Born Again: What Does That Mean?

Paula White Exposed [video]

THAT’s My King! Pastor Lockridge [video]

Powerful Prayers from Children-This Will Shake You [video]

The Fear of the LORD is to Hate Evil: Pride, and Arrogancy #shorts [video]

Understanding and Communicating
the Born Again Experience

No man merits, works, or earns his way into the salvation, the family of God, the body of Christ. The only entrance is to be born into Christ’s kingdom, to be “born again,” to be “born of God,” a work done by God Himself as the sinner is drawn in by Him and bows in repentance and faith (John 3:3, 7; Acts 20:21; Titus 3:5-6; 1 John 5:4, etc.).

ATTN: Religion and being good enough are a farce. If you are not born again, you are not in God’s family. But you can be – today. WHAT does “Born Again” mean?

John 3:1-7

“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 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. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh (1st birth); and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again (2^nd birth).” John 3:1-7

The Bible speaks of 2 births not just one. Every person reading this message has been “born of the flesh” – when your mother’s water broke, you came forth and were birthed into the world and this is what is referred to here as “born of water” in verse 5 and also “that which is born of flesh” in verse 6. Being “born of water” or “of flesh” is the first birth, but to become a child of God and go to Heaven, one must be “born again”(again born) or experience the second birth which is spiritual not physical. There is no other way. This is a non-negotiable eternal truth.

1^st Birth – “born of water.” Every human being is “born of water” when he comes forth from his mother’s womb (as her water breaks).
2^nd Birth – “born…of the Spirit.” This happens as one is brought to repentance for his sins under the conviction of the Holy Ghost and chooses to fall upon the mercy of God through the shed blood of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ who bled once for the sins of the world on the cross of Calvary. As that person confesses his sin and Christ as LORD, he is saved or born again. He arises a new creature in Christ and is never the same – he has a whole new life which bears fruit unto the LORD (2 Cor. 5:17-18).

Just “confessing Christ” is not enough. To be born again one must fully and without reserve throw himself upon the mercy of God as a hopeless sinner. Being born of the Spirit will always yield the fruit of a completely changed life – from the inside out and is the miracle of regeneration only the LORD Himself can perform.

The “water” Jesus speaks of here when He spoke with this religious leader has nothing to do with water baptism. When the mother’s water breaks a child is “born of water.” He is then “born of the flesh” and in need of the second birth or being “born of the Spirit” or “born again.”

Recently I received an e-mail concerning being born again and water baptism. Here is a portion. The writer says:

“How can you say that Catholics are not born again? I mean, I’m not a Catholic, but the Catholics I know are all baptized. You mentioned John chapter 3, and I read it, and verse 5 says that we must be born of water and the Spirit. So, according to Jesus, the way we are born again is through being baptized. The verses you mentioned from Titus also seem to point at baptism with the ‘water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.’ If Catholics are baptized, then how can you say they are not born again? Your statement doesn’t make any sense to me. If we aren’t born again through baptism, as the Bible seems to say pretty clearly, then how are we born again? What other ‘water’ are Jesus and Paul talking about in those texts? It sounds like baptism to me.”

Here is My Response:

First off no catholic gets baptized (the Bible way) only sprinkled (doctrine of men) at 8 days old. The Greek word for the biblical experience of being water baptized is BAPTIZO which means to dip, submerge; to make whelmed, fully wet. Baptism is a burial or full immersion. It signifies the complete immersion of the subject into the LORD and His death, burial and resurrection life. No child, below the age of accountability, is found being baptized or sprinkled in the Bible. No person in Scripture is found being water baptized before believing fully upon Jesus Christ alone for salvation and being born again which is the miracle of God inside of the person who repents, falling upon His mercy while calling upon the LORD to be saved (Acts 16:30-34; Rom. 10:9-13). Actually sprinkling or “christening” is not biblical at all but water baptism is. But water baptism does not save the soul. Water cannot and does not save any person from eternal hell, only the blood of Jesus can do that and the only way to contact His blood is through obedient faith (Rom. 5:1-2,9; Eph. 2:8-9; Heb. 9:22, etc.). Water baptism does no good until one is first saved by the blood. All one is doing is getting wet if he is water baptized without having been brought to full repentance and salvation which happens in the heart of men and not by wetting ones outer skin. Hell is full of people who got wet or “christened” in the name of the LORD but did not know Him which can only happen by obeying Him and being born again (Jn. 3:3, 7). Anyone who goes to Heaven instead of eternal damnation in hell (there is no purgatory) will do so by obeying the One who is the only door to Heaven (John 10:1-9).

