Professional Documents
Culture Documents
- Foreword
- What does it mean to be born again?
- How I found God
- Healing our inner wounds through the fruits of Spiritual regeneration
- What does it mean to be holy?
- What are the benefits of the baptism?
- Growing in the Christian integrity and identity
- Basis of Christian moral values
- What is the Kingdom of God?
- Power of the Holy Spirit in believer
- Relationship of conversion and regeneration
- Transforming the hearts by the power of the Spirit
Appendix:
- My Christological Confession
- My worship psalm
- Anti-drug exhortation and contact information
Foreword
I have gone through many painful and wonderful events in life, which
have taken me to this point where I feel ready to represent and testify some
of the glories of the Living God. Ever since I was saved, I submitted myself
to the service of the Lord. I said to Him: ”Lord Jesus, if you want to save me
and heal me, I will serve You in any way You see fit”. And then on the
opportunities have risen.
Thanks be the God for the fact that I have learned the profound truth in
the words of the Lord: ”The water that I will give him will become in him a
spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14b ESV).
I feel that the thankful heart of a thankful and saved sinner is something
God loves. He likes us to hear us offering thanks to Him with our lips
(Hos.14:2). This is not merely praying in secret or not only worshipping
and praising in congregation which both are good, but also to do it in such
manner by which may reach the unsaved people.
Thus it seemed valid to write about the goodness and mercy that had
befallen to me by God. This booklet is not an autobiography though I will
present some personal experiences in a general manner. Even so I have
written in order to present the spiritual blessings I have received from the
Living and True God, in the light of the Scripture and sound doctrine.
It is my sincere belief that by giving yourself entirely into the hands of the
merciful Saviour Jesus you may have abundant and exciting life. This work
of mine I have intented to be used not so much of a witnessing tool for
unbelievers, but rather as and exhortation to sincere seekers who have not
yet found their peace in the Lord's Spirit. And also to my regenerated
brothers and sisters, who may feel the clouds of depression and apathy
entering into their spiritual life. Hopefully this humble presentation may
serve at least someone in their jorney towards the New Jerusalem.
”My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will
praise you with joyful lips” - Psalm 63:5 ESV
H.J.A Kiviniemi
Oulu, Finland 22th April 2010
What does it mean to be born again?
This is one of the very first issues I faced as a New Creature. The funny
thing was, that at first I was so much influenced by “High Church”
theology (that is, Christianity that was transformed into a state
religion) that I failed to understand I was in fact regenerated by the
Spirit. Even though this had happened de facto I did not understand it
before certain brother hinted me to look at at John chapter 3. So I did
and soon I wrote this article.
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a
man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." - John 3:3
Here Jesus was speaking to the pharisee named Nicodemus. These
words of the Lord Jesus are quite clear. However the interpretation of
the issue in Scriptures is varied. As the true seeker seeks the real
truth, instead of picking doctrine there, abandoning one here, one of
the honest heart ought to seek the God's truth.
"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have
received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit
itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And
if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that
we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." - Romans 8:15-
17.
Thus we are assured by the Living Spirit of God, who dwells in us,
that we are the children of God, when we have been saved, we have
taken Jesus Christ as our Savior and given our whole life totally to
God. It is also, as we read, the testimony of the Scripture.
How then, is one born again? Some say that it happens when the
priest sprinkles water three times to the forehead of baby child
(doctrine of baptismal regeneration)
. But that custom tends to give suggestion that it is up to parents and
priests to assure one of spiritual rebirth. It may even bring people to
false sense of being under the mercy of God. Lord said:
"Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree
bringeth forth evil fruit.- - Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom
of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
- Matthew 7:17,20-21
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that
good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." - Romans 12:1-2
"Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and
who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of
him, and he would have given thee living water." - John 4:10
Jesus was speaking to a Samaritan woman, who was did not yet
believe in Him. Thus he used the symbolism of water as that of the
truth about salvation trough Him. Jesus is giving us the Living Water,
the faith which brings the Spirit of God also to us. Thus it seems
preferable that one takes the Christian water baptism after he or she
has been Born Again. Thus it is an outward sing of the fact one is
already saved, and gives assurance of that. This does not diminish the
true sacramental value of baptism, but this has to be made clear in
whole other study.
