Matthew 19:27-30 Jesus has just made it clear that following Him has a cost up to and including a believer's life. The rich young ruler has dejectedly walked away after being told that the one thing he lacked to obtain eternal life was apparently the one thing he wasn't willing to give up. His wealth. Think about it. Sam Walton was one of the wealthiest men in history, Truett Cathy, Jackie O'Nassis, Queen Elizabeth all were extremely wealthy. All had comforts in life that now mean nothing. All of them take their place behind beggars and those who were believers in extreme poverty. Jesus makes the point that the rich seem to believe their wealth gives them extra privilege or consideration at judgement because there's more they have to surrender. And again Peter makes sure to say the entirely wrong thing. So he looks around seeing the rich man sadly leaving Jesus, perhaps because he had much he could afford that he refused to surrender. So Peter says, Lord, What's in it for us? The ruler likely had houses, funds he would not run out of. So Peter considers what he's left for Jesus. He left his home, his career, and he's been following Jesus for a few years, now. And he wants to know what his reward is for doing so. Jesus has already informed them on more than one occasion that they would follow Him in death. And each one died a martyrs death, executed by government or religious leaders beginning with James, brother of John and ending with John, James’ brother. These brother's deaths formed the bookends of apostles’ deaths with James being first and John the last. Jesus says yes, you will all be awarded, but it comes at a cost. The cost is going to be the terrible suffering they would experience prior to death. Not that their suffering earned them anything, the way the rich believed their wealth earned them something. But that their allegiance with Jesus and relationship with Him gave them eternal life. In particular, Jesus promises the apostles specifically that they will be on thrones judging Israel. Perhaps this is meant as a small mercy for the apostles whose last living moments will be being judged by those will end up ‘judged’ by them. Not that the apostles will get input on the eternal judgment of these individuals but that they will judge Israel as a whole including these Jewish leaders who are currently burning in torment awaiting eternity. This really should be the perspective we hold to. The rich young ruler, do you think he regrets his choice now? After 2,000 some odd years of suffering where time has no meaning and no end? How important do you think he considers his summer home now? His retirement? His first century equivalent to a Bentley? How about the leaders who knew the Scriptures pointed to Jesus but didn't want to give up their power or position. But these leaders to whom the benefits of eternal life were promised if they remained faithful to God. These Jews were considered first because the promises were made to them. But they, they will be last. And those who were considered last, the Gentiles, pagans, all who responded to Jesus would take the place of those who had been considered first. The temporal life fortunes in eternity are oftentimes flipped. The temporal riches of this life lure many believers over to a side that appears successful because financial gains are made, but in actuality is abject failure. No wealth we gain is worth what is lost if we don't have Jesus. So those health and wealth preachers, the ones insisting that poverty is a sign of disfavor with God? Yeah, they will be within sight of the rich young ruler forever reconsidering their life choices and forever incapable of changing them. We don't get the chance to change our minds after death. Our fates are locked, so what are we waiting for? What's in it for us? Only Everything. [27] Then Peter responded and said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” [28] And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. [29] And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms on account of My name, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life. [30] But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.

Life Of Charles G. Finney. By Aaron Merritt Hills Part 1 - B SENT OF GOD Charles Finney found the old authors in his law books frequently quoting from the Scriptures. This excited his curiosity so much that he purchased a Bible, the first that he had ever owned, and hunted up every passage referred to. This led to careful reading and much meditation upon the Sacred Word. Here follow two facts that are profoundly important to all Churches and Christians, and especially to all who would ever be successful soul-winners. His pastor's name was Rev. George W. Gale, a graduate of Princeton College and Theological Seminary. His theology was hyper-Calvinistic and not yhe genui e Calvinism taught in Princeton at that time. Gale believed that man’s nature was so totally sinful that he was utterly incapable of any good; the will was incapable of a right choice; the soul was utterly passive in regeneration; ''there was no adaptation in the gospel to change his nature, and consequently no connection in religion between means and ends.” "This Brother Gale sternly held; and consequently, in his preaching, he never seemed to expect, nor did he even aim at converting anybody by any sermon that I ever heard him preach. And yet he was an able preacher, as preaching was then estimated. The fact is, these dogmas were a perfect strait-jacket to him. If he preached repentance, he must be sure, before he sat down, to leave the impression on his people that they could not repent. If he called them to believe, he must be sure to inform them that, until their nature was changed by the Holy Spirit, faith was impossible to them. And so his orthodoxy was a perfect snare to himself and to his hearers." (Memoirs of C. G. Finney, pp. 59, 60.) The pastor was in the habit of dropping into the young lawyer’s office to see what impression his sermons had made on the lawyer’s mind. Finney was at this time leader of his choir, and of course their relations were familiar. With the keen, subtle, intellectual acumen which characterized him and a frankness bordering on to impolite bluntness, and probably with a touch of cynical irreverence, the lawyer satisfied the minister’s curiosity completely; for fifty years afterward he wrote: 'I now think that I criticised his sermons unmercifully. . . . Indeed, I found it impossible to attach any meaning to the terms which he used with great formality and frequency. What did he mean by repentance? Was it a mere feeling of sorrow for sin? Was it altogether a passive state of mind, or did it involve a voluntary element? If it was a change of mind, in what sense was it a change of mind? What did he mean by the term 'regeneration?’ What did such language mean when applied to a spiritual change? What did he mean by faith? Was it merely an intellectual state? Was it merely a conviction or persuasion that the things stated in the gospel were true? What did he mean by sanctification? Did it involve any physical change in the subject, or any physical influence on the part of God? I could not tell; neither did he seem to know himself. I sometimes told him that he seemed to begin in the middle of his discourse, and to assume many things which, to my mind, needed to be proved. I must say, I was rather perplexed than edified by his preaching.” (Memoirs, pp. 7, 8.) As one reads such words, one can not help wondering how many ministers now are as vague and misty as was Rev. Gale, and how many multitudes are still sitting in the pews and wondering what the ministers are talking about. Neither can one help reflecting that, with such a theology prevailing, it is little wonder that infidelity was widespread at the beginning of the century, and revivals were few, with seldom a conversion, and that only one in fourteen of the population of this country was even a professor of religion! Everybody was told that they were absolutely helpless, and could do nothing to secure their own repentance or conversion; and they generally believed it. With one accord they were idly waiting, in imaginary helplessness, for a sovereign God to enable them to repent and believe; and thus whole generations were sweeping into hell. What appalling results can flow from a false theology! The other striking fact was this: Finney read a great deal in his Bible about prayer and answers to prayer and prayer promises; and yet he continually heard people pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and as often confess that they did not receive what they asked for. He heard them exhort each other to wake up and be engaged and pray earnestly for a revival of religion, professing that, if they were in earnest, they would have a revival, and the impenitent would be converted; but they would as continually bemoan their coldness and complain that they were making no progress. He says : '"This inconsistency, the fact that they prayed so much and were not answered, was a sad stumbling-block to me.'' ‘'On one occasion, when I was in one of the prayer-meetings, I was asked if I did not desire that they should pray for me. I told them, ‘No,' because I did not see that God answered their prayers. I said: ‘I suppose that I need to be prayed for—for I am conscious that I am a sinner—but I do not see that it will do any good for you to pray for me; for you are continually asking, but do not receive. You have been praying for a revival of religion ever since I have been in Adams [three years], and yet you have it not. You have prayed enough since I have attended these meetings to have prayed the devil out of Adams, if there is any virtue in your prayers. But here you are, praying on and complaining still.' " (Memoirs, p. 10.) Some young people proposed to pray for Finney, among them the noble young woman who afterward became his wife. But the hopeless pastor remarked that it would do no good; he did not believe that Finney would ever be converted, since he had already sinned against so much light that his heart was hopelessly hardened! And what was the more, the choir was so much under Finney's influence that it was doubtful if they would ever be converted while their leader remained in Adams. Fortunately for the kingdom of God, some one had more faith than the pastor, and laid hold of God for Finney’s conversion. To use his own words, he became 'Very restless.” A little reflection showed him that he was by no means in a state of mind to go to heaven, if he should die. He began to feel that there was something in religion of infinite importance, and that, if the soul was immortal, he needed a great change to be prepared for happiness in heaven. The great soul was approaching his Bethel: he was standing face to face with God, and confronting the decisive question whether he would accept Christ as presented in the gospel, or pursue a worldly course of life. Prayers were being answered at last; for God had his hook in Finney’s jaw, and was pulling with the mighty cord of Infinite Love.

Saturday, 1st August, 2026 TITLE: RENEWED BY GOD'S MERCY, ALIVE BY HIS GRACE ANCHOR SCRIPTURE(S) Lamentations 3:22–23 (KJV) "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Ephesians 2:4–5 (KJV) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) QUOTE TO REFLECT ON "Every new day is a fresh reminder that God's mercy sustains us and His grace gives us new life." DAY'S REFLECTION Every sunrise is evidence that God's mercy has spoken once again. Lamentations 3:22–23 was written during one of Israel's darkest moments, yet Jeremiah confidently declared that the Lord's mercies had not been exhausted and His compassion had not failed. Though circumstances may change, God's faithfulness remains constant. Each morning brings fresh opportunities because His mercy is renewed daily. The word mercy speaks of God's kindness toward those who deserve judgment, while compassion reveals His tender love for His children. We continue today not because of our own strength or righteousness but because God's unfailing mercy has preserved us. Paul deepens this truth in Ephesians 2:4–5 by reminding us that God is rich in mercy. Humanity was spiritually dead in sins, unable to rescue itself. Yet God's great love moved Him to make us alive together with Christ. Salvation is entirely a work of divine grace, not human achievement. Grace is God's unmerited favour, freely given through Jesus Christ to all who believe. These passages teach us that our hope rests neither in yesterday's achievements nor in today's abilities, but in God's unchanging mercy and saving grace. His mercy gives us another day to live, while His grace gives us the power to live that day for His glory. No matter what failures, disappointments, or burdens yesterday carried, today offers a fresh beginning. Walk confidently, knowing that the God who sustained you through yesterday will faithfully lead you through today. MEDITATION SCRIPTURE(S) Psalm 103:8–10 (KJV) The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. Titus 3:5 (KJV) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; LIFE LESSONS (IMPLICATIONS) 1. Every new day is a gift made possible by God's unfailing mercy. 2. God's compassion never runs out, regardless of our circumstances. 3. Salvation and spiritual life are the result of God's grace, not human effort. 4. Gratitude and faithful living should be our daily response to God's mercy. EVERYDAY ACTION Begin your day by thanking God for His new mercies, extend mercy to others, and let His grace guide your words and actions. PRAYER Merciful Father, thank You for Your unfailing compassion and saving grace. Help me to walk faithfully today and reflect Your love to everyone I meet. In Jesus' name, Amen. DECLARATION Today I walk in God's renewed mercy and abundant grace. His faithfulness sustains me, His love strengthens me, and through Christ I live victoriously for His glory. Amen. Devotion by Rev. Frank Fabian Aidoo 📞 +233 544 295 158 Follow us on WhatsApp 👇👇👇 https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6EpEqHbFV78wOHgv2P

Holy Wit – Bible Study #8 Love in Deed and Truth (Walking in the Light: Studies Through 1 John) Scripture Reading (NKJV): 1 John 3:11–24 11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love [a]his brother abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. 20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. 24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A11-24&version=NKJV 1. Two Ways of Life: Cain and Christ John presents two men whose actions reveal two entirely different spiritual families. Cain stands as the example of hatred, while Jesus Christ is the supreme revelation of love. Cain did not murder Abel because Abel had harmed him. He murdered his brother because Abel’s righteous life exposed the wickedness of his own. Cain’s hatred began in the heart before it appeared in his hands. His outward violence grew from inward rebellion against God. John therefore warns believers not to be surprised when the world hates them. The world’s hostility towards Christians is not always caused by something Christians have done. Sometimes faithful obedience itself becomes an offence because it exposes what people would prefer to leave hidden. This does not give Christians permission to be harsh, arrogant, or needlessly offensive. Believers must speak truth with humility and live peaceably wherever possible. Yet even a gracious Christian life may provoke resentment when it reminds others that God is holy and that all people are accountable to Him. Christ stands in complete contrast to Cain. Cain took the life of a righteous man to protect himself. Christ willingly gave His own righteous life to save guilty people. Cain sacrificed his brother for himself; Christ sacrificed Himself for His people. These two men