“Regeneration”

Before going to the cross and being raised again into Heaven and sending the Holy Spirit, Jesus foretold the necessity of being regenerated, born again.

“Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.” John 13:8

“the washing of regeneration”

“For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace…” Titus 3:3-7

“Regeneration” here can only occur by the miracle of God. We are all born into this world “dead in trespasses and sins” according to Ephesians 2:1 and verse 8 says that our salvation is “that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” “The washing of regeneration” we see above in Titus 3:5 can only be done by the LORD and has nothing to do with dipping ones outer body in water (water baptism). If mere water could save ones soul, everyone who took a shower or bath would become a Christian. Look again at these words above in Titus 3 and that it is only “of the Holy Ghost” who is the third and divine Person of the Godhead that one can be regenerated or “born again.” Because the spirits of men are born “dead” or separated from God because of sin, he must be generated to live again or generated again back to life (resuscitated). This is the ultimate form of mouth to mouth resuscitation – or bringing a dead person back to life. Being born again or regenerated is when Christ raises a person up from his dead state back to spiritual life where he is reunited in communion with God.

The Greek word for “Regeneration” here in Titus 3 is paliggenesia which is defined in the Strong’s Concordance this way: (spiritual) rebirth (the state or the act), i.e. (fig.) spiritual renovation; spec. Messianic restoration: – regeneration.

What happened on the cross? Why did Jesus Christ come to the earth? What was shed to wash away the sins of the world and regenerate those who would believe upon Him? – nothing but the blood of Jesus!

“For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Matthew 26:28

Can there possibly be the forgiveness of sin without the shedding of the sinless blood?

“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.“ Hebrews 9:22

Any person or organization who says that it takes water to be saved is heretical and despises the very blood of the New Covenant.

At the end of Romans is a marvelous passage of how men have all sinned against the Almighty who is holy and exactly how individuals must be justified – “through faith in his blood.”

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” Romans 3:23-28

Romans 5:12 must be in the mind of the believer. The saint must possess a working knowledge of this fundamental truth or he will inevitably err. Jesus came on a mission from Heaven to pay the price for something. What is that something?

“Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Romans 5:12

We all died in Adam when he, the first man, sinned against our Maker. So, the Messiah was immediately and graciously promised and prefigured in the shedding of animal blood to cloak the man and woman (Gen. 3:15, 21). Our Redeemer would come and defeat sin and the evil one who caused the first sin and enable men to be alive unto God again, rescued and revived or resurrected from their spiritual dead state (Gen. 3:15; Matt. 1:21; Jn. 1:29). This is the re-generation or quickening spoken about in Scripture (Tit. 3:5-6; Rom. 8:11). To re-regenerate or to quicken is to make alive again, breath life into, or give life to.

“Regeneration” is when the LORD re-generates (generates again to life) or makes alive the dead soul that was born “dead in trespasses and sins”! This is where eternal life and the Christian life begin and not before. The unchanging and eternal Word of God said this is a “must.” (John 3:7)

Beloved, remember that Jesus Christ told us: “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” (Jn. 11:25-26) Christ raises to life those born dead in sin! Hallelujah! He resurrects the dead – bringing them back to life in His Spirit and grace to live lives pleasing to Him. There is no more glorious truth or miraculous experience than this one He came to give that we might know Him and His Father and be forever with them (Jn. 17:3).

