''So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom'' Psalm90:12.
There are three birth of man. The first is supernatural ''And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul'' Genesis 2:7. The second birth is natural (of the flesh) '' And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD'' Genesis 4:1. The third birth is spiritual ''That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again'' John 3:6-7. Apart from the first man and woman on earth, everyone came into this world through the natural birth of the flesh; and only those who subject themselves to the spiritual birth on earth will enter heaven ''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.
Please, can you vividly remember all that happened the day before, the day and the day after you were born into this world? Of course, not; as no one could vividly remember or tell all that had happened. But when it comes to spiritual birth, the writer could remember and virtually tell all that had happened.
BEFORE MY SPIRITUAL BIRTH
I started growing up with my beloved late grandmother (Dad's mother) at the tender age of one. She was a moralist and Orthodox Church Sunday's attendee. She loved me so much because she strongly believed I was her late husband who came back to life. Grandma instilled discipline and good moral values in me. Though she was an illiterate, her instilled discipline and moral values were causative factors to my early excellent academic performance in primary school. In primary two (2), the instilled values diminished as adamic nature of theft (stealing) began to sprout out from my life. It started when my mother and her female friend visited me in school from another city. Upon their departure, her friend handed me a fifty (50) Naira note (A huge amount of money that could buy more than half crate of coke). ''I don't know how to spend it'', I said. My mother was highly impressed and commended my grandma. She collected the money from me and in exchange gave me a five (5) Naira note. My grandmother had thought me never to pick money from the ground, never to receive money from anyone and never to eat anything outside home. During the break time, I joined other pupils who surrounded sellers of fried yams, rice and beans, doughnut, groundnut and roasted corn. I bought friend yams with stew. My eyes were opened just like Adam and Eve, who ate the forbidden fruit. '' Life is good'', I said. On my way home, I walked up to a coca cola store, bought a chilled bottle of coke with the remaining money, in order to keep grandma unsuspicious.
The second day at school, it dawned on me, that I had made the biggest mistake of my life by not receiving the fifty(50) naira note; as I could not join other pupils to buy foods and drinks. Upon arriving home that day, the spirit of theft entered me; and it became my regular habit in stealing grandma's money to school. When it seemed too hard to steal grandma's money, I would subtlety enter any of our Tennant's room and steal money. I soon became the little rich boy of the school; known for extravagant spending, buying things for friends during break time. There was a time I bought two rubber balls for the entire three arms of primary two. Grandma's foods became my distaste as I would secretly discard her food, step outside and satisfy my appetite from food vendors with the stolen money.
A dramatic scene happened one day as one of the senior pupil at school and friend in the neighbourhood, threatened to expose all my extravagant spending to grandma; just because I intentionally refused to buy him mango. I was oblivious that he had connived with many school pupils and peers in the neighbourhood to troop into my grandma's compound after school on Friday. I was surprised to see many pupils and peers in the neighbourhood few minutes upon arriving home, trooping into our compound. They all said that they are around to expose all my extravagant spending to grandma. I pleaded but their presence alerted grandma and they finally exposed me. Grandma thanked them all and asked them to take their leave. Immediately, they took their leave, grandma asked me if everything they said about me was true. I said yes, prostrated and apologized. She told me not to do steal again. After evening meal, I went to bed and woke up by grandma in the middle of the night. She flogged me mercilessly, robbed hot ginger on the sensitive part of my body. All our tenants living in the buildings inside our compound arose from sleep; some forcefully opened the locked door and rescued me from grandma. ''Withold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die'' Proverbs 23:13.
The next day (Saturday) she reported me to my aunty who always came on Saturdays. I thought she would give me the second round of flogging; but she ministered the word of God to me, and took me to spend one week in her husband's house ''Train up a child in the way he shoud go: when he is old, he will not depart from it'' Proverb 22:6. My aunty also took me for deliverance in her church; and since that time up till the very present moment I have never stolen someone else property or money. Nevertheless, I never knew what it means to be born again.
