eBook
Available on Compatible NOOK devices, the free NOOK App and in My Digital Library.
Related collections and offers
Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781546206521 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 09/08/2017 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 108 |
| File size: | 829 KB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
WHAT MUST I DO?
What is the right thing to do? Whenever a person becomes old enough to grow aware of his or her own use of reason, this question must arise. Why am I here? Why was I born into this world, existing with so many others, all captivated by this same awareness? What must I do? I believe in my existence.
I'm aware that "I am." I must be a relative of God, who also said, "I am." I believe it's true, then. I am from God. I am also aware that there is a certain inborn luminosity that draws my heart away from darkness like a moth. I reach for this light, but I can't grasp it.
I desire it, but it eludes me. What must I do to achieve this light? What is it?
According to John's gospel, the answer is "True Light." This "True Light" shines in the darkness and illuminates every person who is born into the world.
The Hebrew rendition of the term "True Light" means a covenant light, or an established, promised light.
In Jeremiah chapter 31, the prophet announces that God has instituted a new covenant with mankind because the old covenant, which contained laws and commandments inscribed in stone and written in pen, was hostile to mankind and easily broken and forgotten.
In the new covenant, God has placed the sum of the law within our minds and within our hearts. There He has inscribed it. In this way, a communion with God is inherently understood.
As John the Baptist preached repentance from dark works, many people asked about the fruits of repentance, saying, "What must I do?" These people were both Jews and Gentiles (non-Jewish). John therefore expressed this notion to them: "Do good works." It becomes evident then that doing good works is an outward sign that favors salvation.
It has been said (and rightly so) that doing good works is not salvation. Jesus is salvation. Nevertheless, let us not downsize the concept of good works before salvation.
Because of this new covenant, which has become an inherent Light to all of mankind, good works are working. However, evil works continue to work too because not every person shall be drawn from darkness unto the Light. Some hate the Light and will never come to the Light. But everyone who practices the works of True Light comes to the Light, proving that he or she has been fashioned by God, whose workmanship continues according to a predestined and timely salvation.
Remember that Jesus said, "No one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him."
Salvation is an honor and a great privilege. It clearly belongs to the Lord, and His desire is for you. So to answer the question "What must I do?" keep working the good works of God, and wait expectantly for His salvation.
CHAPTER 2
WHAT DID JESUS SAY?
The counsel from John the Baptist truly challenges the inquisitive heart, but what did Jesus say?
In the third chapter of the gospel of John (not the Baptist), Nicodemus, a Jewish ruler and teacher in Israel, came to Jesus by night. He came seeking a deeper understanding about the truth in the words of Jesus. He was already aware of the fact that Jesus was sent from God because of His miraculous deeds. It was then that Jesus told him what he must do. He said, "You must be born again." That means being born of the water and of the spirit. Without this, no one can enter the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus did not understand this rebirth concept.
"What does it mean to be born of the water and of the spirit?" he asked. He could understand only earthly things, such as being born in the flesh. However, Jesus was not talking about earthly things but about heavenly things — things of the spirit. And the spirit, being compared to the wind that blows in all directions according to the will of God, cannot be seen, but the sound of its testimony is evident by those who declare it.
CHAPTER 3
BEING BORN OF THE WATER
In order to begin our studies of "being born of the water," we must first determine what the meaning of the word water is. It is first seen in the Book of Genesis and last seen in the Book of Revelation. It is used hundreds of times throughout the Bible, but whether singular or plural in form, and whether found in the Old Testament or in the New Testament, the word water is derived from the same Hebrew word, mayim, which means the springs or semen of the water of life.
This indicates a rudimentary substance for biological life that has evolved into molecular DNA within the seed of mankind.
As discussed earlier, some people refuse to accept True Light, which is given by God to illuminate the waters of life within mankind. These people love the works of darkness and therefore hate the Light, and they will never come to the Light. And there are those who love the existence of True Light and come to the Light, exhibiting a life of Light. Herein is the difference between darkness (which indicates a spiritual countenance of sorrow and death) and Light (which indicates a spiritual countenance of joy at the birth of life).
In the fourth chapter of the gospel of John, we see Jesus talking to a Gentile woman at a well in the city of Samaria. He indicates to her that He is the source of water that gives everlasting life, and that the men she is associated with are not the source of water that gives everlasting life.
In a subtle way, Jesus is saying to her that He is her true husband, for the waters (lineage) of the Gentiles do not bring forth salvation as a resurrection from eternal death to eternal life; for salvation is of the Jews.
This same concept is recognized in the gospel of Mark. Here, Jesus teaches that ultimately God is the promise of eternal life, which exists within the living seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
And so it is that the true water of the spirit of life that was breathed into Adam flows through the seeds of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and unto Jesus the Jew.