“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken (make alive) your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4-7

“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again (2nd birth).” John 3:1-7

Many have sought to re-define this all important, essential born again experience that Jesus told us all is a “must.” Water does not wash away sin, only the blood can do that. The Church of Christ denomination erroneously teaches that water baptism brings salvation. In this writer’s estimation this doctrine which denies the need of the very blood of Jesus is antichrist and makes the Church or Christ denomination a cult. The Roman Catholic Church has its own distorted redefining of what it means to be born again. These are diabolical heresies which seek to rob the truth from the hearts of men in order to misguide and mislead people to eternal damnation by the one who has come to steal and to kill and to destroy (Jn. 10:10). So, read God’s Word concerning this matter of being born again and let divine truth imbue your heart that you might understand and be instantly ready to share the blessed hope of this glorious Gospel of Christ (2 Tim. 4:2; 1 Pet. 3:15).

Most of the time one just needs to speak the Word and it is self-explanatory as the Holy Spirit is fully involved in each heart (Jn. 14:26; 16:13). Sometimes, due to the evil twisting of truth by pawns of the enemy, we must define and defend truth as the LORD has revealed it in His Word. The LORD has called each and every one of His children to be “able ministers of the New Testament.” (2 Cor. 3:6) Here is a good place to start in knowing and understanding the born again experience and being able to communicate the truth of it when needed. Write on an index card and memorize verses 3 and 7 of our text in John 3. These are the words of our LORD who is our Salvation:

“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again (2^nd birth).” John 3:7

PRAYER: Father in Heaven, open up doors for the ministry of Your Word. Open the hearts of men as You bless me to communicate Your truth in Your love to those You send to me! Glory to God in the Highest! Lead men to be born again, a miracle You alone are capable of performing. Use me Jesus! In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

“Born Again?” Says Who?! | PEACE with GOD | Born Again Audios [podcast]

PASS It ON! For the glory of God and the sake of precious souls, please bookmark this site – SafeGuardYourSoul.com – and use it as a tool to win lost souls and as a ready, universally-accessible Scripture-Rich resource to help you disciple other members of Christ’s body.

Do you need to be born again? PEACE with GOD

Jesus [tract] Read, Download it Here

[JESUS tract ENGLISH (click to download print-ready PDF) this is the actual text of the JESUS tract of both the English and JESUS tract SPANISH (click to download print-ready PDF] [Okay here’s the text also:] The most astounding event of human history occurred when this man, Jesus Christ, died on a Roman cross. When He died, an untimely darkness covered the land at 3 p.m., and an earthquake occurred as He took His final breath. This man called Jesus was crucified. Three days later He was raised from the dead! Here’s why He died: “But your iniquities (sins) have separated […]

Born Again Audio [podcast]

This is a narration of the Born Again book which is an explosive small book and a powerful soul winning tool! Order your copies of this small book here. | Store | Order on Amazon Download/Read the contents of the Born Again book here: Born Again Book PDF

“Born Again”? Says Who?

“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. … Ye must be born again.” (John 3:3, 7) ONLY GOD can forgive a sinner. No sinner can forgive a sinner. And, God will only forgive the sins of those who come to Him – on HIS terms. IF in your past there has never been repentance and faith rendered and a life change due to divine regeneration, being born again, you are not yet God’s child. The good news is that today is your […]

The Baptism with the Holy Spirit [podcast]

If you are saved and yet not baptized with the Holy Ghost, you are naked in the battle. Jesus made full provision for you to be fully, divinely empowered and He’s calling you to Himself in fresh repentance and gratitude for finding you, washing, and saving you into His family by the precious blood of His only begotten Son. Then, ask Him to fill, to baptize you in the Holy Spirit….. No, being filled with the Holy Spirit does NOT save you, the blood of Jesus does. Yet, the baptism with the Spirit will empower you! The apostles of Jesus […]

Up Next

Charles Finney’s False Gospel

Don't Miss

Old Testament vs New Testament System [podcast]

Click to comment

Abiding

How to Give Alms, Pray, Forgive Others, Fast, and Lay Up Treasure in Heaven [podcast]

Breakdown of Jesus’ Teaching in Matthew 6

How to Give Alms.
How to Pray.
The essential of forgiving others.
How to Fast and how not to fast.
The importance of laying up treasure in Heaven.