reveal two spiritual directions. Hatred takes from others for the sake of self. Christian love gives itself for the good of others. Genesis 4:3–8 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+4%3A3-8&version=NKJV John 15:18–20 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+15%3A18-20&version=NKJV 2. Love as Evidence of Spiritual Life John does not teach that loving others earns salvation. He teaches that love is evidence that God has already given spiritual life. The natural condition of humanity is not spiritual neutrality. Apart from Christ, people remain under the power of sin and death. Salvation is God’s work of bringing sinners out of death and into life through faith in Jesus Christ. One visible result of this new life is a growing love for fellow believers. Christian love is not the cause of regeneration. It is the fruit of regeneration. A person may claim to know God, speak confidently about doctrine, participate in church activities, and display religious enthusiasm. Yet a settled pattern of hatred towards other believers contradicts that claim. John’s language is strong because the matter is serious. Persistent hatred belongs to the realm of death, not life. John compares hatred with murder because murder begins before blood is shed. Jesus taught the same truth when He traced outward violence back to anger and contempt within the heart. God judges not only what the hand does but also what the heart desires. This does not mean that a Christian will never become angry, speak wrongly, or struggle to forgive. Believers still battle sin. John is describing the settled direction of a life. The person who has been born of God cannot remain peacefully committed to hatred. The Holy Spirit convicts, corrects, and leads the believer towards repentance. Love for other Christians will never be perfect in this life, but it will be present. It may be weak, wounded, or inconsistent, but it cannot be entirely absent where spiritual life truly exists. 1 John 3:14–15 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A14-15&version=NKJV Matthew 5:21–24 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A21-24&version=NKJV 3. Christ Defines the Meaning of Love The world frequently speaks about love, but it often defines love as approval, attraction, affection, or personal fulfilment. John gives Christians a far more demanding definition. We understand love by looking at Jesus Christ, who laid down His life for His people. The cross does more than provide an inspiring example. Christ’s death was a substitutionary sacrifice in which He bore the judgment deserved by sinners. His sacrifice accomplished redemption. No Christian can repeat or add to that saving work. Nevertheless, the self-giving character of Christ’s love becomes the pattern for Christian living. Because Christ gave Himself for us, we are called to give ourselves for one another. John’s statement that believers ought to lay down their lives for the brethren includes the possibility of literal sacrifice, but it also reaches into ordinary life. Most Christians will never face a moment in which they must physically die for another believer. All Christians, however, will face opportunities to surrender time, comfort, money, attention, pride, and personal preference. It is possible to admire the sacrifice of Christ while carefully arranging our lives so that we never have to sacrifice anything for anyone else. John will not permit that separation. The love displayed at Calvary must begin to shape the lives of those who belong to the crucified and risen Lord. Christian love is therefore not merely warm feeling. Feelings may accompany love, but they do not define it. Love is a God-directed commitment to seek another person’s true good, even when doing so is inconvenient or costly. John 10:11 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10%3A11&version=NKJV Romans 5:6–8 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+5%3A6-8&version=NKJV 4. Love Must Move Beyond Words John brings the discussion of love into a very practical situation. A believer sees a fellow Christian in genuine need and possesses the means to help. If that believer refuses compassion, words about love become empty. The issue is not that one person must meet every need. No individual possesses unlimited money, time, strength, or opportunity. Scripture does not command careless giving, nor does it forbid wisdom in distinguishing genuine need from manipulation. John’s concern is the deliberate closing of the heart. A person sees the need, possesses the ability to assist, and chooses indifference. Such a response raises a serious question: how can the love of God be dwelling in someone whose heart continually remains closed to the suffering of God’s people? Love in deed and truth is visible, practical, and sincere. It provides food when someone is hungry. It visits those who are lonely. It helps carry burdens. It forgives offences. It corrects gently. It listens patiently. It gives without demanding recognition. It remains present when a situation becomes uncomfortable. This love must also be governed by truth. Biblical love does not encourage sin, conceal destructive behavior, or treat every desire as good. Sometimes love comforts; sometimes it warns. Sometimes it gives material help; sometimes it refuses to support foolishness. Love seeks what is truly good according to God’s Word. Christian compassion therefore requires both tenderness and discernment. Deeds without truth may become harmful sentimentality. Truth without deeds may become cold religious speech. God calls His people to both. 1 John 3:17–18 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A17-18&version=NKJV James 2:14–17 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+2%3A14-17&version=NKJV 5. Assurance When the Heart Condemns Us John understands that sincere Christians sometimes struggle with assurance. A sensitive conscience may remember past sins, dwell upon present failures, and accuse the believer of hypocrisy. The heart may pronounce a harsher judgment than God has pronounced. John directs troubled believers away from endless examination of their own feelings and towards the character of God. God knows everything. His knowledge includes every sin, but it also includes every evidence of grace, every sincere act of repentance, every imperfect expression of love, and every hidden desire to obey Him. The believer’s assurance does not rest upon sinless performance. No Christian could stand before God on that basis. Assurance rests first upon the finished work of Christ and the promises of God. Yet John also teaches that the fruit of obedience and love provides confirming evidence that faith is genuine. A condemning conscience should not simply be ignored. Sometimes the conscience is correctly identifying sin that must be confessed and forsaken. In such cases, the answer is repentance. At other times, however, the heart continues to condemn after sin has been confessed. It may demand a perfection God has not promised in this life. It may treat every struggle as proof that no spiritual life exists. In such moments, the believer must remember that God is a more reliable judge than the fluctuating human heart. God knows those who belong to Him. He knows the difference between a hypocrite who protects sin and a believer who grieves over it. He knows the difference between a person who hates righteousness and one who sincerely desires holiness but often falls short. The Christian’s confidence is therefore neither careless presumption nor hopeless self-condemnation. It is humble reliance upon Christ, accompanied by the growing evidence of a transformed life. 1 John 3:19–20 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A19-20&version=NKJV Romans 8:31–34 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A31-34&version=NKJV 6. Obedience, Confidence, and Prayer John connects a clear conscience with confidence before