Now, to summarize the work of the Lord, who gives the salvation to
us as a free gift, which we can take or abandon let us read:
"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons
of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of
blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." - John
1:12,13.
By the will of God, we are born again and can call God Abba, our
Father. In perfect love there's no fear, like John wrote later on. We are
New Creatures in Christ. Thus we are His joint-heirs waiting to
receive from Him all which He has. This includes a new body at the
Day of His Coming (1.Co.15.). This is beautiful and joyful hope of the
true Christians.
How I found God?
Though I will not go into my life, past and present in full detail in
this particular point, I feel that this presentation would indeed not be
so profound without any testimony in my part. So let us see what I
was and what I went through to find God.
I had slowly transformed from a nice and good intended boy into a
violent and hateful person. I committed many sorts of crimes, mostly
involving physical violence, guns and drugs. I went to prison a few
times. I remember that always when I was either in jail or in prison, I
sought God and read His Word. Boy did I read it, yes I read the Word
many, many times trough and through during my incarceration.
Despite that, I did not truly know the Lord and could not submit
myself fully to Him. Thus I failed to receive the New Spirit from Him,
but had to went through many horrible events in my life.
But God saw my heart's desire and hunger to know Him. He sent His
angels many times to save me from certain death. One particular
event that made me think about life and it's meaning was after I
played “the Russian Roulette” - pointed the revolver with one
cartridge inside it at my own head about fifteen times. Last time the
cartridge was there, but the bullet just didn't fire! May the reason be
whatever, to me it was and still is a clear sing of God's mercy and
benevolence to me. This was certainly not the first or last case
something like that happened to me, but I save the rest for another
time.
Usually some of our inner wounds are healed when the Spirit of God
regenerates us, that is when we are saved. Thus the paranoia, hatred,
jealousy and other issues may be healed since our personal cosmology
and our priorities have transformed from self-centered to Christ-
centered. I am not now saying that this is a rule that always follows,
but rather it is something I have seen both in my own life and the
lives of many others.
Before the regeneration had happened, we actually knew only our
body and our soul (psykhe), but didn't truly know our spirit. Our
spirit is what interacts with God and thirsts God's presence. That is
why we didn't know ourselves truly before we came to know the
Lord. So it is written "For in him we live, and move, and have our
being" (Acts 17:28a).
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for
welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jer.29:11
ESV).
What does it mean to be holy?
As the Lord's elect, the Church, or the Ecclesia (called-out ones) is set
apart from the world and sin. The very word "kadosh" in Hebrew,
which is translated holy, means "set-apart". Jesus himself said: "Be ye
therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."
(Mat.5:48).
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God
unto salvation to every one that believeth" - Romans 1:16a
Thus God saves us through our faith in Jesus Christ. He sees us holy,
because Jesus was holy and sinless.
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name [than
Jesus] under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." - Acts
4:12
How can we achieve this position in the eyes of God? How can we
take Jesus? Bible tells us:
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to
gratify its desires. " - Romans 13:14 ESV
It is clear that we must clothe ourselves with Lord Jesus. This is not
merely calling Him Lord and claiming namely His Lordship. As He
himself declared:
"Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive
with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." -
James 1:21 ESV
“For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also
given unto us his holy Spirit." - 1.Thessalonians 4:7-8
“For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the
law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are
released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we
serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written
code.” - Romans 7:5-6 ESV
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I
have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will
know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." - John
13:34-35 ESV
What are the benefits of the baptism?
