Born Again

I'm Born Again, Now What?

By Mark A. Thomas

This message is for those that have been born again for a short time, or for many years. Maybe you never got instruction or guidance on what was next. You might feel like a little vegetable thrown into a large pot of stew. You were told go here, go there, read here, read there, and you start getting all this information on what it means to be born again. But you can't seem to grab hold of what steps you should take next. New believers often take a step in the wrong direction and they are not mature enough to be able to handle where they are headed or they are just not able to understand both divine law and human law. So we find that there ought to be a place where you go next. There ought to be a mindset and areas in your life that you should be able to identify with, that once you get born again, there are some things that you ought to be looking for, and things that you ought to be mindful of.

How do You know you are taking the right step? How do you open this bible and read it? A new believer is looking to discover and find out if they can get into a place where they are following those necessary steps as a born again believer. I am going to share with you five things that if anyone would have told me, it would have changed the whole path of my life. I later found out that these are the areas that you need to deal with in order to grow maturely in the Lord. When I didn't know these five, I went through life being born again, knowing that Jesus received me, and that I repented of my sin. You know those things, but then you are going hog wild, with words coming out your mouth to make it seem like you are spiritual, when in reality you are filled with a lot of zeal but immature about the scriptures. You don't know what you're reading, don't have any clue what you are doing and you are really not getting any results from being born again.

When you are born again, you have a spiritual covenant with the eternal realm and with your heavenly father. You are in a place where the angels are at your beck and call, and where the holy spirit is there. But how do You begin this walk? If You'e born again, You've received Jesus, what do you look for? Nobody is telling you. Some people are telling you to start in Genesis, others to start in the old covenant, some to start with Mark, Luke and John, the book of Acts, and Revelation. But what the heck does all that mean to the person that just got born again?

 

1. Find a Church That is Spirit Filled and Teaches the Word

Once you get born again, the number one thing that you can begin with is to find a church that is spirit filled that teaches the Word. Why did I say it like that? Because a lot of times, people get born again and sit home on the couch. They come to the church, or they get born again in the park, or with a friend and they don't feel like they need to go to church. The Word of God is real clear and talks about this in the book of Hebrews. It says that once a person is born again, they cannot forsake the assembly of ourselves together. In other words, He does not want His children out there trying to be lone rangers. If you did that for a while, chances are you have some things on the inside of you, words in your vocabulary and some things in your character that are all messed up. So you are going to have to deal with renewing your mind in that area so that you can come back to God's original intent for the born again believer.

Hebrews 10: 25 KJV
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Amplified
Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching.

There are believers that have a habit of neglecting this. And the word is telling us that it is not permitted, it is a command. Not forsaking, do not do this, do not neglect this as believers. There is going to be some admonishing, or warning, urging or encouraging of one another. So when you are in the assembly of fellow like believers, it is so vitally important that somebody in that place should be warning you about certain things. So don't feel uncomfortable when someone warns you about something when you are in the church. That is what they are supposed to do. When you become a new believer, you are warned about certain things. When you are out there in the World, you are not warned. You bump your head and end up in this tragedy. Urging one another, means someone is pushing your level of confidence, pushing you to get you to do certain things. There ought to be some encouraging also that comes along with warning, and urging. This is to be done faithfully as you see the day approaching.

Now what does that mean?   When you are a born again believer, the first thing you want to do is find yourself a church that is spirit filled that teaches the Word of God. Now let's find out what it means to have a church that is spirit filled. What would happen? A lot of times people think that they can have church in their car. You can use that statement as a metaphor but you have to be and you want to be in a place where the atmosphere is set. Sure you can set the atmosphere in your home, in your closet or in your bedroom, but there is a reason why you need to be by another person. You, by yourself at your home is not going to warn you. You're not going to encourage yourself. There are certain things that you need people to encourage you. It's good to hear that you're doing good from another vessel that doesn't know what you have been going through. So there is a reason why you have to come together as believers to be together.

Acts 19: 1-2 KJV
And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

Here there are people gathered together, having church and Paul is interested in not them having church, but having a church that is spirit filled. So it's important that you know you need to seek the filling of the holy spirit. Here, they answered to him and said unto him...

Acts 19:3-6 KJV
And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

Now that word prophesied does not mean that they gave a word of knowledge or word of wisdom, what it means is that they edified, and there was exhortation and comfort. They're going right back to where we just read in Hebrews. So prophecy went forth. Now you have a church that is disciple minded or in other words, disciplined minded. They are not only disciplined minded but now they are spirit filled. They are spirit filled and they are hanging out together. So it's important that you go and find a church filled with the Sprit that teaches the Word.

