"BORN AGAIN"

“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God.” 1 Peter 1:23

I am often amazed and even shocked at how people can misconstrue the Bible. Two things to beware of, one, to read into it what you want it to say, and two, to not receive and believe what it does say. Some teach and preach that being born again is overblown and that as long as you love God, that is only what is important. Others preach that you must be baptized or speak in tongues, or ascribe to specific interpretations of the Bible in order to be saved. We tend to be either legalistic or take license by nature. Somewhere in between we must be serious about our beliefs and encourage both grace and obedience.

In the modern church we have tended to “water down” the expectations of discipleship in exchange for attracting people. The huge downside of this is that the church is a mile wide and an inch deep. We lack credibility because we have reflected our culture and society, too much. Or, we have made the church an impenetrable fortress of expectation that quenches the spirit. So Peter says “born again” is important and also says being “born again” is not from our efforts, but through the living and enduring Word of God, who is Jesus, the imperishable seed

We must go deeper without drowning people. You know… teach people how to swim, so they won’t drown. Got to get in the water to do that.

Joyfully,
Pastor Fred

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