The Face of an Angel, the Fury of the Religious Crowd, and Jesus Gives a Standing Ovation: Acts Chapter 7

G.L.S.I. 60-Day Reading of the New Testament Through Easter (Day 42; Acts 7), with Daniel Whyte III

Resisting the Holy Ghost: Stephen’s Masterful Defense and Martyrdom

From the Bible Bus to the Council Hall: A Survey of Israel’s Rebellion

Standing for Truth When the Church Gnashed Its Teeth

G.L.S.I. 60-Day New Testament Reading (Day 42): The Face of an Angel & The Stoning of Stephen (Acts 7)

Marching Through Acts: Day 42 – Stephen’s Full Gospel Sermon and a Glimpse of Heaven (Acts 7)

The Bible Bus with Daniel Whyte III: Arriving at Acts 7 – The Message That Cost a Deacon His Life

Continuing Through the New Testament: Acts 7 – From a Cliffhanger to a Crown, A Study in Faithfulness

G.L.S.I. Bible Reading (Day 42): Acts 7 – A Masterful History Lesson and a Martyr’s Final Prayer

Gospel Light Society International University New Testament Survey Course, with Daniel Whyte III

Introduction and Focus: Acts Chapter 7: Stephen’s Address and Martyrdom

Chapter Introduction: The high priest asks Stephen if the accusations are true. Stephen responds with a masterful survey of Israel’s history, showing that God’s presence is not limited to the temple and that Israel has repeatedly resisted the Holy Spirit and rejected God’s messengers. He traces God’s dealings from Abraham through Joseph, Moses, the tabernacle, and the temple, climaxing with a fierce indictment: “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.” Enraged, they grind their teeth. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazes into heaven and sees Jesus standing at the right hand of God. As they stone him, he prays, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” and cries with a loud voice, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” He falls asleep. A young man named Saul watches, consenting to his death.

1. Summarized, Abridged Transcript: Acts Chapter 7 G.L.S.I. 60-Day Reading of the New Testament Through Easter (Day 42; Acts 7), with Daniel Whyte III

G.L.S.I. 60-Day Reading of the New Testament Through Easter (Day 42; Acts), with Daniel Whyte III

Ladies and gentlemen, turn in your Bibles to the Book of Acts, where we will pick up reading from last night. We are, by the grace of God, still marching on in what Dr. J. Vernon McGee called the “Bible Bus.” And we thank God for it. God bless you and everybody who is here.

[The Opening Prayer] Holy Father God, we pray in the holy name of the Lord Jesus Christ: bless and anoint the reading of Your Holy Word. Holy Father God, I praise You and thank You for the great Wednesday night service last night. In Your Holy Word, for Jesus Christ’s sake, forgive us as Christians of our sins, our faults, and our failures. Create within us a pure heart and a right spirit through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Help us not to take that lightly.

And Lord, deliver us from temptation, evil, and sin. Allow us, Lord, Your grace and Your strength, Your unction and Your anointing, and the power of Your Holy Spirit to love right, to live right, to think right, to do right, and to act right—to do that which is pleasing in Your sight. And Holy Father God, pardon me, help us, Lord, to humble ourselves and help us to pray. Help us to seek Your face and help us to turn from our wicked ways. As Christian people, help us to repent of all of our sins and get back to You, our first love, Lord Jesus.

I praise You and I thank You for Your grace, Your mercy, Your love, and Your forgiveness. Help us, Lord, to forgive others. Wash our sins away in the holy and precious blood of Christ; make us, Lord, to be whiter than snow.

[Petitions for the Saints and Family] Holy Father God, we praise You and thank You that Sister Gypsy Heart is with us this morning, as well as Deacon Loyal and others. We give You the glory, the praise, and the honor for them. We pray that You will bless them in a special way—salvation and spiritual, family and life, financial and material, protection and provision, mental and physical blessings. Lord, we all need You, and we need Your help in every area of our lives.