Matthew 6

Giving to the Needy

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

The Disciple’s Prayer

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Fasting

16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Fear Not

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Putting God First [podcast]

If God’s Word isn’t important to you, it’s because He isn’t important to you. If anything comes before the LORD in your day, you are an idolater. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3 GOD’s WORD cannot get into you if you aren’t into it. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 Jesus commanded: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33 As you seek God, […]

The Simplicity of Real Fellowship [podcast]

Satan thinks he has Stolen the Fellowship of the Saints “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Revelation 12:12 Exhorting God’s People “Daily” “But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” Hebrews 3:13 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in […]

SATAN'S SEMINARIANS [podcast]

Seminaries are the Invention of Satan If you are born again and abiding in Christ and can’t find a biblical local church, it’s because you love Jesus and His truth, His Word. The epidemic apostasy we are witnessing at the local church level is the prophesied and intended outcome of Satan’s long term plan commandeered largely through seminarian wolves (Matthew 24:1-13; 1 Timothy 4:1-2; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:12). In earlier centuries, beginning at Pentecost, Satan couldn’t slow or stop the spread of the Gospel through faithful witnesses, so he devised a plan to replace those Gospel disciples with the […]

Abiding

The Core Values of the Modern Church Agenda Exposed [podcast]

Lots of occultic symbolism in the art below.

The “church growth” industry is a multi-million dollar enterprise with books, seminars, selling sermons, etc., on how to build a large church, how to grow the nickels, noses, and numbers. Is this what Jesus had in mind when He stated “I will build my church”? (Matthew 16:18)

“Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” 1 Corinthians 7:23

Do you spend more time in “church” than in the Bible itself? Wow! Red flags flying!

“Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.” 2 Peter 3:17

So you are listening to some slick talker preach and yet he’s not using the BIBLE essential words like hell, repentance, holiness, the cross, the blood of Jesus, the return of Christ, etc? Repent and RUN!

The vast majority of so-called pastors today are more interested in getting you to join their church club, to become a member of their church, than they are about truly feeding the flock of God with the whole counsel of Scripture, equipping you for ministry, and winning souls to Jesus (John 21:15-17; Acts 20:20-32; Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Peter 5:1-6, etc.). Prove it wrong.

Church Membership Exposed | The 501(C)(3) Deception | The Modern Church

501(C)(3) Churches Exposed [video]

HERE’S 100% PROOF THAT THE 501(C)(3) SO-CALLED “CHURCH” YOU GO TO IS NOT OF GOD – BUT RATHER IS COMMANDEERED BY A WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING (2 Peter 2:1-3). The 501(C)(3) scam is a deal with the devil that silenced the self-serving greedy devils many call “pastors” today in America (Isaiah 56:8-12; Philippians 3:18-19). “And why does the church want to make you a member? I guarantee that there is a $nickel attached to these 501c’s from the state. And, just remember that Planned Parenthood is a 501c, as well as the church of Satan, should we be in confederacy […]

The Truth about Tradition and Church Membership [podcast]

Godly and Ungodly Tradition and True and False Church Membership “Prove (test) all things; hold fast (keep and do) that which is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Of the 13 times we find the word “tradition(s)” in Scripture, only twice is it used positively. The other 11 times it is used negatively because men put their foolish traditions above Christ. History of Church Membership: The history of church membership in Protestant and Evangelical churches begins with the Catholic Church, which implements its discipline over all the baptized (christened, water sprinkled), through a tradition-based sacramental system, governing the lives of their captors from cradle […]

Nick's Salvation: "Don't Let a Building Confine Your Faith" [podcast]

Nick’s Salvation: “Don’t Let a Building Confine Your Faith” [podcast] Please pause to lift Nick in prayer. He’s a new believer. As you will hear on this brief podcast, Nick told me that a handful of Christians had been recently ministering the Gospel to him. He also said that a handful of disciples told him to make sure he’s read the King James Bible. Nick received a copy of the new Authentic book. Nick is a special young man. The beginning of the conversation was about working out, sports, athletics, etc. He’s been working out and was telling me […]

Abiding

Mary hath Chosen that Good Part [podcast]

Luke 10:38-42

Mary = loving relationship with Jesus, not just being busy with doing, with labor, with performing works such as what Martha was doing. First and foremost, Jesus saved us for relationship with Him and the Father (John 17:3). And here our Savior expresses that knowing, loving, adoring, and listening to Him are at a divine premium, they are most important to God. That’s what God desires – for us to delight ourselves in Him (Psalms 37:4).