I continued as a moralist till the end of my primary school. And God helped me as a brilliant boy, gained admission into the best school which was known for academic excellence in the residential state of my parents. I started attending my parent's Pentecostal church and joined choir as a little boy in JSS2. In the school, I was very popular among the junior students as a joke cracker; and because of my crazy military shoe, they nicknamed me. I used to fake myself silver spoon boy, loved hip pop music, break dance, and loved late night movies. I always believed I was a Christian simply because I am from Christian background and singing in the church Choir; but never occurred to me that I was not born again ''Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them'' Ecclesisates 12:1. I left the school after completing the Junior Secondary School due to high rise in tuition fee for another school in my home town and finally back to lonely grandma.
DURING MY BIRTH
Salvation Experience
There was the school senior girl (an ex- junior student in my formal school) who always invited me to the school fellowship. And there was another older sister in the church students’ fellowship who always invited me to attend the church students’ fellowship any time she passed in front of our house when going to the church on Tuesdays. I always gave both of them excuses because I was not interested in fellowship save my studies. However, I started attending the school fellowship towards the end of the session of SS1. It was in SS2 during one of the school fellowship on Friday 22nd November, 2002(a day that coincided with my birthday) that marked the turning point of my life. I heard undiluted word of God and it became cleared that I was not born again. I repented and surrendered my life to Jesus. The evidence of my repentance was that I began to discard all worldly musical cassettes, stop examination malpractice; anger diminished drastically from my life and I put on meekness and humility. Fortunately, God used the church older sister to follow me up. She always branched our house weekly to ask about my quiet time and remind me of the church students’ fellowship. I enrolled in the Church students’ fellowship discipleship classes and later join the fellowship work force. It was the new life of Christ that made the school appointed me the school fellowship president. Aside from the gift of salvation, God endowed me with the gift of revelation. Though, I was saved but not entirely sanctified in heart.
Sanctification Experience
I started growing up in Christ as an undergraduate in grandma Orthodox Church students’ fellowship. It was a norm to confess our sins during prayers. I could remember one of the leaders in one of his sermon, said no one can be 100% holy as everyone would have a specific sin he/she is battling with. He said that his own was anger; within me I knew I was not totally free from lust. In 2007, on arriving hostel from the lecture hall, I heard the loud sound of hymn which someone was playing on an electronic piano. It was as if heavens were on earth. The pianist was by far better than me as he played the four parts (soprano, alto, tenor and bass). I rose from bed, carry my Bible and began to trace the venue where the believers in Christ were fellowshiping. Low and behold, it was a crusade in an open field. I saw students (brothers and sisters) in modest attires, worshipping God in truth and spirit '' God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth'' John 4:24. I ushered myself to the front seat close to the pianist and watched him playing. I got refreshed spiritually that day. I took note of the venues of the weekly activities during announcement.