The woman at the well was not a Jew; she was a Gentile. Nevertheless, she expressed her hope of glory according to her faith in the promise of salvation, which was also allotted to the Gentiles and foretold by the prophets of old.
So how does the promise of living water, which is to spring up throughout a people who are not Jewish, come to fruition?
Consider the story of Ruth from the Book of Ruth.
Ruth's lineage came from Moab, the son of Lot, the nephew to Abraham. She was not a direct descendant of Abraham in whose seed (Isaac) the blessings of glory belong. Nevertheless, after her husband died, Ruth attached herself to her mother-in-law, Naomi, whose lineage was of the seed of Abraham, being manifested within the tribe of Judah of the sons of Jacob, also known as Israel.
As the story unfolds, Ruth refuses to leave Naomi and maintains her position in saying, "Where you go, I will go and where you live, I will live. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God. Where you die and are buried, there will I die and be buried."
In this case, the faith of Ruth was established because of her love for Naomi and her descent. Ruth, therefore, through faith, became a proselyte to the Jews, seeking a city greater than her own.
To answer the question of how the promise of living water springs up into all of the families of the earth, it is by faith. However, it is not by faith in the Jewish people but by faith in our Creator, who promised it.
In New Testament times (after the coming of Jesus), Paul received his ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles by the spirit of revelation when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul sums up Gentile salvation in the following. By faith, the Gentiles become grafted into the vine of Adam, which extends throughout Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, from which came forth Israel unto Jesus the Jew. Don't forget salvation is of the Jews.
And so it is that the Gentiles become spiritual Jews, being reborn by faith into the seed of Abraham, who is of the vine of Adam.
Because Jesus is the end and the fulfillment of the promise of salvation to all of the families of the earth; everyone — whether male or female, Jew or Gentile — who belongs to Him takes on the seed of Abraham and becomes joint heirs of the promise of the glory of salvation.
In retrospect, as Ruth by faith accepted the Lord (Jehovah) God of all creation in Old Testament times, so do people by faith accept the Lord God of all creation in New Testament times.
Whether Jew or Gentile, the outward sign of one who belongs to the Lord God in Old Testament times is the covenant of circumcision, which involves the cutting of the flesh. The outward sign of one who belongs to the Lord God in New Testament times is the covenant of baptism, which involves being submerged in water.
Ruth, being a woman, did not undergo circumcision, which was administered to all males who were to become the heads of every household in Hebrew history. Nevertheless, it has become evident that favor was shown to her by God in opposition to the law of the covenant of circumcision.
Therefore, in the story of Ruth, the sign of the covenant of circumcision, which by law necessitates the cutting of the flesh in order to be considered as "belonging to the Lord," was overruled by her faith in the promise that was given to Abraham for all of mankind, whether male or female, Jew or Gentile.
Conversely, the sign of the covenant of salvation, which by law necessitates being submerged in water, is overruled by a lack of faith and good works, which are associated with repentance and turning to God.
John the Baptist emphatically expressed this to everyone who came to him to be baptized, admonishing them to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance and acceptance by God. He went so far as to call the so-called leaders and teachers in Israel a brood of vipers.
With all this in mind, it becomes evident that neither circumcision nor baptism amounts to salvation, for God looks at the spirit in the heart.
This concept of the spirit in the heart, leads us to the next and final step to being born again, and that is "being born of the spirit." This spirit is the Holy Spirit that comes to us as a latter rain and is separate from the early rain, which is associated with "being born of the water."
In explanation, there are two ways in which the spirit of living waters comes to us. At first, the living waters come to us as an early rain in which the spirit of Jesus is "with" us. Second, the living waters come to us as a latter rain in which the spirit of Jesus is "in" us.
This concept of the Spirit in us takes us to the next chapter, being born again.
CHAPTER 4
BEING BORN OF THE SPIRIT
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to as many as five hundred early church Christians with encouraging words and visions. His instruction was to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit, which in time would be given, as a latter rain to all who believe in the gospel (good news) of everlasting life. Remember, it is the spirit that gives life. How much more, then, is the latter rain of the Holy Spirit to abound in life for those who receive it?
It is a thing of faith to be born of the spirit. It doesn't always happen immediately. I have learned this myself because it took months before the manifestation of the Holy Spirit was evident in me. In fact, I didn't even know that there was a Holy Spirit until the night of the encounter. It was like turning on a light bulb in a dark room, and I haven't been the same since. Everyone knew that something was different.
On the night of that encounter, I was drifting away from the early rain of my spiritual awakening. I was losing my grip on life in more ways than one, but the goodness and patience of God abounded to glory in me. The next day, I was carrying a Bible, which was very peculiar indeed. I haven't missed a day of reading from it since. I consider the Bible a roadmap through life. I don't see how anyone can make it to a fair haven on earth without the guiding light of God's word.
