is not in the LEAST bit concerned about bringing his elect into the fold, as Jesus so dogmatically asserted --

John Bunyan called this verse THE GREAT SHALL COME! And rightly so, for...

EVERY SINGLE PERSON - there are NO exceptions - yea, EVERY single person who was given to Jesus Christ by the Father SHALL COME to Jesus. Not one single person given to Jesus Christ by the Father will FAIL to COME to Jesus. EVERY person given to Jesus by the Father SHALL COME to Jesus - there are NO exceptions - and there is no power in heaven or earth or hell, or anywhere in all of creation, that can frustrate the Father's purpose herein, for as the Father has appointed the ENDS, so has he appointed the MEANS, and thus ALL that the Father has given to Jesus, even ALL, yea, ALL that the Father has given to Jesus SHALL COME to Jesus - shall come WITHOUT FAIL - aye, ALL that the Father has given to Jesus SHALL COME to Jesus, not ONE will be missing, yea, ALL that the Father has given to Jesus will be brought to Jesus through the Father's appointed MEANS, even through the MINISTRY OF THE WORD - that EVERLASTING GOSPEL - even the GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, wherein the Word of God is preached to ALL MEN, but brought to the ELECT with POWER (for the Spirit blows where HE wills) - even the RESURRECTION POWER OF JESUS CHRIST - even to ALL that are genuinely born again, even to ALL that the Father has given to Jesus, just as it happened in Thessalonica --

Paul and his associates had been SENT, unlike the mass of UNREGENERATE and UNCALLED preachers of our day, and thus Paul and his associates had POWER, even that POWER FROM ON HIGH, wherein the Holy Spirit was communicated to their hearers, wherein men were made ANEW by the REGENERATING POWER of the Holy Ghost, by the very RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ.

The same was true of Bunyan, Whitefield, Edwards, Spurgeon, and other GENUINELY born again Christians throughout history. These men had been SENT; these men had been ENDUED WITH POWER FROM ON HIGH, and thus when they preached, the Holy Ghost FELL on the hearers, just as with Peter at Caesarea --

What GENUINELY born again Christian has not witnessed the very same thing when led by the Holy Spirit to preach or give his testimony?

Of course, this is how men and women are GENUINELY born again, and NO OTHER WAY. Men and women are NOT born again by their OWN WILL, nor by their INHERITANCE, or BLOODLINE, nor by their OWN EFFORTS, such as the popular version known as "the sinner's prayer," which, in the way it is presented today, is nothing but PRESUMPTION, nor by "decisions for Christ," or by walking down an aisle in a church or at a crusade, or by the popular presentation of "committing their lives to Christ," and whatnot, as the Holy Ghost clearly and absolutely affirms --

ALL of these methods -- I say, ALL OF THESE METHODS -- are nothing but WILL WORSHIP, and EVERY ONE OF THEM will be CONDEMNED by the Lord Jesus on the day of judgment, and MULTITUDES, even MULTITUDES, will discover -- will discover too late -- that they have been deceived about the true nature and way of salvation, and that they are eternally ruined as a result, that it's too late by a lifetime, and that the doors of heaven are closed to them forever more. As A. W. Tozer soberly observed --

Miracles are the work of God; GENUINE miracles are the work of the Holy Spirit, NOT the will of man, and it takes a MIRACLE -- a bona fide MIRACLE -- to become a Christian. He who has never EXPERIENCED the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, even the very RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ, which is the VERY SAME POWER that is put forth in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, even the RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ -- a POWER that is GREATER than that which created the very WORLDS -- aye, he who has never EXPERIENCED the RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH is deluding himself if he thinks he's born again, and unless he repents and bows at the feet of SOVEREIGN GRACE, he has NO chance of ever BECOMING born again, and NO chance of going to heaven. None whatsoever.

Jesus Christ died for the sins of his ELECT, but he ROSE again for their JUSTIFICATION...

And the PROOF that Jesus Christ not only ROSE from the dead BODILY, but that his work of REDEMPTION was ACCEPTED of the Father, is PENTECOST. That's why the Lord Jesus called the bestowing of the Holy Spirit "the promise of the Father," for the Father PROMISED the SON in the ETERNAL COUNCILS OF THE GODHEAD that he would give his ELECT the gift of the Holy Spirit IF the SON accomplished the work of REDEMPTION, which includes -- but is not limited to -- the FORGIVENESS of sins for his ELECT by the SUBSTITUTION OF HIMSELF in the place of sinners -- the JUST for the UNJUST -- as well as their JUSTIFICATION.