I got sanctified the following Monday during Bible study. That day, I arrived the 250 stair case lecture hall early enough before 6:00pm. Inside the hall, I met holy choir sisters in long modest attires and in one accord, praying for the Bible Study ministrations. Their spirited brothers were busy with the orchestra equipments and settings of electronics. The ministrations (choruses, hymns, choir ministration and the founder's message) really revived my body, soul and spirit. I prayed to God that day to assist me to add more holiness to this new church. I also remembered the combined service (campus, youth and adult) held in the regional headquarters few days after the Bible Study. From the start of the program till the end, it was heaven on earth. The congregational hymns, choir ministration, Sunday school and message were so powerful and Holy Spirit filled. The new comers, including me were ushered to the front seats and given first timer's slip. I peeped through the comment session of the two male students seated beside me; both of them put a comment similar to my own'' This is a true holy church I have ever been to''. I was very happy that I have found a new and true church that uphold the Bible doctrine of salvation and entire sanctification ''Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God'' Matthew 5:8
Holy Spirit Baptism Experience
I had wanted to join the work force of the new church but was made to understand that two things were involved. Firstly, I needed to undergo discipleship classes and finish before I could be qualified to undergo rigorous rudiment in music. I completed both in 2011 during NYSC. That same year, I was invited by the campus fellowship elders along side with few NYSC members for interview. A week before the invitation when I was alone in my rented apartment, devil reminded me of the secret sin left behind years back. That night, I had revelation of how Satan had planned to stop me from doing the work of the Lord. ''And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren'' Luke 22:31-32. Low and behold, I appeared before the campus fellowship elders as revealed in the revelation. I was asked specifically if there was any secret sin, I had committed and only known to me? Satan wanted me to tell a lie just as Ananias ''But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost'' Acts 5:3a. Thanks be to God that I did not deny Christ but made open confession in the midst of elders. I humbly knelt down in their midst and their leader prayed for me ''Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual prayer of righteous man availeth much'' James 5:16. It was a blessing in disguise for me as God aborted the plan of devil and filled me with the power of the Holy Ghost. The evidence of the Holy Spirit baptism was that I had strong hatred for every work of the flesh done by sinners, unbelievers and backslidden Christians; and developed zeal for soul saving activities.
AFTER MY BIRTH
''Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord'' Romans 12:11. Immediately after the completion of my spiritual birth, I began to do exploit for the Lord in personal evangelism, in music ministry, in children, youths and adults ministry of the church. My first 3-folded six pages tract titled ''RAPTURE: Timely Warning to Backslidden Christians" was printed in 2012. Over 1000 copies were printed and used during personal evangelism. I could remember on several occasions; sensed the Holy Spirit in His sanctuary lifting souls of men when playing hymns, backing up choruses and choir renditions. Someone walked up to me one day from a large congregation of more than 5000 and said, ''Brother Emmanuel, you are a Holy Spirit filled brother''. One of the great honour received from God was when the Church founder visited the state for a city wide crusade. I was among the pianists screened by the state pastor to play two congregational hymns. Another was the day I played Christmas hymns at the Government House in front of the seated state governor. In early 2016 by divine arrangement, God sent me to an International Missionary Bible Centre for missionary training. I worked there and successfully completed three series training in 2018. I could also remember how the white man international director asked the national director of the missionary center to look for someone that could sight read and play hymns on the organ. To the glory of God, I was mightily used by God during a week inter-denomination national conference. Between 2014 and 2018 I had visited part of the Northern States for missionary work. The grace of God is still keeping me strong, in faith, in service to Him and humanity.
TESTS AND TRIALS OF LIFE
''These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world'' John 16:33. The cost of following Jesus is high but the gains are higher. The Saviour Jesus was plain and true when he said ''And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved'' Matthew 10:22. Men had persecuted me many times simply because I stood for the truth and refused to deny the faith. Some have told me to leave the church where I received genuine salvation, sanctification and Holy Spirit baptism because of the hard and narrow way of holiness the church follows ''Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? John 6:60, 66-67. Some relations, friends and fellowship members are often too quick to question the God one serves because of trials of life ''Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the LORD delivereth him out of them all'' Psalms 34:19. But glory be to God for His sufficient grace in each trial and test of life ''Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy'' Jude 1:24.
Back to the starting question, are you born again? Can you also share your salvation, sanctification and Holy Spirit baptism experiences? You can be a Christian and not born again but you cannot be a born again without being a Christian. The Good News is that God can help you to become a born again Christian. He wants you to genuinely repent of sin, ask Him for forgiveness and invite Jesus into your heart to be your Lord and Saviour. Jesus is waiting for you now.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your love and for the call to salvation, sanctification, Holy Spirit baptism. I am very sorry for all my sins. Have mercy upon me and cleanse me in your precious blood. Save me, sanctify me, baptize me in the Holy Spirit and grant me the grace to follow you till the end in Jesus' Name. Amen
MORE GRACE TO CONTINUE IN NEW LIFE
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Fellowship: Prayerfully locate a Bible believing church and become an active member
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