"Of his own will He begot us with the word of truth, that we should be a
kind of firstfruits of his creations." - James 1:18 ESV
"That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus
Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." -
Galatians 3:14 ESV
Baptism means to ask a pure conscience from God (1 Peter 3:21), that
is it's "sacramental" dimension. But the actual baptism is more of an
outward sign of the salvation already achieved through the Holy
Spirit as a gift from God which comes to us by faith (Ephesians 2:8).
Accordingly then, baptism is an act of obedience to God. As a person
becomes a child of God, he or she will have the desire to keep God's
commandments out of love and appreciation (John 14:15).
It is written:
"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his
commandments are not grievous." - 1 John 5:3 ESV
So it seems obvious that the person who takes Jesus as his or her
personal savior, ought to have an appreciative and obedient heart, by
the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus one will seek to do the Lord's will.
As we read in the Scriptures, baptism is one such commandment
directly from the Lord. Even though baptism itself does not bring the
salvation, it is nevertheless taught by the Lord that we should be
baptized and so
the actual baptism is a sign and testimony of our salvation, both to
ourselves and to the world and even to the powers of darkness (Mark
16:16)!
"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as
Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so
we also should walk in newness of life." - Romans 6:4 RSV
"Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through
the faith of the operation of God, who has raised him from the dead." -
Colossians 2:12 ESV
"And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was
much water there: and they came, and were baptized." - John 3:23 ESV
(Note:
why baptize there, if only a mug full of water would be sufficient?)
"And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the
eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? - -
And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord
caught away Philip..." - Acts 8:36,39a ESV (Note: they came to the spot of
natural water, a pond perhaps. They *came out of the water*)
There are also ample evidences that the original Greek word used in
the New Testament for baptism, that is "baptizoo", means "to dip in",
"to immerse". It is easy to find more information about the exegesis
and linguistic evidence, if you do not find this sufficient evidence.
"But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the
kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both
men and women." - Acts 8:12 ESV (Note: the people heard and
obviously understood the Gospel of the Kingdom, and then they
were baptized. Little children do not yet understand the Gospel).
"He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes
not shall be damned." - Mark 16:16 ESV (Note: this Scripture shows us
that faith has to precede the baptism. Also we see that baptism gives
us the assurance of salvation)
"Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day
there were added unto them about three thousand souls." - Acts 2:41 ESV
(Note: Is an infant child gladly receiving the word?)
Infants are saved by the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus is sufficient
to save the world from the punishment due to the Original Sin
(Revelation 1:5). Also, little children have not yet committed any
personal sins which need to be reconciled with God.
"And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and
his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he
was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come
unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God." -Mark
10:13-14 ESV
More so, as Christians we can have even greater assurance that our
little children are saved through our faith, since it written:
"For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving
wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now
are they holy." - 1 Corinthians 7:14 ESV
Dear brother or sister in Christ. If you have been "baptized" as a child,
please consider the Scriptures given above and search your Bible
about the topic. Read the Acts of the Apostles with a pure heart and
then say you do not need to be immersed, have a Biblical baptism.
Yes, you are right thinking that the salvation does not come from
works; not by our act of baptism or that we should "play" God by
"saving" children by baptism.
The author has had many spiritual benefits and Joy of the Spirit after
having Biblical baptism by immersion, after first becoming a child of
God, adopted to the household of God, family of kings and priests of
our God. Examine this issue from your Bible and ask the Lord that He
may enlighten your path. If you become aware of the true joy which
comes from obedience, you will be glad to get baptized!
(If you wish to be baptized you may contact me and I can baptize you
without forcing you to join any church, sect or denomination, or I will
help you to find such Born Again, Bible-believing brother who will
perform this for you. For free of course).
Growing in the Christian integrity and identity
Before we knew Jesus, we did not know our own true self, our spirit.
God's Spirit, that the wholeness of God and Jesus, awakened our
spirit and made it born again. That gave us a new and true identity.