Again, PENTECOST is the PROOF that the SON, even the Lord Jesus Christ, DID SATISFACTORILY ACCOMPLISH -- IN EVERY FACET -- the work of REDEMPTION. The reason I write in sequence -- "the SON, even the Lord Jesus Christ" -- is because it is as necessary today as it was in the earliest ages of the church to affirm that Jesus Christ and the SON are ONE AND THE SAME PERSON, for B. F. Westcott, along with his Satanic cohort, F. J. A. Hort, both of whom were MANIFESTLY UNREGENERATE, and who were the two architects of the Greek text which underlies modern "bibles," denied, or at least questioned, along with the heresiarch Valentinus some seventeen centuries earlier, whether this was so or not, that is, whether Jesus Christ and the SON were one and the same person, and their blasphemous CHRISTOLOGY is PERVASIVE in modern "bibles" throughout, as the Holy Ghost HIMSELF testifies to EVERY ONE he indwells. Accordingly, let it be known that the SON, EVEN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, did satisfactorily accomplish EVERY FACET of the work of REDEMPTION, and PENTECOST is the PROOF thereof. [Acts 2:33; Luke 24:49; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 8:29-30; John 17:4; John 19:30]

In that same vein, and following close on its heels, the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, or REGENERATION, is part and parcel of the RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST, for the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, or REGENERATION, is produced by the VERY SAME POWER whereby Jesus Christ arose from the dead. [Ephesians 1:19-20]

Accordingly, to assert that the POWER of the RESURRECTION in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH can take place without the MANIFEST ENERGY of the Holy Ghost is to OVERTHROW the very RESURRECTION itself. Consequently, he who denies the MANIFEST -- I say, the MANIFEST, which means DEMONSTRABLE and PERCEPTIBLE and TANGIBLE -- yea, he who denies the MANIFEST POWER of the Holy Spirit in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, DENIES that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, as the Scripture WARNS --

This is in large measure what it means to either CONFESS or DENY that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, namely, that the Holy Ghost is given MANIFESTLY in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH or not, for PENTECOST is one of the Lord's TROPHIES of REDEMPTION. I say, PENTECOST is a TROPHY of the Lord Jesus' SATISFACTORY ACCOMPLISHMENT of the work of REDEMPTION.

Consequently, he who DENIES that the Holy Ghost is given MANIFESTLY in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH not only DENIES that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, but he has also become a HERO in Satan's eyes -- not to mention an unwitting minion and tool of Satan -- and a FOUL STENCH in the nostrils of Jesus Christ and his Father. I say, he who DENIES that the Holy Ghost is given MANIFESTLY -- DEMONSTRABLY, PERCEPTIBLY, TANGIBLY -- in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH not only DENIES that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, but is likewise a FOUL STENCH in the nostrils of Jesus Christ and his Father. Such a man CHEAPENS EVERYTHING -- and I mean EVERYTHING -- that Jesus Christ accomplished in his work of REDEMPTION.

If a man denies this, don't think for one second that such a man is not a heretic at best, a blasphemer at worst, regardless of his standing in the church or the world, even if he is APPARENTLY sound on other doctrines. I say again, regardless of his standing in the church or the world, or his position on other doctrines, such a man is a heretic at best, a blasphemer at worst.

Moreover, such a man proves himself INFALLIBLY UNREGENERATE -- INFALLIBLY UNREGENERATE -- just as several well-known modern theologians also do when they deny the TWO NATURES in the believer, thus demonstrating INFALLIBLY that they are likewise UNREGENERATE, even though they are hailed as doctrinal giants in the church today, for it is NOT POSSIBLE for a REGENERATE man to deny that he has TWO NATURES. It is simply NOT POSSIBLE, and EVERY ONE who is born of the Spirit knows it, as EVERY ONE that is born of the Spirit is aware -- EMINENTLY AWARE -- of the ferocious struggle, of the all-out WAR -- that takes place BETWEEN THE TWO NATURES after he is made ANEW in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, a struggle that did NOT exist PRIOR to this NEW BIRTH, a struggle that is so FIERCE that it EXHAUSTS him spiritually, and he is EMINENTLY AWARE of the IDENTITY of EACH of the TWO NATURES. There are NO exceptions. [Romans 7:17-23; Romans 8:10; Ephesians 4:22-25; Colossians 3:9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15]

What is true of the man who DENIES the TWO NATURES in the REGENERATE man, that is, that such a man is himself INFALLIBLY UNREGENERATE, is ALSO true of the man who bows before the IDOL of "FREE WILL," for EVERY PERSON who is born of the SPIRIT -- EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO IS BORN OF THE SPIRIT -- knows INFALLIBLY that he was given a NEW WILL upon REGENERATION  -- not a REFORMED will, but a NEW WILL -- upon the MOMENT of his REGENERATION, and he who does not KNOW and REMEMBER this is he who INFALLIBLY has never EXPERIENCED the RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH.

