The Spirit Controlled Life (cont'd. from p. 26)
them. There are multitudes of peo ple who belong to churches today and yet they have never been born of God. The Lord Jesus said, "Ex cept a man be born again, he will never enter the kingdom of God." The fact is that joining a church will not make you a Christian any more than joining the Elks will make you an elk. You are a Chris tian only when you receive Jesus Christ as your own personal Sav iour. You must see your need of Him. To satisfy the righteous demand of a holy God sin must be pun ished. All injustice and immorality has to be dealt with and punished. God is not going to let wickedness reign. We are all concerned about pollution of various types but what about spiritual pollution? Think of all the godless people who take the name of Christ in blasphemy. No one seems to care about that. Do you know how to tell if you have really been born again? One simple way is to read the Bible. If you have to admit honestly that you just do not understand it, you had better check up. This priceless Book is spiritually discerned. How many times I have seen young people go off to a Christian school to study for the Lord's work. People may scoff at them, or at least feel that such is a waste of time. It appears to be foolishness. That is exactly what the Saviour said those who have never been born again would say. The Holy Spirit alone is the One who can teach us His truth. The second category God refers
Then be sure that you are con trolled by the Holy Spirit. Make it definite and specific as we find in the promise of I John 5:14-15. Be honest with God. Someone has well said, "Our faults are more pardonable than the excuses we like to use to try to hide them." Walk in a total and a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit. As a born-again child of God, I am a partaker of the divine nature of the Lord. Some refer to it as spiritual breathing. As you go out to wit ness to others about Jesus Christ, it must be with a conscious depen dence upon the Holy Spirit. May God help you this day to begin to walk in the Spirit. Do not despair and do not quit. Keep it up day- by-day. This is the way to victory and rejoicing! There are only two groups of people in the world. They are com posed of individuals who have been born once and are still in Adam, and those who have been born twice and are now in Christ. Those who have been born once will die twice, physically and spir itually; while those who have been born twice will only die once (phys ically). Then among those who are in Christ there are two distinct groups. Those who are carnal, walk ing after the flesh, and those who are spiritual, walking after the Spir it In I Corinthians 2 God speaks about these people (vrs. 14). They are referred to as being "natural," and not able to understand the things of the Lord. In fact such may even appear to be foolishness to Page 54
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