QUESTION:
Why must one be Born Again?
ANSWER:
"When God said, " BORN AGAIN," He meant BORN AGAIN. He don't mean a handshake or a repeat of creed. Everybody is scared of that NEW BIRTH. The Devil substituted a handshake for It, or some kind of a psychic affair, that would make you acknowledge, "Yes, I'm BORN AGAIN." But your life tells what you are, the life that's in you. You say you are born of the Spirit of God, and deny one Word of that Bible, it shows you're not. You try to place It back on something else, that shows it wasn't the Holy Spirit, 'cause He would never deny His Own Word. You say, "Well, my church teaches that." There, it shows you're not. You're born of the church, not of God. This is God, His Word. Here he is, Moses, the anointed. "Take off your shoes. You're on holy ground." "Well, wouldn't my hat do just as well?" He said shoes. And that's what He meant, was shoes. God says, "Be BORN AGAIN." It means BORN AGAIN. Now listen. Oh, I'm in a mixed multitude, and young children. But you'd listen to your doctor. You listen. I hope you listen to me and understand. Any birth is a mess. I don't care if it's in the pig pen, or--or it's in a pink decorated hospital room. Any mess... birth is a mess. And so is the NEW BIRTH. It's a mess. It'll make you do things you didn't think you'd do. But out of that death and corruption comes forth Life." [Conferences, Tucson AZ 63-0608]
"That's the way it is with a BORN-AGAIN experience. You cannot contain it. It's a--a well of water within you, bubbling up into everlasting Life. See, there is something about it, that you have nothing to do with. The man-made tanks may freeze, and them begging for revival and everything; but a man that's under that Fountain, living in that Fountain, it's day and night! No, you don't have to wait on local rains and local revivals. You are full of It. "I'll give unto him a fountain of Life, in him, bubbling up." There's something in It, that's fresh every day, pure and clean. It's the unadulterated Word of God in your heart and mouth, vindicating Itself, speaking for Itself. I don't care whether it's raining, whether it's snowing, what kind of weather it is, you are still happy because the Holy Spirit is in there bubbling up. It's the hidden Power. Notice. Oh, it's secret is within it." [Broken Cisterns, Phoenix AZ 65-0123]
"Before birth can come, we realize there has to be death before birth. And a birth is a mess, I don't care what kind of a birth it is. If it's in a pig pen, or--or wherever it is, it's a mess. And so is the new Birth, it makes you do things that ordinarily you wouldn't think you would do. But when you're ready to die to yourself, then you are BORN AGAIN, a new creature in Christ Jesus, then things, open up and life becomes a new sight to you, because you've accepted the Person of Jesus Christ, and not some theory or some creed. >>Or, even to the written Word, It's got to be quickened by the Holy Spirit." [Broken Cisterns, Phoenix AZ 65-0123]
"So is it in the spiritual realm. It's water; justification by faith, believing on God, receiving Him as your personal Saviour, and being baptized. Second, is sanctification of the spirit, that God cleanses the spirit from all elements of the world, and the desire of the world. And then the Holy Spirit comes in and gives NEW BIRTH and fills up that sanctified vessel." [Birth Pains, Phoenix AZ 65-0124]
"That's the same thing in NEW BIRTH. We never go back, but we go forward when you're BORN AGAIN. And that's why I think, today, we have (so many) not so many, rather, genuine NEW BIRTHs, is because the seed is, maybe, will sympathize with the Word or the person, but they don't want to rot away from the old system that they were in. They don't want to come out of it. They want to stay in the old system, and claim the NEW BIRTH, or the Message of the age. We found that under the Luther, Wesley, Pentecostals, and all other ages. They still try to hold on to the old system, and claim This. But the old system age must die, rot, in order bring forth the new one. They still want to cling." [Birth Pains, Phoenix AZ 65-0124]
"They know the old system is dead, but they just don't want to rot out of it. Now, rot, is when it really is done away with. When a... A claim is made, that they are new Born, but a claim is only a begotten sign. Rotten, brings forth the NEW BIRTH. Got to rot away from it, just as we did in all ages, through the Wesleyan, and all forth. But, the thing of it is, after that, NEW BIRTH is born.