While this SIMPLE truth is almost unheard of today, Bunyan and virtually ALL of the Puritans knew that NO MAN born of the Spirit could deny that his will was ENSLAVED before he was born again, and that he was given a NEW WILL at the MOMENT of REGENERATION, and therefore Bunyan and the Puritans didn't acquiesce to the free-willers like modern Reformed theologians do, who opine that the free-willer just might be saved, and that's because, unlike Bunyan and the Puritans, the VAST MAJORITY of the Reformed theologians today are no more REGENERATED than the free-willers they accommodate, for if they were, they would know, like ALL genuinely born again believers, that it is IMPOSSIBLE for a TRULY REGENERATE man to assert that his will was free before his NEW BIRTH, for the REGENERATE man -- EVERY REGENERATE MAN -- KNOWS that his will was NOT free before his NEW BIRTH, and he who asserts otherwise, as Bunyan and the Puritans knew, is he who knows NOTHING of EXPERIENTIAL REGENERATION. Nothing whatsoever.

Had such men actually EXPERIENCED the MANIFEST POWER of the Holy Ghost in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH themselves, they would KNOW just how IMPOSSIBLE it is for ANYONE to be REGENERATED without PERSONALLY EXPERIENCING a MANIFEST MIRACLE, and just how IMPOSSIBLE it is for a REGENERATE man to deny that he has TWO NATURES, and just how IMPOSSIBLE it is for a REGENERATE man to deny that he was given a NEW WILL upon the MOMENT of REGENERATION, and that his old will was NOT free, that his old will was ENSLAVED. He who does not KNOW these things and REMEMBER this EXPERIENCE is he who INFALLIBLY has never been born again.

Moreover, those who commit these BASIC errors -- I say, BASIC errors -- don't realize how SPIRITUALLY IGNORANT they SHOW themselves to be, for they DEMONSTRATE almost every time they open their mouth that they are NOT REGENERATE, and thus they CONTINUOUSLY INTRUDE INTO THOSE THINGS WHICH THEY HAVE NOT SEEN -- I say, not SEEN -- being VAINLY PUFFED UP BY THEIR FLESHLY MIND, which means they can only SPECULATE about spiritual matters, for they have never SEEN these things in the Spirit. Consequently, these men have no CERTAIN knowledge of the things of the Spirit; they can only SPECULATE about spiritual truths, for they themselves have never EXPERIENCED the RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, and thus, as the Scripture states, they CONTINUOUSLY INTRUDE INTO THOSE THINGS WHICH THEY HAVE NOT SEEN, VAINLY PUFFED UP BY THEIR FLESHLY MIND. [Colossians 2:8]

A stalwart of the twentieth century spake true when he disclosed --

And perhaps the greatest preacher in the history of Christianity outside of the Apostolic age WISELY noted --

Finally, with regard to MANIFESTATION, a mighty nineteenth century servant of Jesus Christ stated unapologetically --

The denial of these SIMPLE truths is another reason that GENUINE preaching today is DEFUNCT, for the preacher who does NOT stress to his congregation that they CANNOT be saved -- that they CANNOT BE BORN AGAIN -- by their own will, or by their own efforts, or by saying a prayer or walking down an aisle, or by a "commitment," or such-like, is a preacher who speaks SOLELY for SATAN, who is in fact Satan's MOUTHPIECE. WOE unto that preacher. He not only will NOT enter the kingdom of heaven himself, but he shuts up the kingdom of heaven to those he preaches to. WOE, WOE, WOE unto that preacher.

Conversely, the REGENERATE preacher who speaks as the ORACLES OF GOD, that is, under the UNCTION of the Holy Spirit -- and the REGENERATE man whose words are delivered under the UNCTION of the Holy Spirit gets his sermons differently than other men, for if the REGENERATE man sets aside, say, twenty hours a week for sermon preparation, he will spend thirty minutes of that time with his nose in the Bible, while the other nineteen-and-half hours will be spent on his KNEES, and it is from his KNEES that his sermon will come, if the Holy Ghost is involved, for there is a COST -- a HEAVY COST, a SUFFERING COST, an UNRELENTING SUPERNATURAL WARFARE that is as GENUINE and REAL as ANY battle or war that has EVER taken place on this earth, for Satan fights for EVERY soul -- SATAN FIGHTS TIRELESSLY AND WITH UTTER ABANDON FOR EVERY SINGLE SOUL -- aye, there is a COST indeed, a BRUTAL, THOROUGHLY EXHAUSTING, SOUL-CONSUMING, SUPERNATURAL FIGHT TO THE FINISH, resulting in a DESPERATELY LONELY and BITTERLY AGONIZING COST -- to the man who would be ENDUED WITH POWER FROM ON HIGH --

It is a COST which FEW men in all ages of the world have been able to bear.