Thank You for Your Holy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, Your Holy Spirit, and Your Holy Word. I praise You for the privilege, the power, the peace, and the priority of prayer. Grant me, Lord, Your energy, grace, and strength, and the mind to pray without ceasing throughout this day. Do that for everybody who has ever been here over the past 38 years, for those who are here now, and those who will be here in the future.

Lord, help us to be serious about prayer. You gave a parable to this end: that men ought always to pray and not to faint. We give You the glory for touching Sister Gypsy Heart’s mind to do this evangelistic work by carrying this “live” to her audience. This is the highest offering anybody can give because it is courageous and risky, particularly the way that I preach sometimes.

Lord, in a very real sense, we pray for Mrs. Whyte, my wife of over 38 years, who unfortunately still has some demon problems in her life. Lord, I know where she is; I have been there myself. That’s why I know so well exactly where she is in her lostness—religious but lost, church-going but lost. Open her blinded eyes, unstop her deaf ears, and help her to see the light. I thank You for 38 years of keeping us married, which is a miracle, as we both know, coming out of the families we came from. I thank You for the comfort of marriage and for blessing me to have her bear seven of the greatest children in the history of the church. Lord, protect my children, for they are under attack simply by being my children and for helping me in the ministry.

[Global Concerns and the Remnant] Lord, help Meriqua Whyte to truly believe in You; cast out the devil and the demonic spirits of Judas, Jezebel, Sanballat, and Tobiah out of her heart. The devil is angry because I have revealed this truth, for this is not the way things are “supposed” to go in the sweet evangelical church today where these things are hidden and lied about.

We pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We pray for the salvation and protection of the Israelites, the Palestinians, the Iranians, the Americans, the Chinese, the Taiwanese, the Ukrainians, and the Russians. Red, yellow, black, and white—all are precious in Your sight.

Help every pastor to obey Your Word in Acts 6:4, to give ourselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the Word. Because we have not done that, we are men and women most miserable in the so-called “Laodicean, Judas-Jezebel church.” Lord, fill Your remnant—Your faithful 7,000—with the unction and power of Your Holy Spirit.

Deliver us all from our distresses and afflictions today—from tribulations, troubles, trials, and temptations. Help my children and all young people to finish what they started, for a sense of completion is vital.

In Jesus Christ’s name we pray, and for His sake. Amen.

The Reading: Acts Chapter 7

Ladies and gentlemen, Acts chapter 7. I see Deacon Moab and Sister Semen are with us. Thank you for your gifts. I left you at a cliffhanger last night in Acts 6:15, where the council saw Stephen’s face as if it had been the face of an angel.

Acts Chapter 7: Stephen’s Address and Martyrdom The high priest asks Stephen if the accusations are true. Stephen responds with a masterful survey of Israel’s history, showing that God’s presence is not limited to a building and that Israel has repeatedly resisted the Holy Spirit.

The Sermon: Then said the high priest, “Are these things so?” And he said, “Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham…”

Stephen traces the history through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He speaks of the patriarchs selling Joseph into Egypt, but notes: “But God was with him.” He recounts the famine, the move to Egypt, and the rise of a new king who knew not Joseph.

He describes the birth of Moses: “In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair… and Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.”

He recounts Moses’ rejection by his own people: “Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?” And then the encounter at the burning bush: “Put off thy shoes from thy feet, for the place where thou standest is holy ground.”

Stephen reaches his climax: “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers.”

The Martyrdom: When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.

They ran upon him with one accord, cast him out of the city, and stoned him. The witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, as he called upon God, saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

________________________

Daniel Whyte III has been preaching the Gospel for over 46 years and is the founder and President of the over 42-year-old Gospel Light Evangelistic Society International, Pastor of the over 38-year-old Gospel Light House of Prayer International, and Founder, President, and Editor-in-Chief of the over 22-year-old Black Christian News One (BCNN1.com)—reaching millions with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, discipleship preaching, and the whole counsel of God around the world by any means necessary, “Crying in the wilderness,” and “Exiled on the Isle of Patmos.”.

