Any "Born Again" Christians here?

by sacolton 108 Replies latest jw friends

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  Brother Apostate

  How else will you see God's Kingdom?

  BA- Born Again

  John 3:1-21

  There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."

  Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"

  Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

  'Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'

  "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

  Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"

  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?

  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.

  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.

  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

  that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
• 

  abbagail

  <Raises Hand> Affirmative!
  
  From Catholic
  to JW
  to GRACE RECIPIENT - Free at last!
  
  A Lifetime Journey, from kiddie-dom in Catholic Church/School at which time I definitely believed in Jesus and would pray non-stop walking home from the Girl Scouts because I was terrified of the dogs in the yards, and the Lord always kept them sitting on their rears as I passed by... [whew!]
  
  To intense searching and asking God the usual questions people in their late teens and early 20s ask, Why are we here? What do you, God, want me to do with my life? etc. etc.
  
  To finally finding a Gospel Tract in the post office when I was at this time about 24 years old, and saying the "Sinner's Prayer" back in December 1976 kneeling on my apt. living room floor... (no angels sang, no "liquid love poured all over me," etc. so I thought I was "rejected" -- but wouldn't learn the reality of it all until the GRACE GOSPEL 30 years later in 2006!)
  
  To meeting a JW-newbie the VERY NEXT MONTH in January 1977 who worked at the same place I did (had never heard of JWs before that time), who this guy told me the Kingdom is "real" ("Our Father Prayer" that Catholics know all too well), and who told me about the "march of the world powers" and Nebuchadnezzar's Image in Daniel (became a lover of prophecy at that instant), who gave me a Bible in May of that year... who introduced me to some other JWs who were very cool, but then he tried to "sick" the JW sisters on me but I didn't "bite" at that time...
  
  It would be two years later, Spring 1979, before I actually picked up that Bible and began reading it myself, the entire New Testament in less than a week and I became absolutely ECSTATIC from that point forward! I thought my face would crack from smiling so much! In two months' time I devoured that Bible, and had index cards with scriptures all over my wall, and was writing letters to everybody back home about it!
  
  UNFORTUNATELY, because I had ZERO Bible "doctrinal" knowledge prior to that, I had nothing to "compare it to," so I just "assumed" I should now go find those people who had given me that Bible two years previously, so a few month's later I went and hooked up w/the JWs. If I knew then what I know now, that we should all do like Paul after he was converted, and just spend time with JESUS ALONE for ever how long it takes so you can let Him show you what He wants you to do with your life for Him. But alas, I didn't know that then, so ended up with the JWs for the next 10-11 years (1979-1990).
  
  So was I "saved" during all that time? I fretted over this from about 2003 forward until the Holy Spirit showed me in a very personal way around 2006 that, Yes, Indeed, I was. Even if I myself felt "rejected" when I made my confession of faith, alone on my floor so long ago, that I was a sinner, in need of repentence and needed Jesus as Lord and Savior of my life, back in December 1976, GOD HONORED IT from that point forward even if I didn't fully understand it.
  
  It's called being SEALED with a promise. I was SEALED right then 12/1976. It just means I ended up sitting under "erroneous teaching" for 10-11 years, but that did not affect my salvation. I know all that now, praise the Lord. And what a blessing!
  
  As for baptism, I fretted about that too for awhile, but as we keep learning, things become clear and more clear over time. I would have liked to get dunked again, preferably in the Real Jordan River ;-) but decided that when I got baptized w/the JWs, it was BEFORE they changed the vows in 1985, so I figure mine was "scripturally legitimate."
  
  All those "uncertainties" that troubled me have since been cleared up. Tap the fork on the crystal goblet. It's that clear to me now. PING!
  
  Moving foward several more years I now realize we don't even need WATER baptism... (don't freak!) because we are...
  
  BAPTISED INTO HIS DEATH,
  
  BURIED with HIM to our old Adamic nature
  
  RAISED with HIM to our new Spirit-filled life as a new creature,
  
  ASCENDED with HIM to the Heavenlies, and
  
  SEATED with HIM next to God the Father.
  