God. When believers are walking in obedience, they are able to approach God freely in prayer. This does not mean that Christians earn answers to prayer through good behavior. God is not placed in anyone’s debt. Prayer is never a transaction in which obedience purchases divine favors. Rather, obedience and effective prayer belong together because the obedient believer is learning to desire what pleases God. A life shaped by Scripture produces prayers increasingly shaped by Scripture. The believer begins to ask for holiness, wisdom, strength, provision, forgiveness, the spread of the gospel, and the good of others. John’s promise that believers receive what they ask must be read alongside the rest of Scripture. God answers according to His will, wisdom, and purpose. He may give what was requested. He may delay. He may provide something different. He may refuse because the request would not serve His glory or the believer’s good. The obedient believer trusts God’s answer because prayer is directed towards a Father, not a machine. Confidence in prayer means confidence in God Himself, not confidence that every personal preference will be granted. Disobedience damages prayer because cherished sin hardens the heart and distorts desire. Obedience does not make a person worthy of blessing, but it removes the double-mindedness of asking God for help while deliberately resisting His authority. Psalm 66:18–20 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+66%3A18-20&version=NKJV 1 John 5:14–15 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+5%3A14-15&version=NKJV 7. One Command with Two inseparable Parts John gathers the Christian life into one unified command: believe in Jesus Christ and love one another. Faith and love must not be separated. Faith without love is merely an empty profession. Love without faith in the biblical Christ becomes moral effort without saving truth. Saving faith rests in Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God, the crucified Savior, and the risen Lord. It is not merely agreement that Jesus existed. It is personal trust in who He is and what He accomplished. Those who believe in Christ are then commanded to love one another. This love does not replace doctrine; it grows from doctrine. The more clearly believers understand the mercy shown to them in Christ, the less reason they have to remain proud, bitter, or indifferent towards others. John also speaks of mutual abiding. The believer abides in God, and God abides in the believer. This does not mean that Christians become divine. It describes a real spiritual union and continuing fellowship created by God. The Holy Spirit confirms this relationship. He illuminates the truth about Christ, produces obedience, creates love, convicts of sin, and enables perseverance. His presence is known not primarily through passing emotion but through a life increasingly submitted to the Word of God. The Christian life is therefore not sustained by human determination alone. God commands His people to believe, love, and obey, and He gives His Spirit to work within them. 1 John 3:23–24 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A23-24&version=NKJV John 14:15–17 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A15-17&version=NKJV Reflection Questions 1. Why did Abel’s righteous life provoke Cain’s hatred, and how does this help explain the world’s hostility towards faithful Christians? 2. What is the difference between occasional anger, which must be confessed, and a settled pattern of hatred? 3. How does Christ’s sacrifice define Christian love more clearly than emotion or sentiment? 4. Is there a need you have seen but avoided because helping would inconvenience you or cost you something? 5. How can a believer distinguish between the proper conviction of the Holy Spirit and continuing self-condemnation after repentance? 6. Why does obedience give believers greater confidence in prayer without earning answers from God? 7. In what ways does the Holy Spirit produce both truth and love in the life of a Christian? Prayer Points 1. Thank Jesus Christ for laying down His life to redeem guilty sinners. 2. Ask God to expose and remove bitterness, resentment, and hatred from your heart. 3. Pray for practical opportunities to love fellow believers through deeds of mercy and service. 4. Ask for wisdom to combine genuine compassion with faithfulness to biblical truth. 5. Pray for assurance grounded in the finished work of Christ rather than in changing feelings. 6. Ask God to bring your desires and prayers into greater agreement with His will. 7. Thank God for the indwelling Holy Spirit, who produces obedience, love, and perseverance in His people. For Further Study (NKJV): Genesis 4:1–16 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+4%3A1-16&version=NKJV Matthew 5:21–26 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A21-26&version=NKJV John 13:34–35 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+13%3A34-35&version=NKJV James 2:14–18 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+2%3A14-18&version=NKJV Romans 8:31–39 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A31-39&version=NKJV #HolyWitBibleStudy #GordonMcGinnis #WalkingInTheLight #1John3

HOLY LIFE FELLOWSHIP PRESENTS BORN OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT Part 3: What Does It Mean to Be Born of Water? Jesus declared: "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." (John 3:5) For centuries, these words have stirred one of the greatest questions in Scripture: What did Jesus mean by "water"? Was He referring to physical birth? Was He speaking of water baptism? Or was He unveiling a deeper spiritual reality that reaches far beyond the outward act of baptism? To answer that question, we must allow Scripture to interpret Scripture. Throughout the Bible, water repeatedly symbolizes cleansing, purification, and preparation. It portrays God's gracious work of calling sinful people away from corruption and preparing their hearts to receive Him. This is why John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness with a powerful message: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 3:2) Those who believed his message confessed their sins and were baptized in the Jordan River—not because the water itself possessed the power to remove sin, but because their baptism publicly testified that they had turned away from sin and turned toward God. John's baptism was therefore a baptism of repentance. The water did not transform the heart. It testified that the heart desired transformation. It was an outward witness of an inward decision to forsake sin and prepare for the coming Messiah. When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about being born of water, He was not introducing a new concept. He was reminding him of a truth that had echoed throughout the Scriptures—a call to repentance, cleansing, and a heart made ready for God. As "the teacher of Israel" (John 3:10), Nicodemus should have recognized this divine pattern. Yet Jesus did not stop there. Repentance, though absolutely necessary, cannot by itself produce eternal life. It opens the heart to the truth, but it cannot impart the very life of God. A heart may be convicted. A conscience may be awakened. A life may be reformed. Yet without the Spirit, the inner nature remains unchanged. That is why Jesus did not simply say, "Unless one is born of water..." He declared, "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit..." God's work does not end with cleansing. It continues with regeneration. Repentance prepares the heart. The Holy Spirit gives it life. One removes the old. The other creates the new. Together they reveal God's complete work of salvation. To be continued... In Part 4, we will discover why repentance alone can never save, why moral reformation is not the new birth, and why every sinner must receive the supernatural life that only the Holy Spirit can give.