"And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the
temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk
in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." - 2.Cor.6:16
As we can see from the Scripture, and as the Spirit inside us testifies,
we are truly blessed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We have
taken His righteousness upon us (Rom.3:14). Thus He has adopted us
to the household of the Living God. Thus we may, without fear refer
to God as our Father (Abba) (Gal.4:6). Thus we also may call upon God
by His Holy Name (haShem), which is YHWH (probably spelled
Yahweh), and which includes in the name of our Lord Jesus (Yehoshua,
“Yahweh is Salvation”). Let us now see few verses from the Scriptures,
from the Epistle to Romans about this:
"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have
received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." - Rom.8:15
"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of
God:" - Rom.8:16
"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so
be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." -
Rom.8:17
With great privilege comes great responsibility. Jesus said that not
everyone who says to him 'Lord, Lord' shall inherit the Kingdom of
Heaven. The Kingdom is reserved for the true children. There may be
people who pretend to belong to God's congregation of saints. To
them the Lord says: "Get away from me, I never knew you."
(Mat.7:21).
Almighty God has power and will to make as even bastions and
strongholds of His Word. When we receive from Him our daily
spiritual bread and carry our crosses in His footsteps, He will make
us worthy vessels to carry the light of the truth. We have as our Lord
the truthful and faithful God the Word, He even has the will to give
us everything He has. But we have to become servants of Him and of
each other. Lord will teach us all the humility He manifested when
He walked this Earth. Only by self-denial and lack of egocentric
motivation will we truly realize the wonderful hope and freedom
which we may have in Christ.
As we deny ourselves and follow Jesus humbly and truly, the fruit of
the Spirit will proceed. As the Word proceeds from the Father, so do
the good works of faith and praise of gratitude come forth from us.
Verily is the miracle of regeneration and true conversion the basis and
reason for our worship and praise. As heirs, we may come to the
presence of God with due reverence and joy. Could there be any
better identity and basis for the purpose of integral life, than having
the Living God living in our heart and speaking to us? That is what
happened when we were regenerated and when we daily carry our
crosses!
All this glory and wonder came to us, because of God's grace. Our
part was to choose to accept this gift and bring our lives, our hopes,
fears, sins...everything in us, to the merciful God, who is merciful in
His Son. We did as it is written: "Let us therefore come boldly unto
the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help
in time of need. (Heb.4:16). Let all of us who are in Christ, always
trust our God, who is our Father and our Redeemer and Sanctifier.
May we walk always from light to light!
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all." - 2.Cor.13:14
Basis of Christian moral values
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will
stand forever. - Isaiah 40:8 ESV
What is the Kingdom of God?
“And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have
followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the
throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel.” - Matthew 19:28
You may remember the golden statue in the book of Daniel that
the Nebuchadnezzar saw in a dream. The different parts of the
statue were the different kingdoms some already there at
Daniel's time and recognized by him by the inspiration of the
Spirit. The last world power is being established by God and is
described as follows:
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not
be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all
these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. " - Daniel 2:44.
This does not convince all that the Kingdom will be literal. But
how then are we to understand these words of the Lord:
“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”
(Mat.5:5)? Some say that this applies only to our earthly lives.
But if we seek the Psalm Jesus was referring to we found these
words: “The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein
for ever.” (Psalm 37:29).
Some say that the world (or the mankind) will be utterly
destroyed and that the Church is in heaven during the
Millenium or the eternity. But let us see what God promised
after He destroyed the ante-deluvian world except Noah and his
family.
“...I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the
imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again
smite any more every thing living, as I have done.” - Gen.8:21
If we let the Lord open our eyes, we may understand the blessed
hope we have in a renewed, regenerated planet, ruled by King
Jesus! For Him it was clear issue and that is why He said:
“Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine,
until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.“ - Mark
14:25
“And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the
book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast
redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue,
and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and
priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” - Rev.5:9-10
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which
are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if
we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in
Jesus will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive
and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are
asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in
Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught
up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord. - 1.Thes.4:13-17
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all
be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put
on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when
this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall
have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that
is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
- 1.Co.15:51-54
“For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall
be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the
city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be
cut off from the city.
Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he
fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the
mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east...” - Zechariah 15:1-
4 (Note that the text clearly speaks about literal attack against Israel,
so it cannot be symbolic in this context).
When we came to faith and grow in it, the person of the Holy
Spirit becomes familiar to us. Our relationship with Him
becomes intimate and profound. Indeed I did not understand
that the Spirit is a person. I even did not understand that I had a
separate part in my being, that is my spirit. Only when the Spirit
of God came upon me and began live inside me, did I come
aware of these awesome truths fully. Surely a person who does
not know personally God, cannot appreciate or truly
comprehend His person. Even so, we children of God have an
eternity to learn about our God. That is the true power of Him
that has saved us!
Relationship of conversion and regeneration
So it is self evident from the Scripture that one who hears the
Gospel and repents (converts) is then suggested by the Holy
Spirit to be baptized. The conversion, regeneration and baptism
are therefore all related and linked to each other in undivided
way. It is written of it:
“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned.” - Mark 16:16
Now, if you believe this and have been regenerated, you can easily imagine
yourself as a God's vessel. You are the vessel of the Holy Spirit and therefore
also a messenger of God: You are invested with a power and will to proclaim
the Good News! Isn't it the greatest privilege imaginable to be a vessel of
God and see the most powerful force in the universe to quicken the
spiritually dead people? Isn't it the most profound longing one can have, to
be an instrument of the Regenerating Spirit and see the Cradle of Life to
establish Himself in fellow men and women?
It is my sincere belief that every person who is born again receives the will
and power to pass on the life-giving knowledge of the Gospel. Will you let
the others to know about the grace you have received? Will you carry the
torch of Eternal Light in this world of darkness?
Lord said that a city found on a hill cannot remain hidden. So it is with
people of God. Our salvation will become manifest! If we only follow the
calling we received, we will daily see miracles, small and great in our lives
and in the lives of those we encounter.
Then and only then we will see the true power of God which moves
mountains! Becoming doers of the word and not only hearers shall we
partake in the radical process which the Spirit is making in transforming the
hearts of all who are willing to receive God's salvation in Jesus Christ, freely
because of His grace.
We must daily renew our covenant with God and Jesus. That is the secret of
success in our spiritual life and it's development. This is the secret longing in
the hearts of every living human being.
My Worship Psalm
Very soon after I was born again, I started to internal urge to praise
God. This was something totally new to me. I found it natural to pray
constantly and worship God every way I could. I received the
purified lips from the Lord by which He made me able to offer thanks
to Him.
Next I offer a Psalm-like poem I wrote very soon I was born again. I
wrote it originally in my native Finnish, so the translation may lack
some of the artistic values (if there are any) of the original but
nevertheless carry the Joy of the Spirit I received.
As the spirit of man is the man, so the Spirit of God is truly God,
Also thus is the son of man a man, so is Son of God the God -
As it is written, "In the beginning was Word and Word was God"
(Jn.1:1) and
"Thou, Lord, didst found the earth in the beginning, and the heavens
are the work of thy hands; - - But thou art the same, and thy years
will never end." (Hb.1:10-13).
Take Jesus, not drugs! Friend, today Jesus wants to free you from the
captivity of sin. He wants to take you from spiritual Egypt and
deliver you to the land of milk and honey! Jesus will fill you with His
love. That love exceeds all earthly desires and fleshly pleasures.
Drugs and abusive use of alcohol are Satan's counterfeit for the true
joy and fulfillment you will receive by taking Jesus as your Lord and
Savior today.
You can find the author of this book in the Facebook under the name
“Christian Chivalry”. This book is a result of many years of seeking
God and finally Him finding me. If you feel in your heart that this
book could help someone, please ask them to contact the author at
armotalous@gmail.com, so I can send them a copy upon request. I
accept volunteer donations for my ministry and to the project of
having this book and evangelizing tracts printed in hard copies.
(My bank account FI9780002612547645).
Yours,