  All of that is done for us at the moment we are saved and "sealed" by the Holy Spirit, whether we even realize it or not. And I did not realize it back in 12/1976, as I said, because it is not necessarily a "feel gushy" experience. So it took 30 years to come to a crystal clear understanding and appreciation of what our salvation REALLY means. We are already "positionally" seated with Christ in the heavenlies! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! It's so exciting to see things clearly finally after so many years!
  
  Am I saved? Yes!
  
  Am I "born again"? Well, I'd rather say I am "ADOPTED as a SON [daughter] to Jesus Christ Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will" - Eph. 1:5.
  
  Amen!
  
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  To elaborate a wee bit more on the "born again" and "baptism" positions:
  
  Since I was saved POST-crucifixion and not with members of the Nation of Israel PRE-crucifixion, I do not feel I need to be baptised in WATER to be saved (even tho I was), and I do not feel I "need" to claim I am "born again" since that always was a message for the Nation of Israel PRE-crucifixion, as well.
  
  Not looking to argue or debate. Nobody has to agree. It's A-OK. The Holy Spirit will lead people to Paul's "positional truths" in time. But I now hold FAST those Pauline "truths" and "his gospel" received directly from the **RISEN** Lord and preached to the Gentiles and any believing Jews POST-crucifixion:
  
  1 Corinthians 15:1 -- "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you THE GOSPEL which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you -- unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ DIED for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was BURIED, and that He ROSE AGAIN the third day according to the Scriptures..."
  
  (Heck I believed that as a little kid in the RCC. But I never made a "formal request" of the Lord as an "adult" for salvation/repentence/be my Lord and Savior until about age 24, all by my lonesome on my living room floor, thanks to that Gospel tract I found in the post office during those years of searching.)
  
  So get out those "TRUE GOSPEL" tracts and spread 'em around and give the JWs a run for their money. ;-)
  
  ------------
  
  OK I always write too much. Sorry about that! Got carried away... (see my avatar! ha!)
  /ag
• 

  mouthy

  Raises Hand..... Oct 20th 1989 .9.oo p.m Blue Mountain Christian with 300 EX JW in the maternity ward with me :)
• 

  cameo-d

  Jesus is the one I follow. But I don't call myself Christian. I do not accept the "beliefs" generally regarded to be christian dogma.

  I think the term "born again" is misused. I think "born again" happens when we go through our transition into the next realm.

  Freemasons have a "born again" initiation ceremony, too, so it's not a word that I think applies.

  I do think we can be transformed by a renewing of the mind, but this is a continual growing process. I would not equate it with a sudden birth-like occurance.
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  OUTLAW

  ..I`m not a Christian..Don`t believe any of it......Being born once,was enough for me!!..It`s just so frigg`n messy!..LOL!!.......I have plenty of friends who are though..Some are on this board...............OUTLAW
• 

  Deputy Dog

  Burn

  Some, such as those damaged by a cult, are psychologically and emotionally incapable of choosing now.

  Without God's changing the heart of a man, no person is capable of choosing, ever.

  Joh 6:44

  "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.45"It is written in the prophets, 'AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.
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  poppers

  "So, I have to ask...is anyone who is not "born again" uable to find truth or life?" And I would add to this question, is anyone who is not "Christian" able to find truth or life?
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  eyeslice

  I am not 'born again' and unfortunately at this point in time do not associate with any other religious people (call it a church or a faith) because of the fact that my wife is 'still' in. However, that doesn't mean that I do not consider myself a Christian, far from it in fact.
  
  One thing that does worry me is that I do not what to die without a faith as it were. It might just be me, but I would like the support of a religion and religious faith at the end of my life.
• 

  jookbeard

  I was , but I became unborn again
• 

  Deputy Dog

  poppers

  "So, I have to ask...is anyone who is not "born again" uable to find truth or life?"

  Depends on what you mean by "find", I guess. But to try to answer you, apart from God? No.