There are four things that you need to know that when you come to church that should be going on at any given time. They might not all four happen at one time. They might happen at one time during the message or any time, but these things need to take place.

2   Timothy 3: 16 KJV
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Being born again, you need to know that. You need to know what to expect when you sit in that chair. One of the things that God is telling us here is that when an individual reads out of the Word of God all scripture is given by inspiration of God. Now there could be a time there where that individual hears the Word and it becomes very profitable to you. I mean it's just totally to your benefit. Then some scripture might be taught for reproof. That means open faced rebuke. You ought to expect that whoever and wherever that word's going forth that they are not always going to be nice to you, that they are going to cut you sometimes. You might get cut every once in a while. The Holy Spirit commands that speaker to cut you. Then it might be there for correction or conviction of sin. If you are going to a place and you are born again, and you don't hear any correction, and you are not getting cut, then that's not the place that a born again believer should be. You ought to be in a place where you can be profitable, there can be reproof, there can be correction, and also instruction in righteousness.

Basically, you need training. Training in the way of God's thoughts, purposes and actions. There's got to be some kind of training for the righteous. Can you imagine if you could have got that first? Okay, you've gotten born again, have you received the holy ghost since you believed? Can you image someone coming up to you the first time and asking you that question?   And then coming at you and saying, okay, you need to be taught the Word of God. When I teach you the word of God this week, you might get cut, but next week I might love on you. Then next week there might be some correction. Then there is going to be some training in the way that God thinks, the way that God acts, and God's purposes.

So when a person becomes born again, if we miss this part chances are we're contaminated with some religion still. Now what happens? Well, after about 15 or 20 years, you start getting cut again, and you get mad. In reality, you were supposed to have been cut 20 years ago, but you never got cut. You never got corrected. You never dealt with reproof. You never dealt with open-faced rebuke. It seems foreign to you, and you get frustrated failing to realize that God puts an anointing upon a man or a woman to cut you. Without knowing anything about what you are going through, the message will come through those speakers, while you are going down the street and bam, you're getting cut. Nobody told them, it was the Holy Ghost speaking to you through them.

 

2. Learn What Faith Is

What is the second thing that you need learn as the born again believer after you've found a spirit-filled church? This is above everything else. You need to learn what faith is. Here is why. You need to learn faith far above everything else. I know a lot of you want to go to love (out of your religion). Why? Because that is what you learned. Is love important? Absolutely. But it didn't say without love you couldn't please God, it says without faith you can't. Why is that? Because you're going to be serving an invisible God, and you have got to be able to see the unseen. And besides, when you look at the love chapter, and read the chapter before and the chapter after, it was really talking to the church about what was the most important gift of all. It was dealing with love in a whole different capacity. As a result of not knowing what it meant to be born again, we pulled that out and we prioritize love as number one. But God wants you to learn that number one first, is faith. He's got to get you to know what faith is.

Hebrews 11: 6 KJV

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Why didn't it say without love? Without love it's impossible to please God? Because when you become born again you don't really love God. You got born again by faith. You didn't get born again because you totally fell in love with God. You saw certain things, you felt what he did for you, you felt compassionate about it and you said, "you know what? There has to be more." A lot of people got born again on "there has to be more." Some people got born again and didn't even know they got born again. They just knew that "I have to receive Him, there's just something about Him." But you didn't compassionately love Him. Why? Because faith is what brought you to Him. God didn't need you to love Him, to be received. He already loved you, he loved you as you were. The bible says He loved you when you were a sinner. So you didn't have to prove to Him your love in order for you to receive Him. God is not impressed by your label of love. God is impressed and he is very pleased when you can use faith. So if you want to please God, it's your faith that is going to do that.

So when you are a born again believer the first thing you need to learn is how to use faith. Sometimes you just need to read that verse with just the first five words. Without faith it is impossible. You can't go anywhere else without faith. God does everything by faith. Everything that you are ever going to need, everything that you would ever have to believe God for, you're going to have to do it by faith. So as a born again believer, the first thing you want to know is faith. And if you go to a place, and they are not teaching you how to use faith, you are in the wrong place. You need to know the law of faith.

