NOW THAT “EVERYBODY” IS BORN AGAIN…
NOW THAT “EVERYBODY” IS BORN AGAIN…
Many years ago in my country Nigeria, so many people assumed that they were Christians simply because they were born into Christian or church going homes. Today, it has become obvious that very many people (not everybody) now knows about the concept of being born again.
I think the current knowledge level is a result of the Pentecostal revivals Nigeria experienced in the seventies. Many preachers began to emphasize the essence of having a particular time of personal conversion to Christ. As this became common knowledge, many people actually became genuinely converted and born again. At some point, we began to rightly ask people; “when did you become a Christian?” A positive answer to this is usually taken to mean that the person is truly converted. However, the one who knows how to pervert things – Satan – has been busy doing his own thing.
Today, it is getting harder to find church people in Nigeria who would not give you a date or story of conversion. The irony of this is that it is also getting harder to find people who live by Christian standards. So what on earth is going on? I think it is simple.
In one of his books, the German evangelist, Reinhardt Bonnke said that it is possible to fall off either side of a horse. Whether you fall off the right side or the left side, a fall is a fall. It has the same implication. Those who think they are Christians because of church background, but are not born again are falling off one side of the horse of heaven. Those who simply hold on to the date when they heeded an alter call (while not living the correct life) are falling off the other side. The two categories are hell fire bound!
I want to stress the fact that personal conversion experience is a must. Being born again is the Jesus given starting point to salvation as clearly written in scripture. However not every one that comes forward to heed an alter call for salvation is born again. This is something all church workers must grasp. Satan is deceiving many into the confidence of Christian identity on the basis of an alter call response. A date or a story will never become THE proof of salvation. They are essential aspect of Christian foundation. But then, the objective of this is to change the person. Jesus said that it is by their fruit that you will know them. (Matt. 7.16) The standards of the fruit of the spirit will always count. No wonder when Paul gave account of his convert he said that they proved their repentance “with their deeds” (Acts 26.20. NIV) or as another translation puts it they did “ works worthy of repentance”.
The fruit Jesus spoke about relates to those “works worthy of repentance”. The ‘tree’ must be made to produce such fruit before a person can be said to be born again. Jesus said:
thus every good tree produces good fruit, but a rotten tree produces evil fruit.
A good tree cannot produce evil fruit, nor can a rotten tree produce good fruit.
Every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.
Consequently, by their fruits you shall know them.
Have you noticed that the church is full of bad trees? Let’s work on the trees. Let’s stop just celebrating the crowd. This is the challenge of the moment, now that almost everyone claims to be born again.
Many years ago in my country Nigeria, so many people assumed that they were Christians simply because they were born into Christian or church going homes. Today, it has become obvious that very many people (not everybody) now knows about the concept of being born again.
I think the current knowledge level is a result of the Pentecostal revivals Nigeria experienced in the seventies. Many preachers began to emphasize the essence of having a particular time of personal conversion to Christ. As this became common knowledge, many people actually became genuinely converted and born again. At some point, we began to rightly ask people; “when did you become a Christian?” A positive answer to this is usually taken to mean that the person is truly converted. However, the one who knows how to pervert things – Satan – has been busy doing his own thing.
Today, it is getting harder to find church people in Nigeria who would not give you a date or story of conversion. The irony of this is that it is also getting harder to find people who live by Christian standards. So what on earth is going on? I think it is simple.
In one of his books, the German evangelist, Reinhardt Bonnke said that it is possible to fall off either side of a horse. Whether you fall off the right side or the left side, a fall is a fall. It has the same implication. Those who think they are Christians because of church background, but are not born again are falling off one side of the horse of heaven. Those who simply hold on to the date when they heeded an alter call (while not living the correct life) are falling off the other side. The two categories are hell fire bound!
I want to stress the fact that personal conversion experience is a must. Being born again is the Jesus given starting point to salvation as clearly written in scripture. However not every one that comes forward to heed an alter call for salvation is born again. This is something all church workers must grasp. Satan is deceiving many into the confidence of Christian identity on the basis of an alter call response. A date or a story will never become THE proof of salvation. They are essential aspect of Christian foundation. But then, the objective of this is to change the person. Jesus said that it is by their fruit that you will know them. (Matt. 7.16) The standards of the fruit of the spirit will always count. No wonder when Paul gave account of his convert he said that they proved their repentance “with their deeds” (Acts 26.20. NIV) or as another translation puts it they did “ works worthy of repentance”.
The fruit Jesus spoke about relates to those “works worthy of repentance”. The ‘tree’ must be made to produce such fruit before a person can be said to be born again. Jesus said:
thus every good tree produces good fruit, but a rotten tree produces evil fruit.
A good tree cannot produce evil fruit, nor can a rotten tree produce good fruit.
Every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.
Consequently, by their fruits you shall know them.
Have you noticed that the church is full of bad trees? Let’s work on the trees. Let’s stop just celebrating the crowd. This is the challenge of the moment, now that almost everyone claims to be born again.
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