“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalms 37:4

David’s brothers looked the part but they couldn’t and wouldn’t even face Goliath, much less slay him. David though, was spending time alone with the LORD, listening to His voice and tending to the sheep. He who is the only man God ever said was “a man after mine own heart,” was used mightily of God to slay the giant (Acts 13:22; 1 Samuel 17).

Isn’t this how we are with our children? Wouldn’t every parent rather their precious children sit in their mom or dad’s lap telling their parent how much they (the child) loves them (the parent)? That’s the biggest heart melt we know, right?

Like David, the most powerfully used warriors are first worshippers.

Our real, our genuine relationship with the LORD is that place out of which His power and grace (divine enablement) will flow. Like David, we must be primarily, and first and foremost worshippers. Out of that rich communion with the Savior will flow the warrior anointing of the LORD who is “a man of war” (Exodus 15:3).

Many who sense the call of God on their lives to minister go to seminary. Sad. We must go to God ourselves – in prayer, a life of prayer, relentlessly seeking His holy face in His Word for ourselves.

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Matthew 6:6

Private prayer with the LORD precedes God using us. Those who seek God in “secret” will be “openly” rewarded by Him.

“The little estimate we put on prayer is evidence from the little time we give to it.” EM Bounds

“A sinning man stops praying. A praying man stops sinning.” – Leonard Ravenhill

Luke 10

38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

“Mary hath Chosen that Good Part”

The “good part” Mary chose consists of…

Mary made the only wise choice “Mary hath chosen.”
Mary put Jesus first. She put the Savior first, not herself or her idea of what it meant to serve Him.
Jesus says here that choosing to put and keep Him first is the “one thing [that] is needful” or most necessary (v39, 42).
Sitting before Jesus Himself and not searching for God outside of God Himself, primarily that is. All other learning is supplemental and subservient to that which the LORD tells us specifically, in His Word.

Worshippers become the most powerful workers God uses!

Like many today who are shallow rooted, Martha was a worker but not first and foremost a worshipper. Mary was a worshipper who loved to spend time with Jesus. Therefore she was empowered by God Himself via that fellowship with Him to walk in His holy compassion and to do His works with His power and for His glory (1 Corinthians 15:10).

When our works are not fruitful as they should be, perhaps it can be traced back to our lack of fellowship with our LORD. As we fellowship with Him, putting Him first and not ourselves, our vessel, our cup will run over with His goodness…. it will spill over onto others! (See Psalms 23:5.) That’s when our labor will carry His eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17).

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” Psalms 23:5

When Jesus came, it was God bringing Heaven to the people – to forgive their sins and make them whole (Matthew 9:6). This was the foretold fulfillment of His kingdom coming on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

When Jesus came, He went to the people, to heal, to save, to make whole (Matthew 9:35-38; Acts 10:38, etc.).

As we go, Jesus is with us, “even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:20).

Daily, our LORD is using His people to bring Heaven to the people. As the Holy Spirit fills our lives, His blessed presence and fruit in our lives is going to over overflow onto others.

A sister in Christ once told me that “The best Marthas are first Marys.” Think about that one in light of what we read in this passage when Jesus visited the home of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42). Those who sit at Jesus’ feet to hear His holy counsel, are changed into His image and become reservoirs for His blessed glory. Their cups run over onto others!

“Prayer is of transcendent importance. Prayer is the mightiest agent to advance God’s work. Praying hearts and hands only can do God’s work. Prayer succeeds when all else fails.” E.M. Bounds

When worshiping Jesus is our first priority, the work He uses us to do WILL carry His unction and bring fruit to bear for His eternal glory.

Rote obedience to minister to others, while not anchored in intimacy with our LORD, will not yield an abundant harvest, fruit. In contrast, we can be blessed to have God’s power and grace to do His work and that happens as we are truly communing, fellowshipping in the construct of that oneness relationship He made us for (John 15; 17).