With all this said, I can testify that it was my rudimentary faith, in expectation that something good was going to happen, that rose my life up from the dead. Therefore I say to you, wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit and don't give up.
Consider the parable of the sower and the seed, which was taught by Jesus and documented in Three Gospels.
The seed that is sown is the word of truth and the ground upon which it is cast is the heart of mankind.
In short, if the ground is bad, it will not produce fruit; if the ground is good, in time it will produce fruit. The fruit discussed here is the Holy Spirit.
The people of the world, who are not first and foremost born of the water, cannot be sealed in the Holy Spirit of promise, which is given only to those who believe in God with a sincere heart and have come to know Him through salvation that is in Jesus.
Once a person of the world, who by faith, comes to Jesus, who is not of the world, he or she shall receive an early rain of the Spirit of Jesus, who is to be with them.
Those who maintain their faith in Jesus shall receive of the latter rain of the Spirit of Jesus, who is then to be born in them.
In the story of the early church, there were over five hundred souls who had some form of a direct encounter with our risen Savior, Jesus. However, only about one hundred and twenty were in the upper room on the day of the rushing mighty wind.
It is evident that even after an acceptance of truth that is in Jesus is made, certain powers of temptation that are associated with the former way of life can cause a person to fall away. How good is the ground?
It all boils down to our faith because the victory that overcomes the powers of temptation is our faith.
God loves faith because without faith it is impossible to please Him. A person must first believe that God exists as the great "I Am" and therefore accepts the love of the truth that is in Jesus, which is being "born of the water." Through diligent faith, the gift of the Holy Spirit is to be rewarded within us, which is being "born of the spirit." It is the knowledge of this truth that shall set us free from powers of temptation.
Remember, greater is He who is in you than he who is the world.
Even though temptations will come and sometimes sin follows, nothing shall separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We have come to know the grace and truth that is in Jesus, our Intercessor. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Therefore, it is our persistent faith that brings us into the concept of salvation, being "born again."
Consider what Jesus teaches in the gospel of Mark.
"He that believes and is baptized shall be saved." "He that does not believe shall be condemned."
Once again, be not confused. Neither the cutting of the flesh as circumcision nor being submerged in water as baptism is necessary for salvation. The necessity is accepting the love of the truth that is in Jesus because God looks at the heart.
In paraphrase of this passage, the concept of "to believe" is to accept the love of the truth that is in Jesus, who comes to us as living water — thereby being "born of the water." The concept of "to be baptized" is to be infilled with the Holy Spirit, which follows belief — thereby being "born of the Spirit."
CHAPTER 5
RISING IN REBIRTH
Know this: that by accepting Jesus into our own character, we become baptized into His death and consequently into His life, according to the power of His resurrection.
This is the rebirth process by which we are being transformed into His character as new creations known as the body of Christ upon the earth. So how does this work?
A fact of biological life is that it ends in death, which is the result of sin. Sin is a self-centered rebellion due to disbelief in the word of God. This first occurred at the fall of Satan and is known as the great transgression.
Satan, who is known as the son of the morning, is actually the first of God's creations under His right-hand nature. The right-hand nature of God is known as the bright and morning star, Jesus. The cosmos followed in glorious rays of light without tangible form until Satan left his first estate, which was to guard against the advancement of darkness that was below the surface of the deep. In a presumptuous manner, he exalted his position to the height of God. As a result, the cosmos became corrupted and took form under the burden of darkness that crept above the surface of the deep. It was through this corruption of darkness that biological flesh took form. Then God said, "Let there be light," which is the True Light. The True Light shined in the darkness and separated Satan from the height of God to a domain below the surface of the deep. And God called the light "Day," which by His Spirit Illumines the waters of life. To the gathering of darkness, God called it "Night," which by Hebrew definition means "A twisting spiral staircase," which we now understand to be deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
Therefore because of the fall of Satan, which affected the form of the waters of life, it becomes evident that all biological life (DNA) is destined to corruption under the darkness of death. Nevertheless, God sent the True Light of His right-hand nature, Jesus, into the world, inhabiting a body of flesh that is also destined to death.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Launch Out"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Frank Ovec.
Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 What Must I Do?, 1,
Chapter 2 What Did Jesus Say?, 7,
Chapter 3 Being Born of the Water, 11,
Chapter 4 Being Born of the Spirit, 23,
Chapter 5 Rising in Rebirth, 31,
Chapter 6 The Gifts of the Spirit, 37,
Chapter 7 Quest for the Holy Spirit, 45,
Chapter 8 A Great Revival, 51,
Chapter 9 The Study, 55,
Chapter 10 Launch Out, 69,
In Summary, 91,
References for Summary, 99,