Many people who were raised in a Christian household, attended Sunday School, and have never killed anybody, think they will go to Heaven when they die. To even begin to have an encounter with God, it is necessary to become baptized, and by baptized it means immersed in water. This is what it means to become "born again."
Living in a Christian household doesn't make anyone a Christian any more than living in a garage makes them a car. So, why is it necessary to go through the ritual of being born again? The Bible says that anyone who believes in Christ will have eternal life. That's the thing. Even demons believe. Satan believes. That is why it is necessary to stand up in front of witnesses and declare one's allegiance to Christ and turn away from sin.
Baptism does more than get you the promise of a seat in Heaven. It also has responsibilities, responsibilities to give up sinful living (smoking, drinking, gambling, etc.) and become obedient to God's ways. When asked if they have ever sinned, so many people claim to good people because they have never committed murder. God expects a lot more than that.
Being good doesn't come easy, even to born again Christians. That is why God sent us the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-18), to put us through boot camp to become ready for Heaven. He gets right down to the DNA and makes us better, more righteous people. He changes our feelings and our actions.
As time passes and the Holy Spirit chisels away at our souls to remove sin, our attitudes change. Alcohol, tobacco and drugs lose their appeal. People become more humble. We are slow to anger and quick to forgive. Born again Christians lose interest in spending ours in front of television or whiling away nights in bars or clubs and turn to prayer and reading scripture instead.
Another Christian practice is that of fasting. There are two ways to observe a fast. One is the water fast, in which no food is taken from morning until evening, only water and very dilute fruit juice. It is important to spend time in prayer and reading scripture, otherwise you are just on a diet. The other method of fasting is the 21-day Daniel fast. This involves a very strict vegan regime. No sugar, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, animal products or leavened bread are allowed.
On a Daniel fast, rice cakes, wholemeal rice and wholemeal tortilla wraps are permitted, as is wholemeal pasta. Again, this fasting regime must be accompanied by prayer and Bible-reading in order to feel the full spiritual effects.
All of these Christian practices bring a person closer to having an encounter with God. Baptism, reading the Bible, praying and fasting. Tithing, the practice of giving 10 percent of all income back to God, from whom all blessings come, is an essential part of behaving like a Christian. This is not just an Old Testament thing; it is a covenant thing. Abraham is recorded as giving a tithe to Melchizidek when he fought the King of Sodom. A covenant is everlasting. All scripture is inspired by God, not just the New Testament.
Living in a Christian household doesn't make anyone a Christian any more than living in a garage makes them a car. So, why is it necessary to go through the ritual of being born again? The Bible says that anyone who believes in Christ will have eternal life. That's the thing. Even demons believe. Satan believes. That is why it is necessary to stand up in front of witnesses and declare one's allegiance to Christ and turn away from sin.
Baptism does more than get you the promise of a seat in Heaven. It also has responsibilities, responsibilities to give up sinful living (smoking, drinking, gambling, etc.) and become obedient to God's ways. When asked if they have ever sinned, so many people claim to good people because they have never committed murder. God expects a lot more than that.
Being good doesn't come easy, even to born again Christians. That is why God sent us the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-18), to put us through boot camp to become ready for Heaven. He gets right down to the DNA and makes us better, more righteous people. He changes our feelings and our actions.
As time passes and the Holy Spirit chisels away at our souls to remove sin, our attitudes change. Alcohol, tobacco and drugs lose their appeal. People become more humble. We are slow to anger and quick to forgive. Born again Christians lose interest in spending ours in front of television or whiling away nights in bars or clubs and turn to prayer and reading scripture instead.
Another Christian practice is that of fasting. There are two ways to observe a fast. One is the water fast, in which no food is taken from morning until evening, only water and very dilute fruit juice. It is important to spend time in prayer and reading scripture, otherwise you are just on a diet. The other method of fasting is the 21-day Daniel fast. This involves a very strict vegan regime. No sugar, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, animal products or leavened bread are allowed.
On a Daniel fast, rice cakes, wholemeal rice and wholemeal tortilla wraps are permitted, as is wholemeal pasta. Again, this fasting regime must be accompanied by prayer and Bible-reading in order to feel the full spiritual effects.
All of these Christian practices bring a person closer to having an encounter with God. Baptism, reading the Bible, praying and fasting. Tithing, the practice of giving 10 percent of all income back to God, from whom all blessings come, is an essential part of behaving like a Christian. This is not just an Old Testament thing; it is a covenant thing. Abraham is recorded as giving a tithe to Melchizidek when he fought the King of Sodom. A covenant is everlasting. All scripture is inspired by God, not just the New Testament.
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