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 family doesn't make anyone a Christian any more than flying in an airplane makes them an eagle. The ritual of baptism, a public declaration of a love for and a pledge of obedience to Christ are what makes someone a Christian. It's not enough just to believe. Satan believes. Satan's demons believe.
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.
All this righteousness sounds like a pretty tall order, but, according to John 14:15-18, God sent us the Holy Spirit to help and guide us while we wait for the return of Christ. It is this Spirit that fills the born again believers, tinkers with their DNA and changes them on the inside.
After a while, we don't enjoy the same old sins that we used do. We stop laughing at dirty jokes, quit smoking and start to work harder, both at home, at church and in our jobs. We spend more time in Christian fellowship, studying the Bible, praying and leading people to Christ.
Christians also fast in order to become closer to the Creator. There is no specific time of year for a fast and it can be done as an individual or along with others in a Bible study group or church. There are two types of Christian fast. The first, and most conventional, is the water fast. Under this regime, nothing is consumed between the hours of six am and six pm apart from water or maybe very dilute fruit juice. Prayer and Bible reading are essential during the fasting period; otherwise, it's just a calorie-controlled diet.
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.
Praying, reading the Bible, fasting and tithing are all means of getting an encounter with God. Tithing is the practice of giving 10 percent of all earnings to the church, meaning to God, from whom we ultimately get everything we have or need. Although the first tithe took place in the Old Testament when Mielchizidek collected a tithe from Abraham, it was a covenant thing, and not just an old Testament thing. A covenant is eternal.
Living in a Christian family doesn't make anyone a Christian any more than flying in an airplane makes them an eagle. The ritual of baptism, a public declaration of a love for and a pledge of obedience to Christ are what makes someone a Christian. It's not enough just to believe. Satan believes. Satan's demons believe.
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.
All this righteousness sounds like a pretty tall order, but, according to John 14:15-18, God sent us the Holy Spirit to help and guide us while we wait for the return of Christ. It is this Spirit that fills the born again believers, tinkers with their DNA and changes them on the inside.
After a while, we don't enjoy the same old sins that we used do. We stop laughing at dirty jokes, quit smoking and start to work harder, both at home, at church and in our jobs. We spend more time in Christian fellowship, studying the Bible, praying and leading people to Christ.
Christians also fast in order to become closer to the Creator. There is no specific time of year for a fast and it can be done as an individual or along with others in a Bible study group or church. There are two types of Christian fast. The first, and most conventional, is the water fast. Under this regime, nothing is consumed between the hours of six am and six pm apart from water or maybe very dilute fruit juice. Prayer and Bible reading are essential during the fasting period; otherwise, it's just a calorie-controlled diet.
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.
Praying, reading the Bible, fasting and tithing are all means of getting an encounter with God. Tithing is the practice of giving 10 percent of all earnings to the church, meaning to God, from whom we ultimately get everything we have or need. Although the first tithe took place in the Old Testament when Mielchizidek collected a tithe from Abraham, it was a covenant thing, and not just an old Testament thing. A covenant is eternal.
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