I found on Facebook zillions of sarcasm about the born-again experience. Someone said it was demonic. He cited the extra-biblical Pentecostal experience where the congregants fell to the floor and did crazy things. But it is not the born-again experience we are examining here.
I heard few preachers in my life as a Christian who introduced the importance of their sermon by announcing their efforts and the many hours of research they spent in the preparation of their message. After listening, however, we were like dogs on famine mood — learning nothing (no real spiritual encouragement and revival) from the so-called “message from God.” We all need the power of the Holy Spirit, taught the Holy Scriptures, before we can be effective witnesses of our Lord Jesus Christ. The temptation of most public speakers, they be pastors or not, is to deliver a discourse that is acceptable and pleasing to the ears of their listeners, both politically correct and worthy of the audience’s hurrahs. Witnessing for Christ Jesus, however, is a field requiring Christ’s assistance through the Holy Spirit. It is the only proven method to make the poor and unschooled Peter to become an Apostle, preacher, and one of the writers of the New Testament. It was clearly taught in Acts 1:8: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” One research shows, for example, that hundreds of the descendants of the man of God, Jonathan Edwards, also became preachers and workers of the Lord’s Church. The Spirit-filled witnesses of Christ have impacted real Christianity for thousands of years more than the PowerPoint and Internet-assisted Bible scholars and authors of Christian books of today’s generation.
Tongues speaking is one primary teaching we want to cover here.This paper intends to bring out more biblical facts and analyses about the biblical speaking in tongues versus the heretical tongues as part of the extreme Pentecostal theology. We don’t theorize, as did Spurgeon, that speaking in tongues is already a lost gift since in Acts 2:33 and 39, it is said that the PROMISE OF THE FATHER is going to be given for all generations.
One significant question is that if we are real born-again Christians, do we need to celebrate or observe the Holy Week? In just a mouse click away, we could google dozens of the list of religious holidays (or holydays?) The Jewish religion, Islam, Catholicism, Seventh Day Adventism, among other religious groups observe “holidays requiring absence from work beyond existing Statutory Holidays.” What is the meaning of the Christian Holy Week observance among the Catholics and other Christians denominations?