🌿 MEDITATIONS ON SPIRIT AND LIFE 🕊️ SAVED BY MERCY 📖 Titus 3:5-6 "He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior." The apostle Paul reminds Titus that salvation is entirely the work of God. It rests neither on human merit nor on good works, but on divine mercy manifested in Jesus Christ and applied through the action of the Holy Spirit. Salvation is not earned, it is received. God's grace does not simply forgive our sins; it transforms us from within. The Holy Spirit has regenerated us by placing the life of God within us. Those who are in Christ are not only forgiven, but regenerated. This means that the life of God has been imparted to them by God, and they are no longer dead, but truly alive. They enter a process of continuous transformation as they obediently submit to God's word under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit renews their minds and empowers them to live a life that pleases God. Do not place your trust in your own spiritual abilities, but in God's grace. Let the Holy Spirit renew your heart, mind, and character daily so that you may more fully reflect Jesus Christ. Lord, thank you for the salvation you grant me through your mercy. Renew me daily through your Holy Spirit so that my life may reflect the beauty of Jesus Christ. Amen. #Regeneration🙏🏼 #SpiritandLife🔥

Holy Wit – Bible Study #7 Children of God (Walking in the Light: Studies Through 1 John – 1 John 2:28–3:10) Scripture Reading (NKJV): 1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. 1 John 2:29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him. 1 John 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 1 John 3:4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 1 John 3:5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 1 John 3:6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. 1 John 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 1 John 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. 1 John 3:10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. 1 John 2:28–3:10 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+2%3A28-3%3A10&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 1. Abide in Him Until He Appears John begins this section by returning to the command that closed the previous one: “abide in Him.” Abiding is not a vague spiritual feeling or a momentary experience. In the setting of 1 John, it means continuing in the apostolic truth about Christ, remaining in fellowship with Him, and refusing the deception of those who deny the Son. The Christian life is sustained by the same Christ in whom it began. John also places this perseverance under the light of Christ’s appearing. The return of Christ is not an ornament attached to Christian doctrine; it gives urgency and direction to Christian living. Those who remain in Christ may face His coming with confidence rather than shame. This confidence is not self-confidence built upon a flawless record. It rests upon Christ our Advocate and is confirmed by a life that continues in Him. A profession of faith that abandons Christ cannot provide biblical assurance. John therefore joins perseverance, assurance, and the second coming: the believer keeps abiding because Christ will appear, and because fellowship with Him makes that appearing a hope rather than a terror. 1 John 2:28 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+2%3A28&version=NKJV John 15:4–5 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+15%3A4-5&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 2. Born of Him: Righteousness as Fruit, Not Root John’s reasoning in verse 29 is carefully ordered. He does not say that people become children of God by performing enough righteous deeds. He says that the practice of righteousness reveals that a person “is born of Him.” The new birth is the source; righteous conduct is its fruit. This protects the gospel from two opposite errors. Legalism treats obedience as the price of acceptance with God. Lawlessness treats grace as permission to remain unchanged. John allows neither. The righteousness of Christ is the believer’s only ground of acceptance, yet the Christ who justifies also transforms. Justification and sanctification must be distinguished, but they must never be separated. Good works do not create new life, but new life creates good works. John speaks of “practicing” righteousness because he is describing the settled direction of a life, not claiming that Christians reach sinless perfection. The question is not whether a believer ever sins; John has already said that believers must confess their sins. The question is whether righteousness has become the governing allegiance of the life. Obedience is not the purchase price of sonship. It is family resemblance. 1 John 2:29 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+2%3A29&version=NKJV Ephesians 2:8–10 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+2%3A8-10&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 3. “What Manner of Love”: Children Now, Glory Yet to Come John does not merely tell believers that God loves them. He calls them to stop and consider what kind of love this is: the Father has bestowed a love that makes rebels His children. This status is not earned, imagined, or merely honorary. “Now we are children of God.” What Paul commonly describes as adoption, John often describes as being born of God. Both truths declare that salvation brings believers into a real filial relationship with the Father. The world does not recognise this identity because it did not recognise Christ. Rejection by the world is therefore not proof that God has abandoned His people; it may reflect the same spiritual blindness that rejected the Son. Yet Christian identity contains both an “already” and a “not yet.” Believers are truly God’s children now, while the fullness of what they shall be has not yet been revealed. At Christ’s appearing, they will be like Him because they will see Him as He is. John is not teaching that creatures become divine in essence. He is speaking of glorification: complete conformity to Christ in holiness, freedom from sin, and life suited to His presence. The Father’s love gives both a present name and a future destiny. 1 John 3:1–2 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A1-2&version=NKJV Romans 8:15–17, 29–30 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A15-17%2C29-30&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 4. Purifying Hope The hope of seeing Christ is not meant to produce speculation without obedience. “Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” Biblical hope is not uncertain wishing. It is confident expectation grounded in God’s promise. Because believers know where salvation is going, they begin to live now in a manner consistent with that destination. The future likeness to Christ exerts a sanctifying pressure upon the present. John’s wording also shows that sanctification involves real Christian effort. The believer purifies himself, yet he does so only because God has made him His child, given him hope, and is transforming him. Grace does not remove human responsibility; it creates and empowers it. This purification includes confession of sin, the rejection of corrupt desires, obedience to God’s Word, and a deliberate refusal to make peace with what Christ came to remove. The standard is not the surrounding culture, nor comparison with other Christians, but Christ Himself: “just as He is pure.” John gives no support to perfectionism, but neither does he leave room for comfortable