Trinity vs Jesus - Brother Lee Stoneking

What? Huh?

I'm sure if I was to ask if you ever had one of these What? or Huh? moments you would no doubt say yes and you would say it with reservation or hesitation. In my last blog post I said that I would be going through a lot of meetings, planning sessions and such throughout the first part of the year. Well, there's not been a shortage of them by any stretch of the imagination. I guess that's an excuse for not blogging more, but then if we're looking for an excuse for anything we can find it....

I am honored to serve on the Ky District Youth Committee for another term, the men of Section N are some of the best I am honored to know and be acquainted with. They love Apostolic Doctrine, they love Holiness living and most of all they love Jesus!

Now to my questions, What? and Huh? I've been having too many of these moments here lately. I can't tell you the number of times I've experienced one of these very moments in the first 3 months of this year. Many times it's due to the neglect and omission of the Truth of God's Word. How can it be that good people can be so wrong when it comes to the answer to this question, What does it take to be "saved"? Let me answer this with a question, what does it take to be "saved"? What does being "saved" mean? What are we "saved" from? How can the vast majority of people that die, or so uttered by the clergyman, as the shell of the person that once was is lying there, be saved? Isaiah 5:14 says that hell hath enlarged herself to hold those that will be coming there. Huh? Yeah, that's what it says...the place of eternal torment and fire has enlarged itself. Why? Why has the mouth opened without measure? Why would you need to build on to your house? Why would you purchase a bigger car? Answer: the existing facilities aren't adequate to hold the contents.

So, what are you trying to say, Brian? I'm simply wanting you to think about the time you were "saved". (a term that's so loosely used in religiosity that it's lost it's effectiveness) I'm being sincere with this, think about it. What happened? What was said? Some of my Huh? moments have came of late from speaking with people who got "saved". Some have placed their hand in the hand of a preacher and accepted membership. Others have quoted prayers under the instruction of someone else to become "saved". Others have accepted the Lord Jesus into their heart to be "saved". This leads me to a huge Huh? moment.

Why does all of this lead you to a Huh? moment, Brian? Well, none of these are recorded in the Bible as ways to becoming born again or for the lack of a better term and in the words of religion, to be "saved". In Nicodemus's encounter with Jesus in John 3 Jesus never once told Nicodemus to shake His hand, quote a prayer or accept Him as his personal savior. Note the conversation...

John 3 (KJV)

 ¹There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: ²The 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. ³Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.⁴Nicodemus 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?⁵Jesus 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.

I challenge you to challenge your eternal condition. Yes, search yourself, recall that night that you were "saved". But Brian, it doesn't really matter, I live a good life, I felt great after I got "saved". Oh my friend, it does matter. Mark 10 says that there's none good but One. Please be assured that you know that you are truly born again like Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3. Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be born again of the water AND of the Spirit. Shaking a hand, accepting the Lord or repeating a prayer from someone does NOT make any of us born again. It's simply erroneous to believe that there's another way outside of what Jesus told Nicodemus. If I say it, the pope says it or the newspaper reports it; we can't stand on things that aren't Bible based, it's that simple. 

But what does "born again" mean? Jesus in v. 7 says this...⁷Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. In other words, he was telling Nicodemus to not stand in wonder with what I just told you. You had a natural birth, right? Yep, or you wouldn't be reading this. How can you be born again when you're already alive? That's the thing...there must first be a death (spiritually) before a birth can take place. When Jesus perished on the cross He died. He came to show us the way. Jesus had a death, we have to have a death, Spiritually, this is our time of repentance. We have to die out to the old man, our old self. I've seen countless folks that said they got "saved" but never observed one ounce of change in their lives. (no judgement, simply observation) Some still practice the same habits as they always did...Huh? God does it right when He does anything. We'll be completely transformed by His power or we won't be at all!

Jesus also had a burial, he died, then was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. We read that there were grave clothes put on him after they begged for His martyred body. We must also be buried just as He was. You can't bury something that's alive, there must first be a death! After our repentance you have prepared yourself for burial, or the Biblical baptism. (Mark 16:16, Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:38, I Peter 3:21)

Once Jesus spent 3 days in the tomb the most amazing and astonishing event to ever transpire took place. The foundation of every Christian today, Jesus resurrected. Once we have repented (died), baptized (burial) we are ready for a resurrection, the Spirit of God living inside of us. That's when the promise of the Father, the Comforter, the fire that John preached about can come into this old man and make it new. (Acts 2)

This is what Jesus told Nicodemus. You must be born again. I'm not saying that you're not "saved" but what I am saying is that you must be born again. You can sign Church books, shake every preacher's hand in the universe, repeat prayers, but if you aren't born again like Jesus told Nicodemus we are only living a void life. Time does not permit me to go into the detail that's worthy of this subject, but folks this right here is enough to get you on your way to being born again. Eternity is too long to be wrong. Get it right! You can have your saved, but as for me, I'll be born again.....

In Jesus Name, 

Brian D. Young

byoung28@gmail.com

859-334-0070