Thus, the REGENERATE preacher who speaks as the ORACLES OF GOD will tell his congregation that they have NO POWER to make themselves new creatures, that they CANNOT be saved by ANY artifice of man -- I say, by ANY ARTIFICE OF MAN, not by saying the "sinner's prayer," not by walking down an aisle, not by making a "decision for Christ," not by making a "commitment," in short, not by ANY artifice of man -- and thus, because such a preacher is REGENERATE, and because such a preacher delivers his words under the UNCTION of the Holy Spirit, people in his congregation will begin to despair of themselves, and not only of themselves, but they will soon come to the point -- if the Holy Spirit is involved -- they will soon come to the point where they will realize that there is NO HOPE -- NO HOPE AT ALL -- of going to heaven unless Jesus Christ SOVEREIGNLY comes down to them and PERSONALLY introduces HIMSELF -- I say, PERSONALLY INTRODUCES HIMSELF -- to them in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, for they will soon realize -- if the Holy Spirit is involved -- that they have no SAVING FAITH of their own, that their OWN FAITH is merely the product of FLESH, that their OWN FAITH is nothing but the product of their NATURAL HUMAN WILL, and that their OWN FAITH, that is, their NATURAL FAITH, is a DAMNING FAITH, and that if they are going to be saved, it will take SAVING FAITH, which is a SUPERNATURAL FAITH, and that SUPERNATURAL FAITH is a FAITH that MUST BE GIVEN FROM ABOVE. I say, MUST BE GIVEN FROM ABOVE.

Accordingly, such a man, a man who suddenly finds himself in the quicksand of TOTAL spiritual despair, is a man who, as Luther accurately stated, is very near to grace, and Jesus Christ, who knows and reads the hearts of ALL men, will move heaven and earth to save such a man, and no other.

When a man is brought to that point, when he is brought to the point of utter self-despair, to the point of no hope, not even of salvation itself -- and ONLY the Holy Spirit can BRING him to that point -- aye, when a man is brought to that point, all the way down to the very BOTTOM of his soul, to the very BEDROCK of his being, where he is SHOWN the DEPTH of his SIN -- not merely ACTS or ACTIONS which he may have committed, but rather, WHAT HE IS BY NATURE -- aye, when the Holy Ghost SHOWS a man WHAT HE IS BY NATURE -- then, and ONLY then, does the Holy Spirit complete the task and finish the work by SHOWING him JESUS CHRIST IN HIS GLORY. I say, by SHOWING -- SHOWING -- him Jesus Christ IN HIS GLORY.

Judgment day will find Jesus Christ to be THE DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS, as it is written --

And God's house -- which, in particular, is none other than Jesus Christ HIMSELF, for the Father and the Holy Ghost DWELL in Jesus Christ, yea, in him, in Jesus Christ, ALL THE FULLNESS OF THE GODHEAD DWELLETH BODILY -- so God's house, the Father's house, and the Holy Ghost's house, even the Lord Jesus Christ, where the Father and Holy Ghost dwell, will be FILLED WITH GLORY, that is, his GLORY will be MANIFESTED. That GLORY, the very GLORY of Jesus Christ HIMSELF, is what the Holy Spirit SHOWS to ALL he REGENERATES. [John 1:14; Colossians 2:9; Revelation 21:23]

That GLORY is so great that NO MAN who is SHOWN it by the Holy Spirit can reject or repel it, even if he wanted to, which he does not. EVERY MAN who is SHOWN that GLORY by the Holy Spirit SUDDENLY DESIRES JESUS CHRIST ABOVE ALL ELSE. There are no exceptions. EVERY MAN who is SHOWN the GLORY OF JESUS CHRIST by the Holy Spirit SUDDENLY DESIRES JESUS CHRIST ABOVE ALL ELSE. That man's DESIRE is so FIERCE that he never knew that such an INTENSITY was even possible. His DESIRE for Jesus Christ VASTLY SUPERCEDES ANYTHING that he could ever have imagined, which is an understatement of understatements, for no words can express the INTENSITY and the FEROCITY of that man's DESIRE FOR JESUS CHRIST. The GLORY of Jesus Christ, WHEN REVEALED TO THE SOUL BY THE HOLY GHOST, is so GREAT, so COMPELLING, that NO MAN can turn his heart or his desires away from it, even if it were possible to want to, which it is not.

When the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus Christ to a man -- I say, WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT REVEALS JESUS CHRIST TO A MAN -- Jesus Christ becomes the SOLE DESIRE of that man's heart, regardless of how evil or apparently good that man is. He can DESIRE NOTHING ELSE, for WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT REVEALS JESUS CHRIST TO A MAN, Jesus Christ becomes the ABSOLUTE SOLE DESIRE of that man's heart, to the EXCLUSION OF ALL ELSE. There is NOTHING in heaven or earth that that man DESIRES except Jesus Christ HIMSELF. That man's DESIRE for Jesus Christ is ALL-CONSUMING. The ONLY thing that man DESIRES -- the ONLY thing that man DESIRES -- is Jesus Christ HIMSELF, and nothing else. Nothing else at all.