stagnation. The person who expects to see the pure Christ must desire purity now. 1 John 3:3 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A3&version=NKJV Titus 2:11–14 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus+2%3A11-14&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 5. Sin, Lawlessness, and the Mission of the Son John now defines sin with a severity that modern thought often avoids: “sin is lawlessness.” Sin is more than weakness, poor judgment, or emotional brokenness. Those things may accompany it, but at its heart sin is resistance to the authority of God. His law reveals His holy character and rightful rule; to sin is to act as though the creature may dismiss the Creator’s command. Against this lawlessness John sets the sinless Son. Christ was manifested “to take away our sins,” and “in Him there is no sin.” Only the sinless One could bear the sins of others, and His saving purpose cannot be separated from the destruction of sin’s rule. John therefore says that the one who abides in Christ “does not sin” and that the one who sins has neither seen nor known Him. Read alone, those words might appear to teach that a Christian never commits a sin. But John has already denied sinless claims and instructed believers to confess their sins, resting in Christ their Advocate. His concern here is the continuing practice and dominion of sin. A believer may fall into sin, but cannot settle into it as an accepted way of life. Christ did not come merely to reduce sin’s consequences while leaving its authority untouched. He came to take sins away and to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:4–8 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A4-8&version=NKJV 1 John 1:8–2:2 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+1%3A8-2%3A2&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 6. God’s Seed and the Two Families Verse 9 presses the doctrine of regeneration to its moral conclusion. Whoever has been born of God does not continue in sin because God’s “seed” remains in him. John does not fully explain the image here, but its force is plain: the new birth is not a religious costume placed over an unchanged nature. God gives an enduring principle of spiritual life. The statement that the believer “cannot sin” does not mean a physical inability to commit an individual sinful act; John’s own earlier teaching rules that out. It means that the person born of God cannot live under sin as an unbroken, unrepentant, defining pattern. New birth creates a holy contradiction between the believer and the sin that still remains. John then speaks with startling clarity of two families: the children of God and the children of the devil. This is moral and spiritual lineage, not physical descent, and it does not make the devil a rival god. He is a creature and a rebel. Yet his children bear his resemblance through lawlessness, while God’s children increasingly bear the Father’s resemblance through righteousness and love. There is no morally empty Christian identity in this passage. Claims, labels, experiences, and religious language are tested by a life that practises righteousness and loves the brethren. John does not ask whether a person has achieved perfection. He asks whose character the person’s life increasingly displays. 1 John 3:9–10 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A9-10&version=NKJV John 8:42–44 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+8%3A42-44&version=NKJV ________________________________________ Reflection Questions 1. How does abiding in Christ produce confidence concerning His appearing (1 John 2:28)? 2. Why must the practice of righteousness be understood as evidence of the new birth rather than the cause of it (1 John 2:29)? 3. What does it mean to be a child of God now, and what remains future about that identity (1 John 3:1–2)? 4. In what practical ways should the hope of seeing Christ purify a believer’s present life (1 John 3:3)? 5. How do 1 John 1:8–2:2 help us understand the statements that the person born of God “does not sin” and “cannot sin” (1 John 3:6, 9)? ________________________________________ Prayer Points 1. Thank the Father for the love by which He has made believers His children. 2. Ask for grace to abide in Christ and to await His appearing with confidence. 3. Pray that the hope of seeing Christ will produce deeper purity and obedience. 4. Ask God to expose settled patterns of sin and to strengthen righteousness and love for fellow believers. ________________________________________ For further study (NKJV): John 1:12–13 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1%3A12-13&version=NKJV Romans 6:1–14 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+6%3A1-14&version=NKJV 2 Corinthians 3:18 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+3%3A18&version=NKJV ________________________________________ #HolyWitBibleStudy #GordonMcGinnis #WalkingInTheLight #1John2_28To3_10

Kora Obidi, Pastor Kumuyi and Her Deeper Life Roots: How One Shakira Clip at 13 Turned a Holiness Girl Into an Adult Performer I saw an interview recently. It came to my feed because it contained content related to Pastor Kumuyi and Deeper Life, and the algorithm knows I watch holiness‑based content. And in that interview, Kora Obidi openly mentioned Deeper Life Church. She said she grew up in a Deeper Life home where TV was completely forbidden. She said she didn’t watch TV for the first 13 years of her life. And the very first day she finally watched TV… she saw Shakira dancing. According to her, that sudden exposure — after 13 years of total denial — made her “vulnerable,” and Shakira’s performance immediately influenced her to start dancing. Not just dancing, but eventually becoming an adult performer. Her story is not simply unfortunate. It is a case study in what happens when holiness is present, but conviction is absent. WHAT HER STORY REVEALS 1. Rules cannot replace regeneration She lived under holiness but never met the God behind it. That is why one Shakira clip could overthrow 13 years of doctrine. “God looks at the heart.” — 1 Samuel 16:7 2. Sudden exposure destroys unrooted children She said she became “vulnerable” because she had never seen anything like Shakira before. This is exactly why Kumuyi and Deeper Life restricted TV, not to punish, but to protect. “Guard your heart.” — Proverbs 4:23 3. Trauma without discipleship becomes rebellion She lost her mother early. Her father left the church. Her emotional foundation collapsed. Pain + exposure + no discipleship = predictable derailment. “A broken spirit dries the bones.” — Proverbs 17:22 4. Talent without guidance becomes a weapon for the world Her gift made room for her but because she lacked discipleship, the room she entered was the world, not the kingdom. “A gift makes room.” — Proverbs 18:16 5. Church culture cannot replace personal salvation She grew up in church, not in Christ. “Be rooted in Him.” — Colossians 2:7 LESSONS FOR THE CHURCH, PARENTS AND CHILDREN For the Church Stop assuming children raised in holiness are automatically saved. They need encounters, not just outlines. For Parents Your child can obey your rules and still be spiritually empty. Your child can avoid TV and still be unrooted. Your child can dress holy and still be vulnerable. Holiness must be explained, not just enforced. For Children/Teenagers Growing up in church is not salvation. Your parents’ convictions cannot become yours by inheritance. You must meet Christ personally. MY PERSONAL CONCLUSION When I was in Deeper Life in