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.
This important step has more benefits than just getting a ticket to Heaven. It also carries with it responsibilities. By declaring Jesus as your Saviour, you are pledging to turn your back on sin. God expects an extremely high standard of behavior, so this includes giving up lying, swearing, smoking, alcohol, drugs and even gossiping.
Being sinless isn't easy. Satan is constantly littering our paths with temptation. The good news is, God sent the Holy Spirit to whip us into shape to become Heaven-ready. He fills us up, makes crucial changes right down to our DNA and makes us squeaky clean from the inside out. This, according to John 14:15-18.
Over time, people with the Holy Spirit start to change. Jokes that were once hilarious suddenly seem tacky and offensive. The urge to smoke, drink or use drugs starts to fade. People become calmer and more forgiving. Computer games and gambling give way to reading the Bible and spending time in prayer.
Christians also fast. This is another way of getting God's attention and forming a close relationship with Him. There are two ways to engage in a Christian fast. One is a water fast. Here, nothing is consumed from sunup to sundown apart from water and diluted fruit juice. During a fast, Christians are instructed to spend more time than usual in prayer and reading the Bible. Without them, the fast is no more than a weight loss 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.
This important step has more benefits than just getting a ticket to Heaven. It also carries with it responsibilities. By declaring Jesus as your Saviour, you are pledging to turn your back on sin. God expects an extremely high standard of behavior, so this includes giving up lying, swearing, smoking, alcohol, drugs and even gossiping.
Being sinless isn't easy. Satan is constantly littering our paths with temptation. The good news is, God sent the Holy Spirit to whip us into shape to become Heaven-ready. He fills us up, makes crucial changes right down to our DNA and makes us squeaky clean from the inside out. This, according to John 14:15-18.
Over time, people with the Holy Spirit start to change. Jokes that were once hilarious suddenly seem tacky and offensive. The urge to smoke, drink or use drugs starts to fade. People become calmer and more forgiving. Computer games and gambling give way to reading the Bible and spending time in prayer.
Christians also fast. This is another way of getting God's attention and forming a close relationship with Him. There are two ways to engage in a Christian fast. One is a water fast. Here, nothing is consumed from sunup to sundown apart from water and diluted fruit juice. During a fast, Christians are instructed to spend more time than usual in prayer and reading the Bible. Without them, the fast is no more than a weight loss 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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