When the Holy Spirit REVEALS JESUS CHRIST TO THE SOUL, that soul SUDDENLY realizes that it has BEHELD TRUTH INCARNATE. That soul, for the very first time -- FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME EVER -- AWAKENS, Lazarus-like, and upon AWAKENING, SUDDENLY comprehends, EXPERIENTIALLY comprehends -- I say, SUDDENLY and EXPERIENTIALLY comprehends -- not only the meaning of life itself, and all on a SUDDEN, but he likewise EXPERIENCES ETERNAL LIFE ITSELF. Eternal life is not something he WILL receive in the FUTURE; rather, eternal life is something he has SUDDENLY ALREADY RECEIVED and LITERALLY EXPERIENCED. I say, LITERALLY EXPERIENCED. Moreover, WITHIN this NEW LIFE, this ETERNAL LIFE, he SUDDENLY understands that he is A BRAND NEW CREATURE, and that there has SUDDENLY been an INFUSION OF LIFE IN THE VERY BEHOLDING OF JESUS CHRIST IN HIS GLORY. That soul is SUDDENLY ALIVE, with an ENTIRELY NEW BEING that did NOT EXIST ONE MOMENT EARLIER.

For that soul, all things have become NEW -- SUDDENLY -- and it was JESUS CHRIST IN HIS GLORY THAT WROUGHT IT. In fact, that soul SUDDENLY understands, even if he can't articulate it, aye, that soul SUDDENLY understands that the GLORY of God, even the GLORY of the Lord Jesus Christ, is TANGIBLE AND VIVIFIED, for that soul, who has just been QUICKENED BY THAT GLORY, realizes SUDDENLY that the GLORY of Jesus Christ is none other than the VERY BEING of the TRIUNE GODHEAD in Jesus Christ, that Jesus Christ is in fact GOD MANIFEST IN THE FLESH, and that his GLORY, the GLORY of God, is merely the EXTENSION of Jesus Christ's BEING.

This is one reason the Scripture discloses that an UNREGENERATE man CANNOT truly understand the Scriptures. He thinks he can, because his proud mind, especially if he is intelligent by human standards, by worldly standards, aye, his proud mind, which is fed by his corrupt NATURE, deceives him into thinking that spiritual truths can be digested by the intellect, which they can't, for spiritual truths -- God's spiritual truths -- are revealed ONLY to the LIVING SPIRITS of his ELECT by the indwelling Holy Ghost -- revealed to the man's SPIRIT, not the INTELLECT -- and only to a LIVING SPIRIT, as opposed to the DEAD spirit of the unregenerate.

And the FIRST spiritual truth -- after CONVICTION -- the VERY FIRST spiritual truth -- mark it: the VERY FIRST SPIRITUAL TRUTH that is revealed -- that is SHOWN -- to the soul of EVERY ONE that is born of the Spirit -- EVERY ONE that is born of the Spirit -- I speak in the natural course of God's dealings with SENTIENT men and women and children, as opposed to infants, either in the womb or out of the womb -- thus, the very FIRST spiritual truth that is SHOWN to EVERY ONE that is born of the Spirit is the ABSOLUTELY INCONCEIVABLE and UTTERLY IMMEASURABLE GLORY of the Lord Jesus Christ. I say, the VERY FIRST SPIRITUAL TRUTH that the Holy Spirit SHOWS to his ELECT -- to EVERY ONE that is born of the Spirit, is the GLORY -- the IMMEASURABLY PURE and INCOMPARABLY BRIGHT GLORY -- of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And that GLORY is EFFECTUALLY what DRAWS the ELECT to Jesus Christ SAVINGLY, and that is EXACTLY what the Scripture means when it declares --

It is the UNVEILING of the GLORY that DRAWS a man, even the UNVEILING of the GLORY of the Lord Jesus Christ, for that GLORY is absolutely, utterly IRRESISTIBLE, for EVERY MAN who has BEHELD that GLORY finds himself SUDDENLY in the position of DESIRING JESUS CHRIST ABOVE ALL ELSE -- ABOVE ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING -- and thus NO MAN can come to Jesus Christ -- NO MAN can come SAVINGLY to Jesus Christ -- unless he is DRAWN BY THE FATHER, and the Father DRAWS his ELECT by REVEALING -- by SHOWING -- JESUS CHRIST IN HIS GLORY to the soul, and no other way. NO OTHER WAY WHATSOEVER. And thus, he who has never BEHELD the GLORY of Jesus Christ by the SUPERNATURAL ILLUMINATION of the Holy Spirit is still dead in his trespasses and sins, BAR NONE.

That is also why grace is IRRESISTIBLE, for as I said, EVERY MAN who has BEHELD the GLORY OF JESUS CHRIST finds himself SUDDENLY in the position of DESIRING JESUS CHRIST ABOVE ALL ELSE, and thus the Holy Spirit NEVER -- I say, the Holy Spirit NEVER -- NEVER EVER -- the Holy Spirit NEVER EVER SHOWS that GLORY to ANYONE he hasn't INTENDED TO REGENERATE, that he hasn't INTENDED TO REGENERATE INFALLIBLY. Again, there are NO exceptions. None at all.