Romans 3: 27-31 KJV
Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

In other words, we uphold the law. What does that mean? That means, that as a born again believer we uphold the law of faith. You hold that law up as the highest supreme law that operates in the life of a believer. There is no law higher than that. If you want to posses or pull down anything out of the invisible realm, faith is going to have to be the tool that you use. If you want to deal with certain things in your life, faith is going to have to be tool. It is not going to be done by your natural eyes. What happens is, you get good born again believers, that have not yet passed the faith test. Until that faith test has been passed, you truly don't have faith established yet. It's not developed yet. A lot of people get born again, they get into the church, they church hop for a little while, go through a whole bunch of stuff, and they never really use their faith. They hear about it, but they don't know what faith is. They never use it. So you have to keep in mind that when you are born again, one of the first things you need to know is how to use faith. If you have been sitting in a ministry for any period of time, you got to really know how to use faith. If the only thing you heard was something that you read, you don't know faith. Chances are, you can't please God.

If you always had faith, then faith would never have to come. So the word says, faith cometh by hearing. Not faith remaineth. Faith used for today came again. It's coming right now. So faith cometh by hearing, not heard. When you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you didn't have faith. I know a lot of people want to say that. I have faith now. When you say now, you put a time on it.   That means it has a beginning and an end when you say "I have faith now". When you say now, you have just made faith old. Faith does not have a beginning or and end, faith is an eternal principle that has been given to the born again believer to use in order to please God.

 

3. Learn Who You Are in God

The third thing that you need know once you are a born again believer is that you need to learn who you are in God. What does that mean?

Romans 5: 12-13 KJV
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

Now what does that mean? I know a lot of people read that, and they can't understand it. That means that Abraham didn't know what sin was. Sin was never revealed until the law or the 10 commandments was revealed. Once the ten commandments were revealed and a person can read it, they now know that. A lot a times a person can get born again and they don't know what they have done wrong until it's opened up. You don't know what path you've been chasing. You might be on a certain path, and you don't know what you've done wrong until someone actually reveals it. When they are not born again, they're out there and nobody's telling them what they can do because they don't want to be told what to do. So then, they come to a place, a person opens up the book, reads it under the unction of the Holy Spirit and the cutting gets to going. All of a sudden, "I don't need to take that!. I don't need to feel that!" Because now your sin has been exposed. What the law did was reveal what sin is so that man can repent and realize that he cannot live on this earth by himself without a God.

Now, technically you are already in the world serving a god, you're just not serving the one true God. You are serving something. You need to learn who you are in Him.

Romans 5: 14 KJV
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

Romans 5: 17-19 KJV
For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

It's vitally important that one of things that you want to know as a born again believer is that as soon as you get born again, you are no longer a sinner. You have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. A lot of times, people are getting born again, going to the alter saying I'm born again, walking out the church confessing "I'm a sinner. I'm still a sinner. I'm still a sinner." But if I would have went through this I'd have known I was the righteousness of God and we could have been a lot further than this. If you would have known what to do as a born again believer and what was next, imagine how far you would be today.

If you read verse 19 it is very clear for by one man's disobedience (Adam) many were made sinners (because of Adam's disobedience). So as a result of what Adam did, many were made sinners. Notice what happens here, Adam sins, many were made sinners. The people that were made sinners, did they do anything? No, by default they are made sinners. So now I received Jesus as my Lord and savior, and notice what it says... So by the obedience of one many will be made righteous. I didn't go to Calvary, Jesus did. But because he did, I am now made righteous. One thing you've got to understand is that being born again is something for you to really grab hold of. On either case, dealing with Adam #1 or the last Adam (Jesus), on both cases you didn't do anything. You didn't do anything to get the sin, but you were a sinner. You didn't do anything to become righteous, but you were made righteous. On either case, you didn't do anything. The only thing you had to do was receive one or the other. If you received the lifestyle of the fallen man, you will remain a sinner. If you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. So either case you didn't do anything.   It was God's grace that allowed you to become righteous.

Imagine being born again, and knowing that right off the top. Man what a privilege it is.

 

4. Learn the Power Behind Your Words

The fourth thing that you need to do as a born again believer is to learn the power behind your words. The whole of chapter 55 is dealing with a wicked group of people. We're going here because it gives us an illustration on the power of the release of God's words. God is saying here in this particular chapter "my words don't return void." So if God's words don't return void, then they won't return void out of you either.

Isaiah 55: 10-11 KJV
For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it

Some of us didn't read the word correctly here. We heard that scripture one day sitting in church "my thoughts are not your thoughts" and we hear that and say "wow, I could never thing like God." Well that's impossible since you've been made in his image. You were brought back to the righteousness of God. Your thoughts are exactly like his thoughts. That's why it says let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus. That mindset is the God creator, co-creator thoughts. That's why the training in righteousness teaches you God's thoughts, purposes and actions. You can think like God. But if you didn't know that when you got born again you will feel that you are this person who does not deserve it. Well, you didn't deserve sin. You didn't deserve righteousness. I know you've been whooped over the head that you're on the way to hell, and that's true because by association, we were associated with Adam #1. But the last Adam (Jesus) that we are now associated with, we have a right to go to heaven. Thank God for that.