the 90s, I saw this pattern clearly. Most of the people who carried real fire were those who came into the church seeking God, not those who were born into the system. I saw chronic unbelievers who mastered the routines but never felt the fire. Even Jerry Kumuyi, raised in holiness, didn’t become born again until his mid‑thirties. His friend, who claimed he was an ex‑cultist in that popular video clip, was also the son of a big pastor. This reinforces one truth: salvation is personal. “Work out your salvation.” — Philippians 2:12 Holiness is not inherited. It is not absorbed by proximity. It is birthed by conviction. This is why Pastor Kumuyi or Deeper Life should not be blamed for how Kora turned out. Many grew up under the same strict environment — no TV, no worldly exposure — and turned out strong, stable, and deeply rooted in Christ. The issue is not Deeper Life. The issue is not the no‑TV doctrine. The issue is not Pastor Kumuyi. The issue is personal surrender. HOW TO HELP CHILDREN BORN INTO CHURCH CULTURE (WHO DON’T BELIEVE) • Teach identity, not just morality • Give encounters, not just restrictions • Disciple their gifts early • Heal wounds before the world exploits them • Let them ask questions without fear • Show them Christ, not just church culture If we fail here, the world will disciple them the moment they step outside. And the first Shakira they see at 13 will still be powerful enough to redirect their destiny. - shared by Dae Jumong 12/7/26 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Here is my opinion … This conversation goes beyond Kora Obidi, Deeper Life, Pastor Kumuyi, or even the question of whether a particular church standard was right or wrong. The deeper parenting lesson is that child can be protected from the world and still not be prepared for the world. Rules are important. Boundaries are important. Values are important. But boundaries without understanding can create children who know what they are not allowed to do, but do not understand why they believe what they believe. A child who has never been taught how to process temptation may not know what to do when temptation eventually arrives. This is why parenting cannot only be about restriction. It must also be about formation. You cannot simply say: “Don’t watch this.” “Don’t listen to that.” “Don’t go there.” You must also teach: “Here is why we choose differently.” “Here is who you are.” “Here is what God says about your identity.” “Here is how to make wise decisions when nobody is watching.” The goal of parenting is not to raise children who can survive only inside our fence. The goal is to raise children who carry conviction even when they leave the fence. A child who has been trained only by external control may look obedient while supervised but collapse when freedom comes. A child who has been discipled has an internal compass. That is why parents must move from control to conviction, from rules to relationship, from behavior management to heart transformation. Jesus did not just give people rules; He transformed hearts. The question every Christian parent should ask is: “Have I only taught my child how to behave, or have I helped my child understand why they believe?” Because one day every child will encounter their own “Shakira moment” an unexpected exposure, a new environment, a new friend, a new temptation. The preparation is not pretending the world does not exist. The preparation is raising children who know who they are before the world tells them who they should become. Holiness must move from the family handbook into the child’s heart. That is the work of intentional parenting. This is exactly why parenting cannot be accidental. The world is discipling children every day through entertainment, friendships, social media, and culture. The question is not whether your child will be influenced. The question is: Who will have the strongest voice in your child’s life before the world begins speaking? Inside our Inner Circle Program for Parents, we help intentional parents move beyond just controlling behavior and start building children with: ✅ Strong identity ✅ Biblical values ✅ Emotional intelligence ✅ Critical thinking skills ✅ Healthy boundaries ✅ The confidence to stand when nobody is watching Because the goal is not to raise children who only do right when parents are around. The goal is to raise children who carry conviction when they are alone. Registration for our next Inner Circle is open. If you desire to raise children who are rooted, resilient, and prepared for the real world, comment INNER CIRCLE or send us a message to secure your place. Your child’s future cannot be left to chance. ❤️ Copied

Remind them to be in subjection to rulers and to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, Titus 3:1 to speak evil of no one, not to be contentious, to be gentle, showing all humility toward all men. Titus 3:2 For we were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. Titus 3:3 But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love toward mankind appeared, Titus 3:4 not by works of righteousness which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, Titus 3:5 whom he poured out on us richly, through Jesus Christ our Savior; Titus 3:6 that being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:7 This saying is faithful, and concerning these things I desire that you affirm confidently, so that those who have believed God may be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men; Titus 3:8 but shun foolish questionings, genealogies, strife, and disputes about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. Titus 3:9 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.holy_bible_apps_and_audio_scriptures.en_web

The Present Truth # 15 Another Opportunity The Second Birth To be intelligent, kind, and good does not necessarily make a person happy, nor does it secure peace. Millions of people are unhappy and the cause of it is not always understood. A child is born, grows up, then from young adulthood finds that the same continuing problems exist—troubles and strife on every hand. Many do not recognize their purpose in life, don’t know their origin, or their destination, either during life or at the end of it. After an existence of uncertainty, misery, or suffering, one dies. What was the purpose? Yet is there or can there be a reason or purpose for living? There is only one reason for our existence, and we need to think about this question seriously because our present and future security depends on a right understanding of it. It is of vital importance. If we have inner peace and the hope of a better world, then we will be happy and consider life in a very positive way. In our present condition it is impossible to inherit the future kingdom of glory. Although many think they are good people, the fact still exists that “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23). Should we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves (1 John 1:8). What must we do then, in order to qualify as heirs of the world to come? The answer is quite simple, we must fulfil God’s requirements! We must be born again, that is, we must change our way of living to be in perfect harmony with God’s will. This is what we will study about in this lesson. Why Do We Need a Second Birth? Many years ago one of the members of the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus, came to Jesus one night to talk with Him. Nicodemus had previously heard Jesus’ teachings and had been deeply impressed. His heart was open, desiring to understand truth and the Master promptly gave the answer to all his questions. “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3. Then the meaning of the new birth was explained: “Jesus 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. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” John 3:5-7. To be born of the Spirit means to be regenerated. That is, to detach the affections from the old desires and attach the will and affections to God. Unless this change takes place in the life, one cannot enter the kingdom of God. When our motives in life do not harmonize with God’s will we are left to stumble along in our own sinful course and finally “. . . the wages of sin is death . . .” Romans 6:23. The natural human heart is wicked and tends to choose all kinds of sin. Paul describes the condition of those without God:“Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful.” Romans 1:29-31. The apostle Paul also explains that no relationship can exist between the carnal minded and the spiritual minded person: “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:5-8. In the sight of God those who do not obey His word are considered dead. Paul says that they work against God and they are children of wrath, and are therefore spiritually dead. Their plans only take in the short span of an earthly life, and they ignore heaven’s plan for this life and the next. “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” Ephesians 2:1-3. Those who are spiritually dead are insensible. Their conscience is seared, their minds benumbed, and in this state they are unable to comprehend their spiritual needs, nor do they have a desire for a better way of life. Something must be done to resurrect these people from their spiritual death. The answer is the gospel. Only the gospel can revive the spark of life, “For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” 1 Peter 4:6. Regeneration is essential, without it sins cannot be forgiven. Note why the sinner must be converted: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out . . .” Acts 3:19. The sinner must feel his need, plead for the grace of God, and abhor sin. Each person must recognize his sinful condition, repent and demonstrate a desire for a decided change, then they will be accepted by God. How to Be Converted? Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will impress the sinner of their wrong course. The Spirit speaks to a person in different ways: by the word of God (written or spoken), by the Holy Spirit (via the conscience, circumstances, or daily experience), and through the works of nature. The Spirit convinces people of sin that each might see their true condition. “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. . . . Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” John 16:8, 13. Once convicted of wrongs done, the sinner can accept the invitation of Christ: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. “My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.” Proverbs 23:26. The sinner comes to Christ, then there is something else to do. The will must be enlisted on the Lord’s side; then comes the beginning of the process of the transformation of the life. The wicked acts previously committed must be abandoned. It is not sufficient to confess sins: one must repent of the deeds and forsake them. “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:6, 7. True repentance means sorrow for sins and a turning away from it. Note the example of David’s confession and repentance: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. . . . Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:1-4, 7. What Is a New Born Person Like? The regeneration or transformation of character is compared to a newborn child. Everything is new, full of hope and exciting. The old life of folly is altogether different from this vibrant new life of inner peace. A new journey has begun in an opposite direction, a direction of knowing you are doing God’s will. Paul said: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17. A converted person does not seek after things which are of the earth but seeks first of all the kingdom of God. “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Colossians 3:1, 2. One result of true conversion is evident in the deeds of a born again man or woman. Actions, words, thoughts, and everything in their life will reveal whether they are a genuine new creature or whether the old sinful person is still alive. It will be obvious that God is directing the new life. “If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Ephesians 4:21-24. “If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.” Ezekiel 33:15. “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.” Romans 6:6, 7. “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8. How happy is the person who is a new creature in Jesus Christ. Such a transformed person is under the influence of the Holy Spirit. New thoughts form the foundation of his mind. New reasoning takes the place of old ways of thinking. The person possesses different feelings, and attitudes. New principles govern the life. Things in which he previously found pleasure he now hates. God’s kingdom is all his pleasure. Before, he delighted to do evil, now he hates it. Formerly there was no pleasure in doing good, but now this is his whole delight. Where time was spent in amusements, games and foolishness; now he loathes the time wasted on these things. Before conversion there was no desire to read the Bible, to sing, to pray, or to attend church, now there is delight in doing all these activities. Things which he loved before he now hates, and things that he hated before he now loves. Everything is changed. Here is a new person. It is so, because Christ dwells in the heart. The proud becomes humble, the drunkard becomes sober, the vicious is pure, the fickle now is sincere, the liar becomes truthful, the frivolous is circumspect. A person may be the worst of evildoers, sunken in sin, but they can still be saved and made whole. This is the promise: “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” Isaiah 43:25. “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.” Isaiah 44:22. What Is the Ultimate Reward of Being a Converted Person? “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” John 1:12. Just think of it! What a wonderful transformation! A converted person becomes a ransomed son or daughter of God. What an experience! From being a child of wrath one becomes an adopted child of the heavenly Father. To be a son or daughter of God means everything. To be a member of God’s family is the greatest honour that can be bestowed upon any person. “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints and of the household of God.” Ephesians 2:19. To be honored as a member of God’s family is the highest honor one can receive. It makes us an heir to a glorious, eternal kingdom. “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” Galatians 4:6, 7. The inheritance promised to the children of God will be granted at the glorious second coming of Jesus Christ. He will invite the heirs to possess the new earth: “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 25:34. The inheritance of the children of God will be the whole earth made new. They will inherit it throughout eternity. “But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. . . . The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be forever. . . . The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.” Psalm 37:11, 18, 29.