Wesley or... Luther came forth with one word, "The just shall live by faith." Well, he could not no longer cling on to the old system. He had to come out of it. And then when the Calvinists got the Anglican church in such a condition, under the Calvinistic doctrine, until God raised up an Arminian doctrine, which was John Wesley. The old system had to die, in order for the new to come on. And when Wesley's age ceased, and all the little ages, or blades that come out on the stalk, or the tassel, in Wesley's time. See, when Pentecost come out with the restoration of the gifts, they had to come out of Baptist, Presbyterian, Pilgrim Holiness, Nazarenes, church of Christ, so called, and all that. They had to come out of it, rot away from it, to accept the NEW BIRTH." [Birth Pains, Phoenix AZ 65-0124]
"The world knows that her birth pains is so great, she's got to give away. There's going to be a NEW BIRTH, born, at hand. I'm thankful for that. I'm tired of this one. Any--any one knows that--that here is the place of death and sorrow, and all kinds of discrepancies, and so forth. I'm glad that she has to give away. I'm glad that time is at hand. As John said, of old, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." [Birth Pains, Phoenix AZ 65-0124]
"She must rot, of course, as I have said, in order to bring NEW BIRTH. Look what she has rotted into. Notice, my brethren! She's totally rotten. Her politics and systems is just as rotten as they can be. There isn't a sound bone in her, in her world systems, her politics and her religious politics, and whatever it is. One says, "I'm a Democrat. I'm a Republican. I'm Methodist. I'm Baptist." Why, the whole thing is rotten to the core. There's got to be something give away. She can't stand. If you put a George Washington or an Abraham Lincoln in every county in this United States, it still couldn't come back. It's beyond redemption." [Birth Pains, Phoenix AZ 65-0124]
"Her messenger is promised, in Malachi the 4th chapter. He's promised to do it. And the Message is to bring back the Word, bring the people back to the Word. Birth is to be. She's to be delivered, of a NEW BIRTH, from according to Malachi 4." [Birth Pains, Phoenix AZ 65-0124]
"This church is supposed to get a sign, and its last sign. We find out here, in the--in the--in the Scripture, see now, see, the great birth pains that's being in this Laodicean age. It's boring. Their church is being BORN AGAIN." [Birth Pains, Phoenix AZ 65-0124]
"This church is supposed to get a sign, and its last sign. We find out here, in the--in the--in the Scripture, see now, see, the great birth pains that's being in this Laodicean age. It's boring. Their church is being BORN AGAIN." [Birth Pains, Phoenix AZ 65-0124]
"This church is supposed to get a sign, and its last sign. We find out here, in the--in the--in the Scripture, see now, see, the great birth pains that's being in this Laodicean age. It's boring. Their church is being BORN AGAIN." [Birth Pains, Phoenix AZ 65-0124]
"I said, "Our Kingdom is of Above." See, we are free, BORN AGAIN. The Kingdom of God is within you. See, act like up There, you're delegates from There. I said, "We're citizens here, living here in the flesh. But, our Spirit, we are pilgrims and strangers." We are foreign to the world now, even our own nation, for we have accepted the invitation when it knocked at our heart, to become part of Him, His Word. And the Word fixes us, makes us live and makes us act like Christians." [Doors In Door, Flagstaff AZ 65-0206]
"There is something wrong somewhere. It's a twisting up of theology. The power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, like He did to the man who called "Legion," we found him clothed and in his right mind. And I begin to believe that it's a spirit upon the people that drives them into that Americanism and Frenchism, and all kinds of worldlism and churchism. But let them once come to that Master, and they feel that knock at the door, they'll put clothes on and act like women and man, and they'll be BORN-AGAIN Christians. Amen." [Doors In Door, Flagstaff AZ 65-0206]
"Dear God, we pray, this afternoon, if there be some here that's unprepared to meet You, may this be the hour that they'll make that final decision and will come into Thee, through the NEW BIRTH. Grant it." [Birth Pains, Phoenix AZ 65-0124]
Bible References: Romans 3:22-23; Hebrews 10:38-39
[Answer provided by Bro. Ken Andes, Minister, Lynden, WA, USA]