It is not Satan -- I say, it is NOT Satan -- who prevents GRACE from entering a soul; rather, it is the FATHER -- the FATHER HIMSELF -- who prevents GRACE from entering the soul, EXACTLY as the Lord Jesus HIMSELF joyously revealed --

Certainly, it is Satan who blinds and obscures and deceives, and who prevents ALL men from beholding SPIRITUAL TRUTHS by their own innate ability -- I say, BY THEIR OWN INNATE ABILITY -- but after all that, do what he can, Satan nevertheless CANNOT prevent the GRACE of God in Christ Jesus from entering a soul, if Jesus Christ so wills. Not in the slightest. Jesus Christ OPENS, and NO MAN shuts; Jesus Christ SHUTS, and NO MAN opens; Jesus Christ OWNS the very KEYS of hell and death, and of life too, and Jesus Christ, even Jehovah Elohim, the Lord God -- GOD MANIFEST IN THE FLESH -- yea, Jesus Christ REGENERATES WHOM HE WILL, as it is written --

When Jesus Christ QUICKENS a man and UNVEILS HIS GLORY TO THAT MAN'S SOUL, that man SUDDENLY finds himself DESIRING JESUS CHRIST ABOVE LIFE ITSELF; that man would give ANYTHING -- when Jesus Christ UNVEILS HIS GLORY TO HIS SOUL -- that man would give ANYTHING to obtain Jesus Christ. That man's DESIRE for Jesus Christ HIMSELF is higher than the heavens and deeper than the seas. There is NOTHING that man wouldn't forsake to obtain Jesus Christ HIMSELF. Nothing at all, whether it be family, riches, fame, or even life everlasting -- I say, EVEN LIFE EVERLASTING -- indeed, the man who has BEHELD JESUS CHRIST IN HIS GLORY is a man who DESIRES Jesus Christ EVEN ABOVE LIFE EVERLASTING -- if it were possible to separate the two, that is, but of course it is not, for Jesus Christ IS HIMSELF LIFE EVERLASTING.

Mark it therefore: there is NOTHING -- NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING -- not life everlasting, not heaven, not fellowship with angels, yea, there is NOTHING that a man -- the man who has just been QUICKENED by Jesus Christ and who has just SEEN, who has just BEHELD, Jesus Christ IN HIS GLORY -- there is NOTHING that that man wouldn't forsake to obtain Jesus Christ HIMSELF. Not in this world, not in the world to come. NOTHING AT ALL.

When did Jesus Christ show YOU his GLORY? When did Jesus Christ PERSONALLY INTRODUCE HIMSELF to you, and indwell you, and make you a new creature? When did you receive a NEW WILL, and when did you receive a NEW NATURE? Do you remember the MOMENT? Do you remember the EXPERIENCE? What did Jesus Christ SAY to you -- I say, what did Jesus Christ SAY TO YOU when he PERSONALLY INTRODUCED HIMSELF to you in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH? When did you EXPERIENCE the very RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ? Do you remember these things?

When did Jesus Christ show YOU his GLORY? When did Jesus Christ PERSONALLY INTRODUCE HIMSELF to you, and indwell you, and make you a new creature? Do you remember the MOMENT?

I'm not talking about what YOU did. I'm not talking about what YOU may have prayed or said; I'm not talking about what YOU may have done in making a decision or walking down an aisle, or a hundred other actions that YOU may have performed. Forget it. I want to know -- WHAT DID JESUS CHRIST DO?

Do you remember the MOMENT wherein Jesus Christ SUPERNATURALLY MANIFESTED HIMSELF? Do you remember the MOMENT that Jesus Christ HIMSELF SHOWED you his GLORY? Or the MOMENT that Jesus Christ PERSONALLY INTRODUCED HIMSELF to you in an UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE? When did you EXPERIENCE the very RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ -- I say, when did you EXPERIENCE the very RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ -- whereby Jesus Christ HIMSELF QUICKENED you and RAISED YOU FROM THE DEAD, wherein you were brought from death to life IN A MOMENT OF TIME, wherein YOU did NOTHING, but Jesus Christ HIMSELF did EVERYTHING, wherein Jesus Christ HIMSELF visited you and SHOWED YOU HIS GLORY, wherein you EXPERIENCED nothing less than a MANIFEST SUPERNATURAL -- SUPERNATURAL -- a MANIFEST SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE? Do you remember such an EXPERIENCE?

Every one that is born of the Spirit -- EVERY ONE that is born of the Spirit can so testify. EVERY ONE. There are no exceptions.

That SOUND is none other than the VOICE of Jesus Christ. Not a STRONG IMPRESSION from the Scriptures, not a STRANGE WARMING of the heart, not an OVERPOWERING FEELING -- rather, a VOICE. The very VOICE of Jesus Christ. Those who belong to Jesus Christ -- ALL who belong to Jesus Christ -- HEAR his VOICE --

Also, let me warn you right here about that STILL SMALL VOICE which Elijah heard, for many people attempt to dismiss the POWER of the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH by ASSERTING or ASSUMING that the STILL SMALL VOICE is almost imperceptible, or barely heard, or somehow not certainly perceived.

Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, that STILL SMALL VOICE is more DISTINCT than if ten thousand angels descended from heaven with their trumpets and blew them directly in your ear. God may indeed speak with a STILL SMALL VOICE, but it is a DISTINCT VOICE. ALL who belong to Jesus Christ HEAR HIS VOICE -- not a STRONG IMPRESSION from the Scriptures, not a STRANGE WARMING of the heart, not an OVERPOWERING FEELING, or a hundred other obfuscations -- rather, a VOICE. Even the VOICE of Jesus Christ HIMSELF, and they KNOW his VOICE, and they HEAR it more DISTINCTLY -- even if it's that STILL SMALL VOICE -- they HEAR it more DISTINCTLY than they have ever heard ANY VOICE anywhere in the world at any time.

Of course, the Holy Spirit DOES at times give STRONG IMPRESSIONS from the Scripture to the spirits of his elect, but that is NOT to be confused with the VOICE of the Spirit, even the VOICE of Jesus Christ, for the Spirit NEVER speaks on his own, but ONLY what he hears from Jesus Christ. [John 10; 1 Kings 19:12-13; John 15:26; John 16:13]

And know this -- Jesus Christ NEVER -- NEVER EVER -- speaks directly to the MIND. NEVER. Jesus Christ, by his Spirit, speaks to the SPIRIT. He ALWAYS speaks to the spirit of those he indwells; he NEVER speaks directly to the mind. NEVER. And while I don't want to imply that the Lord Jesus speaks to his elect all the time, or necessarily even frequently, for in most cases a believer must be walking in VERY CLOSE OBEDIENCE AND COMMUNION with the Lord before the Lord grants him such a glorious manifestation of the Spirit, nevertheless, when Jesus Christ DOES speak, the SPIRIT of a man -- the SPIRIT of a REGENERATE man, a man whose SPIRIT has been MADE ALIVE, who has been QUICKENED -- that man's SPIRIT can HEAR the VOICE of Jesus Christ more DISTINCTLY than his own ears can hear words spoken in the physical realm. It is the SPIRIT of a man that the indwelling Holy Ghost speaks to, not the MIND. [Romans 8:16; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11]

Conversely, it is Satan who speaks directly to the mind, and thus, those who hear a voice or voices in their MINDS are listening to Satan, not God. So, as Oswald Chambers asserted, BEWARE of the man who tries to water down or dismiss the SUPERNATURAL. You may know INFALLIBLY that such a man is UNREGENERATE, regardless of his many fair-sounding and doctrinally accurate words. Fair warning.

Have you ever HEARD the UNMISTAKABLE VOICE -- not a STRONG IMPRESSION from the Scriptures, not a STRANGE WARMING of the heart, not an OVERPOWERING FEELING, or a hundred other obfuscations -- rather, have you ever HEARD the UNMISTAKABLE VOICE of Jesus Christ in your spirit?  If not, then let these words of John Bunyan sink down into your ears --

If you are a HELPLESS sinner, if you have NO POWER -- no power at all -- none, nada, zip -- NO POWER at all to make yourself a Christian, if you have been shown how vile and corrupt and wicked you truly are, not so much by what you may have done, regardless of what that is, but WHAT YOU ARE BY NATURE, if you have been SHOWN what you are BY NATURE -- and incidentally, if you've SEEN JESUS CHRIST IN HIS GLORY, then you KNOW what you are BY NATURE, for the dichotomy is more vast than the span of the universe, for Jesus Christ is HIMSELF INFINITE PURITY -- INFINITE PURITY  -- yea, if you have been SHOWN what you are BY NATURE, if you realize in the very depths of your soul -- if you FEEL in the very DEPTHS of your soul, down to your very BONES -- that you are so utterly vile and wicked and corrupt that God would be unjust to even let you get a GLIMPSE of heaven, much less enter it, aye, if this -- and more -- is true of you, then John Bunyan has just disclosed to you the SECRET of the NEW BIRTH, the very KEY to the door of eternal life.

The merely curious and the thrill-seekers need not apply. Those who have enough strength to "accept Jesus as their Saviour," or those who are so formidable that they can become a Christian by making a "decision," or by making a "commitment," also need not apply. They already have their reward, and they are FAR TOO STRONG to be classed as UTTERLY HELPLESS, so that even though they might acknowledge that they need SOME assistance in climbing out of the mire, nevertheless, they will contribute a bit of their own efforts as well, and thus in their proud self-sufficiency they have made it plain that the SUPERNATURAL MANIFESTATION OF THE HOLY GHOST that takes place in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH is something they can do without. Instead, they are swift to offer glib sophisms, such as, "Well, I have Jesus, and that's enough."