Daniel Whyte III was honored by being named one of the 17 most notable alumni in the history of the 134-year-old Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas, and one of the 69 most notable alumni in the history of the 53-year-old Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Daniel Whyte III holds the following degrees from these universities:

• Doctor of Ministry (D.Min., in progress) – Liberty University John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, Lynchburg, VA
• Master of Theology (Th.M.) – Liberty University John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, Lynchburg, VA
• Master of Divinity (M.Div.) – Liberty University John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, Lynchburg, VA
• Bachelor of Arts in Religion (B.A.) – Texas Wesleyan University, Fort Worth, Texas
• Bachelor of Theological Studies – Bethany Divinity College and Seminary, Dothan, Alabama (Honors: Summa Cum Laude)

Daniel Whyte III was also honored to sit with presidents and world leaders by being invited by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to attend the homegoing of Dr. Billy Graham.

He is the Essence national best-selling author of Letters to Young Black Men and the Amazon best-selling author of Letters to Young Black Women (African-American category). He has authored over 100 books.

He is also the founder, president, and editor-in-chief of the 20-year-old BlackChristianNews.com (BCNN1.com), which has impacted every denomination in the evangelical and Christian world and has influenced presidents, the U.S. government, governments around the world, and the public square. BlackChristianNews.com has been named the #1 Black Christian website and blog in the world for four years running by the independent Feedspot and is on the list of the top 60 Christian news sites in the world—red, yellow, black, or white.

He has preached the Gospel and the Word of God in person across America and in over 24 countries to thousands of people. He has preached the Gospel and the Word of God to millions of people around the world with the help of the internet, preaching live and on-demand multiple times a day for over eight years, to this very day. His mottoes are “Crying in the Wilderness,” “Exiled on the Isle of Patmos,” and “Preaching the Gospel by any means necessary,” all for the glory of God and Jesus Christ.

Daniel Whyte III is the president of the over-40-year-old Gospel Light Evangelistic Society International and the over-37-year-old Gospel Light House of Prayer International. He is known worldwide as the prophet who predicted the Coronavirus Plague over 10 years before it hit in recorded preaching and writing. God also led him to guide thousands through the Coronavirus Plague that killed over 20 million people because of the sins in the Judas-Laodicean church.

Daniel Whyte III’s greatest blessing in this life is his “quiver full” of 10 children—Daniella (Danni), Daniel IV, Danita Evangeline, Danae Mary-Louise, Daniqua Grace, Danyel Ezekiel, Danyelle Elizabeth Breedlove, Danielle Tekeela, Duran-Daniel, and the first Daniel IV (deceased and in heaven with the Lord)—along with grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Daniel Whyte III has been unblissfully but sexually satisfyingly married to his first and only wife, Meriqua Whyte of Christiana, Jamaica, for over 37 years since December 19, 1987. Jesus Christ said: “And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” Even though many evangelicals, charismatics, and Protestants try to act as if these words of Jesus Christ are not a reality in our modern Christianity—primarily because of the Satanic-driven prosperity gospel and an over-positive philosophy, which is a lie not based in reality or biblical truth—the words of Jesus Christ are true for every person who preaches the Gospel. The outcomes of the Gospel are a changed life and opposition from family, lukewarm Christians, Laodicean-Judas pastors and churches, the world, and the devil. This is a reality in our present evil world.

While Daniel Whyte III thoroughly enjoys his married life because he did not allow his wife to have her way at any point and was and is solidly and biblically the head of his household throughout the marriage—often quoting Joshua, “As for me and my house, we’re going to serve the Lord” “up in here!”—and because his wife never failed in the very important area of sex, which he got married for in the first place to avoid sinning against God, he has especially enjoyed the privilege and joy of raising his children in the Lord virtually by himself. He served the Lord with them every day of their lives, from the time they were born until they graduated from college, became adults, and moved on.

