Are You Truly Born Again

I was listening to Family Life on FM 88.5 last night about 8:30 and I heard a story that Ravi Zacharias told about a man that was a preacher, that you might say was very unconventional.  He didn’t seem to be concerned about what man thought of him.  He preached the Word without worrying about who he might offend, and he had convinced a man of his need for the Lord in his life and invited him to a prayer meeting.  The man replied that he didn’t know how to pray so the preacher told the man to go home and read a passage in Acts, which I think was Acts chapter 19, so he did.  After that he did end up going to the prayer meeting.  After different ones had prayed, the preacher asked the man to pray, to which I think the man once again said that he didn’t know how to pray.  When the man did start to pray, the preacher didn’t like what he was saying so he stopped him.  The preacher asked him why he was praying that way when everyone else was praying a different way.  In a bit I will tell you what the man said.

Now I want you to read Acts 19:13-15, “Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, ‘In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.’ Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?’”

Think about this, these Jews were trying to use the name of Jesus without really knowing who Jesus was or ever having a personal relationship with Him.  It seems evident that they heard Paul preaching and saw some of the signs that he was performing in the name of Jesus and thought that they could use the name of Jesus and get the same results.  But to their shock they found out that wasn’t going to happen.

This reminds me of a verse in the Bible when Jesus was saying this, please read this in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”     

It seems like these people were able to do some things, but they were doing them with the wrong motives and were not doing what the Lord wanted them to do.  Apparently they didn’t know Jesus personally either because Jesus said, “I never knew you, get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!!”

Someday we will all stand before the Lord and the books will be opened and if your name isn’t found in the Lamb’s Book of Life, you will be rejected also.  I heard our pastor say yesterday that the Lord opens doors and closes them and no one else can close them or open them.  We live in the day of grace where there is a great door open and God’s mercy is being poured out, but that door will not be open forever so now is the time to walk through that door while you still can.  Today if the Lord is drawing you, repent of your sins which means to turn away from your sins and receive God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness and His salvation.  Ask the Lord to forgive you of your sins and to come into your heart and to be your Lord and Savior!!  Do it while the door of opportunity is still open.  This is the most important decision you will ever make, if you are sincere, you will be a child of God.  Then go out and start growing in your new found faith.

I have given you something very important to think about, please don’t put it off.  May the good Lord bless you and yours, and may you have a super day!!  

I almost forgot the end of the story; this is what the man prayed, I want the devil and the demons to know who I am.  I guess the pastor didn’t get what he was saying at first, but I think he was trying to say that if they knew him like they knew Paul and Jesus they would flee when he told them to and he wanted to be known as a committed believer in Jesus!!  What about you!!