Knowing God’s Word and obeying Him is not an automatic progression (John 8:31-36). One can know the Bible and not its Author. Or, one can know the Bible well and not know the Author well (Job 22:21-28). Obeying God’s Word requires knowing Him, abiding in an intimate fellowship with Him, thereby enabling that saint the grace (divine enablement) to obey Him (John 5:39-40; 7:17; 14:21-23; 15:1-16, etc.).

Martha “received him.” Many of us have “received” Jesus, have been saved by Him (John 1:12), yet like Martha we aren’t sitting at His holy feet, listening to Him speak through His Word. Like Martha, we also are “cumbered about much serving.”

It should be understood that our work can exceed our worship, our hospitality can exceed our holiness, our serving can exceed our sanctification, etc. That would be defined as imbalance (Proverbs 11:1).

In Luke 10:38-42, notice that Mary sat directly at Jesus’ feet and no other. When we arise in the morning to commune with the LORD, such is to be direct communication between you and Him, alone (Matthew 6:6). That would mean perhaps that when you arise in the morning you aren’t reading some other book about God or turning on a podcast or TV program to find and commune with the LORD. No, those things involve others. We must directly commune with the LORD in prayer and in HIS Word. How else shall we be able to discern the “MANY false prophets” Jesus warned us “shall deceive many”? (Read Matthew 24:11; 1 John 4:1.) How can we know the counterfeit if we don’t know the real? We can’t.

In principle, Martha is a person like Cain, a person who chose to do things their own way, not God’s – because they are not truly submitted to God. Does that describe your life friend? Jesus calls us home to Himself (Matthew 11:28-30).

Are we attempting to serve the LORD on our own terms or are we sitting before Him, hearing His voice as we are worshipfully, joyfully submitted to Him on His stated terms?

“The men who have done mighty things for God have always been mighty in prayer, have well understood the possibilities of prayer, and made the most of these possibilities. The Son of God, the first of all and the mightiest of all, has shown us the all-potent and far reaching possibilities of prayer. Paul was mighty for because he knew, how to use, and how to get others to use, the mighty spiritual forces of prayer.” EM Bounds, The Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer, P. 341

When we are brought to the point of true repentance it will be obvious in that we will do things God’s way and no longer our own. Like Mary, we will be settled at His feet, hearing His Word, His voice. The Mary person is in love with and submitted to the LORD and Savior she so joyfully worships.

“Jesus never taught His disciples how to preach, only how to pray. To know how to speak to God is more than knowing how to speak to people. Power with God is the first thing, not power with people. Christ loves to teach us how to pray.” –Andrew Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer, pp. xxiii-xxiv

At His Feet [podcast]

“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” Job 13:15 Job had just lost all of his children and yet held fast his integrity toward the LORD. He would not allow his wife, his friends, or any other circumstance or entity sway his thoughts. This was a man with a real relationship with the living God – one not based on circumstance. First, foremost, and separate from all else, Job loved and worshipped the LORD with his whole heart. We must come to the place where our LORD alone […]

The First Love of the True Disciple [podcast]

The words “disciple”/“disciples” are found 273 times in the Bible, all in the New Testament canon with the exception of 1 appearance in the Old Testament (Isaiah 8:16). “Disciple” is married to the word discipline. An un-disciplined life reveals a gross lack of respect and rooting in the Person, the Word, and the cause of Christ and is an un-fruitful life. “And have NO ROOT in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.” Mark 4:17 “They on the rock are they, which, when they […]

Our Sin Should Lay us at His Feet [podcast]

“Sin lieth at the door.” Genesis 4:7 One writer takes a shot at this in the following words: “Jesus died for our sins. He is the sin offering for all humanity: past, present, and future. So the offerings in the Old Testament represent the Cross. So in short, if you reject the offering, meaning Christ and the Cross, ‘then sin lieth at the door.’ This means sin will DOMINATE you if any other method is used.” “Sin lieth at the door” – Temptation to sin presents itself perpetually and this is why prayer, abiding communion, perpetual communication with the Savior, command central, is […]