But the fact is, they do NOT have Jesus; they only THINK they do in the vanity of their fleshly minds, for he who has never EXPERIENCED the very RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH is deluding himself if he thinks he has Jesus. He no more belongs to Jesus Christ than Satan does. He is dead in his trespasses and sins; the wrath of God abides upon him still, and he will not set FOOT in the kingdom of heaven unless he repents, even if he's been a pastor and a missionary and a deacon all rolled into one for eighty years or more; if he hasn't EXPERIENCED the RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, whereby Jesus Christ PERSONALLY INTRODUCES HIMSELF to him, and INDWELLS him, and makes him a NEW CREATURE, he will soon find, to his everlasting and devastating dismay, that even while imprecating the name of Jesus, ALL his works were DEAD works, and that Jesus Christ NEVER KNEW HIM.

The fact is, this treatise will resonate with only one type of person. All others will find no lasting benefit herein, while many will gnash their teeth at what has thus far been written. No, this treatise is for those who labour and are heavy laden, for it is by God's grace that they have been made to endure searing toil and to bend under crushing burdens, and it is by God's grace that they thereby find themselves HELPLESS.

Are you therefore a HELPLESS SINNER? If you are a HELPLESS sinner, then I ask you -- do you not realize -- do you not realize down to your very BONES -- that it will take a MIRACLE to salvage you from your current state? A bona fide, true-blue MIRACLE? If not, if you don't realize this, then I SERIOUSLY DOUBT that you are a HELPLESS sinner. A sinner you definitely are, but a HELPLESS sinner, that's another matter entirely.

If you have ears to hear with, then hear this -- only the Holy Spirit, only Jesus Christ by his Spirit, can make you HELPLESS. Have you ever asked him to do so?

Have you ever been so completely, desperately HELPLESS in your spiritual motions, in your relation to God, that you finally shipwrecked yourself on an island of utter despair? Do you labour incessantly, spiritually speaking, and yet your struggle only increases, your burden only gets heavier? Have you ever been brought to the point of sheer spiritual exhaustion, so that the only thing left is to give up? Have you SEEN how VILE and WICKED and CORRUPT you are by NATURE, so much so that you have been TERRIFIED of the eternal consequences, and yet, in SPITE of those consequences, you SEE yourself to be so SINFUL that you side with God in condemning yourself, that you tell God that he OUGHT to send you to hell, that he ought NOT to save you, for his GLORY is FAR TOO PURE to share heaven with you, even if you could somehow be cleaned up?

It might be easy to utter such words with the lips, but only a soul who has been SHOWN his true self, who has been SHOWN what he is by NATURE, only that soul can utter such words from the HEART, from the very DEPTHS of his soul, for many people honour the Lord with their lips while their hearts are far from him, and the truth is, man has no power even to prepare his own heart; that takes GRACE as well. The soul that can utter such words from the very DEPTHS of his being is the soul who has been wrought on by the Spirit of the Living God, even the Lord Jesus Christ, and the soul that has undergone such an operation, aye, that soul CANNOT be satisfied with the comforts of men; that soul must have an UNMISTAKABLE ENCOUNTER WITH ALMIGHTY GOD, and nothing less. For that soul, only GOD can quench his thirst. [Proverbs 16:1]

With those words, if you are a HELPLESS sinner, with those words, John Bunyan has just given you the SECRET of the NEW BIRTH, the very KEY to the door of eternal life. If you are a HELPLESS sinner, then only GOD can quench your thirst...

Jesus Christ HIMSELF is the FOUNTAIN -- Jesus Christ is the fountain of GLORY, Jesus Christ is the fountain of LIFE, Jesus Christ is the fountain of TRUTH, Jesus Christ is the fountain of WISDOM, Jesus Christ is the fountain of KNOWLEDGE, Jesus Christ is the fountain of RIGHTEOUSNESS, Jesus Christ is the fountain of PEACE, Jesus Christ is the fountain of LOVE, Jesus Christ is fountain of JUSTIFICATION, Jesus Christ is the fountain of SANCTIFICATION -- and he -- even Jesus Christ HIMSELF -- he can make you CLEAN. Completely, absolutely CLEAN. No matter who you are, no matter what you've done, Jesus Christ, and he ONLY, can clothe you with the very RIGHTEOUSNESS OF ALMIGHTY GOD HIMSELF.

But it will take a MIRACLE -- A GENUINE, SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE, and the ONLY person who can effect this MIRACLE is Jesus Christ HIMSELF.

Glory is not a transcendent entity; glory is a PERSON. Truth is not a paradigm; truth is a PERSON. Wisdom is not a fruit of the ages; wisdom is a PERSON. The resurrection is not an event; the resurrection is a PERSON. Eternal life is not a remote continuum; eternal life is a PERSON. Peace is not a sententious phenomenon; peace is a PERSON. Love is not an indefinable existential; love is a PERSON.

Do you understand? Do you really?

Farewell, and the Lord give you a prosperous journey.