Born Again

John 3:2-6

I have been studying a lot as my wife and I have been meeting with a pair of Mormon Missionaries.  One of the things that has caught my attention is their belief that baptism is necessary for Salvation.

I am not trying to downplay baptism, but I cannot find in Scripture where it is mandated before one can get to Heaven.

The Mormon belief comes from John 3:5 where Jesus says you must be born of water, and of the Spirit. 

It is easy to see how this could be misunderstood to mean baptism when you take the verse out of context.  However, when we look at the before, and the after on the context of this verse we see clearly that it is not talking about baptism, but rather, our human, physical birth.

John 3:4 shows Nicodemus asking how can a man be born again when he is old, can he return into his mother’s womb?  The next verse Jesus responds with water, and spirit.  One must assume that Christ was answering the question about physical birth with the term “water.”

In the next verse following Jesus statement, John 3:6, he then talks about flesh being born of flesh, and Spirit being born of Spirit.  Once again we see the reference to a physical birth. 

When we examine the context of the Scripture we clearly see that Christ is not talking about baptism as a requirement for Salvation, He was merely painting a picture of the differences between our natural and spiritual births.

Introduction to the Book of James

James 1:1

James describes himself as a slave, or a bondservant.  The Greek word is Doulos (δοῦλος) and has the idea of  an attitude of a slave.  As Christians, we are not slaves to Christ as though we do not have a choice, but rather we choose to follow and serve Him because of what He did for us on the cross.

The Benefits of the Lord

Psalm 103:2 says to not forget the benefits of the Lord.  But what are His benefits?

A lot of times we take the thing of God for granted, He has given us eternal life when we deserve death.  God has given us the right to be Kings and Queens.  He has given us love when we do not deserve His love.  He gives us blessings, He supplies our every need.

These are just a few, but when we really start to think about what God gives us, it begins to sink in just how loving and marvelous He truly is!

Devotional Thought

Hebrews 10:24-25
We are told to consider each other, and to lift up, not cause strife.  We are also commanded to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together.  We can't make it alone in this life, we must have the help of other Christians, this is what the Lord intended.

Book Review: Sun Stand Still (Steven Furtick)

Many of us live life wanting to do more for God with our lives.  We have dreams and aspirations that we want to accomplish for the Kingdom of God, but many times are too afraid to ask.


Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick (Pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC) tackles this very issue.  In the book Furtick gives first-hand accounts about how he, and his church members have seen God do the impossible through what he calls “Sun Stand Still Prayers.”


The term “Sun Stand Still Prayer” comes from the book of Joshua when the leader prayed to God for the Sun to stand still during battle, and God honored his faith.  Furtick goes throughout the book to prove the point that we should have the same type of audacious faith even today.


As I read this book I couldn’t help but look at my own life and dreams that I have for ministry.  This book has challenged me to become audacious in my requests of faith to God.  


If you have a vision that God has given you, or if you just simply want to learn how to grow in faith with God and expand your mustard seed, Sun Stand Still is a must read.  It will challenge you, and it will stretch your faith.  I have to give it 5 stars!


I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review