However, his wife, Meriqua Whyte—motivated by Satan, with a Pharaoh-style pride mixed with the well-known female Jamaican-style pride, stubbornness, rebelliousness, and witchcraft—has been his greatest Judas enemy in the world and has been what Paul spoke of: a “messenger of Satan” and a “thorn in the flesh.” Amazingly, and by the grace of God, that Satanic evil opposition has spurred Daniel Whyte III on to preach the Gospel probably more times than any man on record. God has honored him because he did not “hearken to the voice of his wife.” Whyte tells other Christian men to only hearken to the voice of God and Jesus Christ—not to their wives, as so many thousands of church men have been taught by pastors and other older men throughout the years. Remember, we are in this worldwide, multi-generational mess because Adam hearkened to the voice of his wife and not to the voice of God.

Before they were married, Daniel Whyte III told his wife Meriqua Whyte that they would not do family life as her parents did, because their married life was hellacious and ended in divorce, as did some of her other family members, including the aunt she was living with. He also told his wife they would not do family life as his parents did, because it was also hellacious and out of order since his mother was the head of the household, not his father. But thanks be to God, they never got a divorce. Whyte told his wife before they got married that they were going to do it God’s way according to Ephesians chapters 5 and 6, or no way at all. And then he asked his wife, “Are you willing to do marriage God’s way according to Ephesians chapters 5 and 6?” And she said yes. Whyte told her before they got married that if she did not live up to her end of the deal, all bets were off.

Because Daniel Whyte III’s wife, Meriqua Whyte, was so proud, unsubmissive, stubborn, and rebellious after they got married, God led him to read Ephesians chapters 5 and 6 every day in their family devotions throughout their marriage. In the first year of their marriage, Daniel Whyte III also gave his wife a list of verses for women from the Word of God for her to read, which she still reads to this day. He also bought her many books to read to help her be the wife God wanted her to be.

Whyte realized early in the marriage that his wife was not a born-again, saved person even though she lied and said she was before they got married. After over 37 years of marriage, she is still not saved, never bearing any fruit of a saved person, to the point of not even wanting to tell her children, “I love you” and not wanting to hug them when they were little children, even after her husband told her to do so. She also hated the daily family devotions that her husband led and tried to hinder them. She also demonically hated and tried to hinder every Gospel preaching service to this very day.

However, only by the grace of God, they are still married, and despite the devil constantly working through his wife to try to hinder him from preaching the Word of God, he is still preaching the Gospel and the Word of God live and on-demand. His ministry reaches over 148,800 people per month with over 21,000 unique views per month, reaching 149 countries, preaching the Gospel and the Word of God in 2 to 3 services a day, 7 days a week. Glory be to God!

Mrs. Meriqua Whyte’s Apology to her Husband and Their 7 Children for not Being a Biblical Wife or Mother

Mrs. Meriqua Whyte, the Wife of Daniel Whyte III, Gave him the Best Father’s Day Gift Ever About 10 Years Ago When She Unexpectedly and Voluntarily Apologized for the First Time to Him and Their 7 Children for Not Being the Wife, Mother, and Christian Example of the Woman She Should Have Been Over the Past 37 Years of Marriage

Here is what Mrs. Meriqua Whyte wrote ten years ago after verbally apologizing to the entire family on Father’s Day, right before church service:

Over thirty years of marriage. Over thirty years of ups and downs. Over thirty years of trying to make our problems a personal thing between my husband and me. Thankfully, he did not allow me to do that and kept telling me it was between God and me—over thirty years of acting on my feelings and not on what the Bible says. Over thirty years of refusing to obey God’s simple command to a wife—to be obedient to your husband in all things. Over thirty years of disobedience, rebelliousness, stubbornness, lying, and dishonesty, all rooted in pride. Over thirty years of simply not choosing to mature as a Christian.

God has been dealing with me for over thirty years now about changing my attitude and behavior as a wife, which has manifested itself in disobedience, rebelliousness, stubbornness, lying, dishonesty, having an ungodly attitude and spirit, and simply not being the wife, mother, or example of a Christian woman that I should have been throughout the years. (By the way, for those of you who may be thinking that my disobedience, rebelliousness, stubbornness, lying, and dishonesty have resulted in adultery, I will say here that I have never committed any adultery or had sex with another man besides my husband, Daniel Whyte III, since I was born.)

