Avalon Chronicles #52: "Two Births"
by Allen B. Clark allenbclark@aol.com
www.combatfaith.com www.combatfaith.blogspot.com
The birth of all recorded history that is the one most important to the world is celebrated at the end of our calendar year. It is the birth of the Christ, Jesus, the Son of God, who came to earth to redeem us of our sins and to show us a way to eternal life. Christians focus at this time of year on the birth of a Child as the story is related, the Son of Mary, a virgin, and her husband Joseph.
One of Linda's and my favorite ministers is Derek Prince, who died in 2003 at age 88. His life and experiences are worth researching. We both have our own copy of his 1993 book titled The Spirit-Filled Believer's Handbook published by Creation House in Florida. Just this week I read what I might term his "Five Minute Fix." This is how he introduced to his daughter's piano teacher, ill in the hospital, in five minutes, how she could have the "Second Birth," termed "Born Again," by many. This story reflects a personal response by the woman to the essence of the gospel.
He visited the woman and inquired of her, since she was at the point of death, whether she was convicted that her sins were forgiven and was prepared to meet her Maker, God. She answered in the negative because her pastor in a well-known Protestant church in London typically preached only, "...about the Christian life and growing in grace."
In order for her to receive her own personal salvation assurance, he asked her to make her own specific personal response to the unfolding of a simple set of words.
She repeated after him these words:
"Lord Jesus Christ, I believe that you died for my sins; that you were buried; that you rose again the third day.
I now repent of my sins and come to you for mercy and forgiveness.
By faith in your promise, I receive you personally as my Savior and confess You as my Lord.
Come into my heart, give me eternal life and make me a child of God. Amen."
Upon this, she proclaimed that she believed she was saved. She became healed, returned to piano teaching, told her pastor what she had experienced, and in his next sermon, "He preached that the most important thing is to know you are saved."
The attainment and experiencing of this "Second Birth,"is not complex, is easier that schooling or marriage or work or life, and just takes faith for the comprehension of its relevance and truth. It is much less painful than the first birth is for a mother and its consequences are the assurance of your soul outliving your body!