God's word does not return void. We know that scripture talks about how God puts words in our mouth. You have to realize that you have what you say. You are now created in the image of God. You are back in the garden and your words have power.

Mark 11: 22 KJV
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

One translation says "constantly have faith in God". This is talking about a substance. It's talking about "how does a person have faith in God?" A person has faith in God not only by what he says but what he knows about him. There's a lot of elements that go along with that when you get born again. It's easy to get born again because it doesn't take a whole bunch. You just acknowledge and receive. But now you're going to have to live by faith. Not live by church. Not live by coming to church. Not live by doing good deeds. Not live by the things you do for the church. You can't live by that, it says "live by faith." So you cannot erase faith and just deal with good deeds, and be busy and do all the things that you are doing, helping everybody on every street corner or doing all these favors for everybody all the time. And you think that's church. It has nothing to do with church and God's not in it. That's religion and that's let me help you, let me do this for you, let me be nice to you. God did not say that is faith. That's got nothing to do with faith. It says have a lifestyle of constant faith is what this is talking about.

Mark 11: 23-24
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

So here is something that is vitally important. We have to learn the power of our words. Why? Because we are going to have whatsoever we say. I like to say it like this... "if you don't want to see what you are saying, keep your mouth shut." Once you become born again, you are made back in the image of God, like Adam was in the Garden before he sinned. So that means that you now can say something and see it. The thing about saying and seeing is simply this, once you speak it, it comes out of the eternal realm into the natural realm. But the process is not based on time, it's based on obedience. Your manifestation time is your obedience time clock. It's not a time clock in terms of time in which we look at it but obedience determines the manifestation. So, learn the power of your words.

 

5. Learn How to Give God's Way

The biggest mistake you'll make as a young born again believer is that you will try to put God as one dimension. You have been convinced that God is just a Spirit and that's it. And that's how God deals with you all day long. One-dimensional. God is not one-dimensional towards you. God is going to deal with your spirit, your soul and your pocket book. Three dimensions. Why? Because those are the three areas that He is going to use in order for you to look strong in the Earth realm. He wants your soul prosperous, he wants your spirit prosperous, and he wants you financially prosperous. Why? Because that is what will attract the world to you. These are the same things that Satan used to attract Jesus. Satan will never offer poverty. He offers abundance. Satan uses the tools to trap men by what man can see, touch and have. What God is doing for us is that he is teaching us something very important. He put a law into motion, and it's right here...

John 3: 16 KJV
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.

Notice what took place here that a lot of people don't look at because we think one-dimensional. For God so loved the world that He GAVE. He just didn't give, but He released a seed. He released a seed to reap back. He didn't release Jesus to get nobody. He released a seed in order to start the process to get a harvest. Once Jesus was released, he then stood upon feet, and thirty three years later, called Himself the Lord of the Harvest. What is He harvesting? He's harvesting souls. Why? Because He was sowed as a soul.

Mathew 6: 30-32 KJV
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things

He knows you need to pay your bills, he knows you need clothes, he knows you need water. He's very familiar with all the needs that you have. Now here's the answer to that.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God in His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

Now the Kingdom of God is God's way of doing things and being right. So there is a way, and as a born again believer it is important that you understand how to give in God's system.   Now, the Kingdom of God is a system that's based on a seed, the word, and a spoken word. All these things are always there, forever present. These things can interact, and they can interchange all day long. One moment you might just have a word from God, and then you get a word through God and then your seed is coming from God. The Kingdom is always going to involve a seed. And the reason why is when John 3:16 was spoken, it put the law of giving into motion. If that didn't happen, then the law of giving would not have been in effect.

Luke 6:38 KJV
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

A lot times we want to be on the receiving end but not on the giving end. Oh sure, you want to give, but you want to give according to someone else's faith and not according to your own. There are two people involved here. There's the person that is on the giving side, on both ends. So you've got one person giving, and notice how it comes back to him. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over... shall men give. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together is the giver. That is how the giver gives. What we're doing is we're learning to give the world's way. A little bit. We don't give with good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over. That is how you are supposed to give. Noticed what it said at the end... "with the same measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again." That is how it is coming to person that is giving. Givers attract givers. If you're not a giver, you don't attract givers.

 

Things to be Mindful Of

There are some things I want you to be mindful of. Number one, church hopping friends. If you are socializing with people that are unstable in this area, you need to run from them.