God kept telling me I needed to stop my rebellious and stubborn behavior, apologize to my husband and children, and get my heart right with him, my husband, and my children. He sent others my way to tell me how to behave:

• My husband, but I didn’t want to hear it from him
• Other Christian women speakers
• Other preachers
• Books and other materials, but I would not take heed

I knew what to do, but I chose not to do it. The devil had me thinking and believing—as he is having a lot of wives and mothers think and believe—that your relationship with your husband and how you respond to him, whether positive or negative, will not affect your relationship with your children or your relationship with God. I say without hesitation that this is one of the devil’s lies, and sad to say, many wives and mothers are falling for this lie.

Another lie of the devil that Christian wives are falling for is that you can still have a strong relationship with God without being submissive to your husband. Lie! Lie! Lie! There is no truth to this. I know because I have experienced this and am still experiencing this as I am going through this breaking process, which is not happening overnight.

Even throughout my years of rebelliousness, stubbornness, and pride, I still kept praying the prayer I used to pray daily before I got married: “Lord, make me be exactly what You want me to be. Lord, break, make, and mold me into what you want me to be.” Well, God took that prayer seriously, and once you accept Him, He will begin the breaking process. It’s up to us how long that breaking process will take. For me, sad to say, it has taken over 30 years, and the breaking is not complete. In what way is God breaking me down right now? Well, our children have grown up. The three oldest have gone through and are still going through college, have gotten their degrees, and some are working on their second, third, and fourth degrees, launching their careers and moving out. God slapped me into reality and truly intensified the breaking process. My husband told me before our first child was born and repeatedly while the children were young that my job was to love our children and make positive memories with them and that if I did that, I would have a wonderful relationship with them as adults in the time to come. Well, I disobeyed God and my husband, who did not let up on his duties. And he has a wonderful relationship with our children, even the girls, and I don’t. However, God led me to finally break the day before Father’s Day, and while I was helping my husband get dressed to preach, I asked him if I could apologize to him and the entire family. That’s the first time I ever did that on my own. Throughout the years, he has always told me that I needed to get my heart right with God, him, and my children; otherwise, I would never have the joy and peace of the Lord in my life. However, I kept on lying and denying that I was the problem.

Here is what I said to my husband and children on Saturday afternoon, June 17, 2017, the day before Father’s Day. My husband told the entire family that this was the best Father’s Day gift I have ever given to him:

“Daddy, children, I apologize for not being the wife, mother, and example of a Christian woman I should have been throughout the years. I have shown nothing but pride, disobedience, rebelliousness, stubbornness, and a bad attitude and spirit toward God and my husband in front of you. My disobedience and rebelliousness have caused much unnecessary unrest and upheaval in the family. As my husband told me, things could have gone much better if I had obeyed God’s word from the beginning. Please accept my apology, and I am asking you to forgive me.”

The diminishing of peace and joy in my life throughout the years I brought on myself. Not having a proper relationship with God, my husband, and my children, I brought on myself—all because I chose the disobedient route. My number one desire is to live a life of peace—peace with God, my husband, and my children. I have learned that peace will not come as long as I live in disobedience, rebelliousness, stubbornness, and pride.

I will end this with two notes: (1) Happy Father’s Day to my husband: you have been a great husband and father. (2) Happy Children’s Day to my children: You all have been great children. I have no complaints whatsoever against my husband and, of course, children; you have never been at fault. My bad behavior is all on me, and I’m sorry I put you through this. May God bless your lives, and I love you.

Ephesians 5:22 – 6:20 (KJV)

Below is the passage in the Bible that Daniel Whyte III read in their family devotions every day for decades. It covers the biblical duties of the husband, the wife, and the children, and includes how to fight against the devil who is seeking to destroy the family.

22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;

3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;

6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:

8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

The Gospel in a Nutshell

If you were to die today, where would you go: Heaven or Hell? If you’re not sure, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”

Jesus Christ said the most important words ever spoken in the history of the world when He said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Read further right here:

The Most Important Question in the World: Have You Been Twice Born?

