Being a Born Again Christian
January 24th 2010 00:02
The term “born again Christian” means a person that has decided to be a real Christian. As scripture states, it is a complete change in ones self. It is realizing that you have a purpose and gift. Even if you aren’t quite sure what it is, the knowledge that God does and He has a plan for your life is vital. Next, a person puts off the old and puts on the new, because making the decision to be a Christian means that you are a new creation. This means to eliminate all things that hinder your relationship with God. If you satisfy yourself with wicked movies or music that would be something that needs to go and it should be replaced with something that keeps you focused on God. Praying continually is another way to tell if you are really committed or if you are merely testing out the waters.
Read Ephesians 4 to learn more on this subject
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Comment by Lester Caudill
Round Politics
There are so many things that can hinder our walk with God, and these things should be removed from our lives.
Comment by samantha-elley
I've found after 29 years of being a Christian that my friendship with Jesus has gone through the lumps and bumps of any other type of friendship in my life. We've had fights, discussions, make up talks, faith crises, funny times, intimate moments, wonderful conversations and times together, just by living day to day and experiencing life with others.
What touches me is He is always there, just waiting for me to get to know Him better. I find this very humbling, that the creator of the world wants to have a relationship with me. It's cool!
Comment by Quintin J. Watt
Christ also opposed the strict adherance to food laws and taboos which many Jews at the time considered essential (see e.g Mark 7, 5-8, 17-20). There are, in addition, instances of Jesus being invited as a guest of honour to dine (and that would have included merriment and entertainment, according to good Jewish tradition of hospitality at the time) by prominent members of the Jewish community - including Pharisees (see e.g. Luke 7, 36-50 - the most famous example because of the uninvited 'sinful woman' who washed his feet and annointed them - she is often wrongly conflated with Mary of Magdala, who appears in the [I]next/I] story (Luke 8, v1) ).
I see being a COMMITTED Christian rather as a way of LIVING (positive) not UNLIVING (negative). It is something to REJOICE in! Daily prayer certainly. Being a right old 'misery' or a killjoy - DEFINITELY NOT!!
Quintin J Watt, Mental and Spiritual Healer
Comment by Big Cat
Chatterpillar
(2) Our praying is real when the Spirit of Christ in us groans for us. Experiencing a lack of prayer is due to not feeding on Christ in the Word. Daily revival in "eating Jesus" is as necessary for our spiritual life as is daily eating of food for our mortal life.
Comment by Quintin J. Watt
A rich man, such as a Pharisee or a tax collector, like Zaccheus (!), having servants and so forth, would have naturally expected to lay on some kind of entertainment for his guest of honour. This may have been hired entertainment, of course, and would certainly have included music (of a kind that was fashionable with Jewish people at the time) and probably dancers too and so forth; in fact, all-round performers , comparable with the jongleurs of (later) mediaeval Europe . These would have been, indubitably, the equivalent of our modern popular music, karaoke evenings, home video players and movies and so forth.
Jesus was treated by such people (when he was invited by them) as if he were a scribe or rabbi - even though Jesus himself did not care for the title - and they would have recognised him also as a 'holy man' and teacher.The word 'rabbi' actually means that. It would not have been improper for such a host to offer such a guest the kind of entertainment I have mentioned. It should be remembered that 1st century Jews - especially Pharisees and scribes - unlike their Roman masters, would not have indulged in the kind of pagan excesses of orgies for which the Greeks and Romans have become so infamous. However, to enjoy oneself was considered by no means impious or improper - even for the very strictest Jews and doctors of the law at that time.
It may be objected that there is no mention of Christ being offered - or accepting and enjoying - any such things in the NT sriptures, or in any of the Gospel passages to which I have alluded. It would not have been so mentioned by the gospel writers; not even by Peter who was almost certainly the source of Mark's gospel - as this was usual and expected. You will note that nowhere in the scriptures is there any mention either of Christ declining, refusing or condemning such activities.
Had he so done, it would CERTAINLY have been mentioned - as is, for example, very definitley, his condmenation of the money-changers and traders in the outer precincts of the temple, whose tables, as we know, he overturned (see Mark 11, 15-19) and whose adobe he famously described, as we also know, as a 'den of thieves' (v 18).
As to your observations about temptation and resistance, Big Cat, I do think it helpful to remember that, although the 'Christ' within us may be capable of resisting temptation, Satan the Tempter is very subtle (see e.g the role of the Serpent, his 'avatar' if you will (Genesis 3, 1-7)) and this same Satan even tested Christ himself most severely during his time in the wilderness at the beginning of his ministry (see e.g. Matthew 4, 1-11).
Finally, your observation regarding the "eating of Christ" (interesting metaphor). This can, of course - and is by some Chrstians (e.g. Catholics) - be a given to have a literal meaning in the taking of Communion. Certainly, I would endorse the idea of us all taking SPIRITUAL nouishment (and it is, after all, our souls - far more importantly than our bodies - which we entrust to God through prayer and active faith) from the act of Communion - or even by daily self-reminding of the MEANING of ths act of Christ for our salvation. The idea of us also deriving spiritual nourishment from Christ through daily prayer? To be honest, I had never thought of it that way before: a soul-enhancing vision on your part. Thank you!
Quintin J. Watt, Mental and Spiritual Healer, Cultural Historian and Lay Preacher.