2 Timothy 4: 2-4 KJV
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

So we can see here that people will agree with multiple teachers to foster the errors they hold to justify rebellion or disobedience. You will find that people in this category will do a lot of church hopping. You will sit in church, and try to be faithful and those church hopping friends will encourage you to go somewhere else, and the word of god is against that. It is against you having too many spiritual fathers. It causes confusion.

The second thing you need to be mindful of is offended Christians that you sit next to in church. Somebody that is always negative that only circles around two or three people during church. Pretty soon the Holy Spirit is pressing on them to correct that and they think it's the devil pressing on them. They constantly regress backward and then they are only talking to one or two people. That's an offended person. That's not a person that is walking in faith and in the love walk. Once they are born again, offense comes because they can't walk in faith. It's when you rip faith out of the equation of your lifestyle, offense is right there. You must be mindful of offended Christians because they will make deposits into your heart as a new believer and you will not be around too much longer. You will get into that whirlwind of church offenders. That whirlwind of church hopping people. You will go to every church around and you will try to find one that agrees with you and carry that offense around with you.

Mark 4: 14-15 KJV
The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

One of the things that a new believer experiences is, they do not realize that there is a devil that will steal the word. When the devil steals the word, he will steal it from whoever you like. He will steal it from your wife, your husband, daughter, or son to offend them. Offense is the number one tool of division. If you get offended, he divides you. I'm not telling you to hate them, or get mad at them, but be mindful of the deposits of words that they give you. You need to cut that out because you are working on something that is too big for someone to be sowing seeds of offense into your heart.

Mark 4:17 KJV
And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.

The first indication of a person that is offended is that they are displeased. The next indication is indignation. The next is resentment. Then, they stumble and fall away. When they fall away, everything goes with them. There's a loss, and the embarrassment of that loss causes them to go away.

Mark 4:18-19 AMP
And the ones sown among the thorns are others who hear the Word; Then the cares and anxieties of the world and distractions of the age, and the pleasure and delight and false glamour and deceitfulness of riches, and the craving and passionate desire for other things creep in and choke and suffocate the Word, and it becomes fruitless.

The enemy does not want the word that has been sown into your life after you become born again to prosper.

The third thing to be mindful of is glorified titles as a new Christian. Some get born again, and three months later, they are a preacher. That is not supposed to happen. Someone gives you an important title just after being born again once they find out how much money you make. Now all of a sudden you are the minister of music, or you're the associate pastor over the kids and you haven't been born again but for six months. Even though time is not an indication of whether you deserve it or not, obedience is. Your faith has not been tested yet. You have not been proven yet.

1 Timothy 3: 4-6 AMP
He must rule his own household well, keeping his children under control, with true dignity, commanding their respect in every way and keeping them respectful. For if a man does not know how to rule his own household, how is he to take care of the church of God? He must not be a new convert, or he may [develop a beclouded and stupid state of mind] as the result of pride [be blinded by conceit, and] fall into the condemnation that the devil [once] did.

It puts a young convert into making the same mistake that the devil did. The devil sinned without a tempter. Some people will appoint you for money.

The fourth thing to be mindful of is being in a place where there is no spiritual covering. You need a spiritual father. You don't want to be going to a church where people don't know that there should be a spiritual covering there.

Hebrews 12: 9-10 AMP
Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we yielded [to them] and respected [them for training us]. Shall we not much more cheerfully submit to the Father of spirits and so [truly] live? For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for only a short period of time and chastised us as seemed proper and good to them; but He disciplines us for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness.

It is vitally important that you as a born again believer are aware of people that go to places and they don't know anything about spiritual covering. This is dangerous. If there is no spiritual covering, there is no accountability.

The fifth thing you need to be mindful of is high emotions and no biblical church order. A lot of people like church, but they don't like order. When there is no order, there is havoc. When you got born again, you were not used to order and structure in the church. But on your job, you do not have a problem with receiving instruction from a manager. You don't ask for the president to come give you the instruction. But in church, you won't listen to someone who has been appointed by the pastor, you want to talk to the pastor directly. When people don't reverence church government, there is no proper balance.

Romans 10: 2-3 KJV
For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

You get excited about certain things, and you start talking a lot but really don't know what you are talking about. When you step up to a level of rebellion that you have never been hit with before, and the word comes along and the pastor can release it, now you think the pastor is wrong. We handle it through church government.  

 

Conclusion

Once you're born again, number one, find a church filled with the spirit of God that teaches the word. Number two, learn faith. Number three, learn who you are in Him as the righteousness of God. Number four, Learn the power behind your words, and number five, learn how to give God's way.   Lastly be mindful of the people you hang out with, glorified titles, spiritual coverings and biblical order.

©2007 The House Publications, Inc.