This is the “Chief of sinners,” Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International, with the Gospel Light Minute X Podcast #447, titled, “The Big Question.” I’m here to remind you of what the Bible says: that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” like you and me.

“Have You Been Born Again?”

The question is not, “Have you joined a church?” or “Are you trying to do your best?” or “Do you have religion?” but, “Are you twice-born?” Jesus Christ said in John 3:3, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

We enter the physical world by birth. Spiritual life, likewise, is entered with a birth. We become members of a human family by birth; we become members of the family of God by birth, by being “born again.” There is no other way to get into the human family except by birth, and there is no other way to get into God’s family except by the new birth. Neither education, nor cultivation, nor reformation, nor “turning over a new leaf,” will accomplish this. What is needed is not a new “leaf” but a new “life”! “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7).

A New Nature Needed

By physical birth, we become partakers of human nature; by being born again, we become “partakers of the divine nature.” A Christian is the product of a divine “begetting.” The second birth is not an improvement of the old nature; it is the imparting of an entirely new nature. The old nature is hopelessly corrupt and incapable of ever being made fit for His presence. The new birth requires a creative act of the Holy Spirit. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.”

Not “Trying” But “Trusting”

“Trying to follow Christ” is not Christianity. Christianity is not imitation of Christ; it is the indwelling of Christ. Christianity is not trying to do anything. It is trusting Christ, who has done it all! He has “finished the work,” and there is nothing left to do but simply to receive and trust Him. He shed His precious blood on the cross, and the work is all done once and forever! Cease trying and begin trusting! Believers will progressively become more and more like Christ, but by His power, not their own.

What Must I Do To Be Saved?

Simply “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” The Bible says in 1 John 5:1, “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” The Bible states in John 1:12-13, “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.”

You are born again, you become a Christian by trusting a Person—receiving a Person. The very moment you do this, the Lord Jesus Christ comes in and life begins!

What Is Meant By “Believe”?

To “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” means more than simply believing the historic facts concerning Him. Intellectual belief about Christ is not sufficient. The belief that brings salvation must be “with the heart,” that is, with the whole being. This belief also includes repentance: “Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Bible states in Acts 17:30, “God… now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.”

The faith which saves, then, includes the necessity to repent and to receive Christ as Savior and Lord, to rest upon Him alone for salvation. It means to trust Him so utterly and completely that, if He should fail, there would be no hope at all!

May I Know That I Am Born Again?

This is an important question. We know that we are born again by the testimony of God’s Word. God says in John 5:24, “He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” Have you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as explained by God’s Word? If so, then you are saved, you are “born again,” you have “passed from death unto life.” God says so! Take God at His Word, and go on your way rejoicing!

One Final Word

You may “belong to a church,” you may be “trying to do the best you can,” you may be “striving to live right.” Your outward life may be the model of moral correctness, and you may be looked up to, honored, revered, and respected. Yet, if you have not been “born again,” you are just as lost as if you had never heard of Christ. Yes, you may teach in the Sunday school, read the Bible, sing, shout, “feel happy,” and all the rest—but if you have never been “born again,” you are still in your sins and a stranger to the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you want to be saved from the wrath to come and from an eternity in Hell, and if you believe that Jesus Christ suffered, bled, and died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose again from the dead, and you are willing to trust Jesus Christ with all of your heart so you can go to Heaven, please pray with me what is called the sinner’s prayer:

Holy Father God, I acknowledge that I am a sinner and I admit that I have sinned against You and that I have broken Your Ten Commandments. I have lied before. I have stolen things before. I have lusted after people and things before. I have dishonored and disobeyed my parents. I have taken Your holy Name in vain. For Jesus Christ’s sake, please have mercy and grace upon my soul and forgive me of all of my sins, my failures, and my faults. As I now believe in Your Holy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that He suffered, bled, and died on the cross for my sins, was buried, and rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me to repent of my sins past. Help me to turn from my old, evil life and follow You in the new life. For it is in Your Name I pray. Amen.

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