Pastor’s Letter: The New Birth

Have you been born again?

You say you’ve been baptized? That’s good.

You’re a member of the church? Excellent!

You believe in Jesus, go to church regularly, tithe, read the Bible, pray, and work at a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving? All well and good.

But have you been born again?

“Born Again Christian” has sometimes been used as a way to put down evangelicals, making us out to be “holy rollers,” or what used to be called “enthusiasts,” Christians who are too excitable, too emotional, unbalanced, probably not very smart. That’s how many people think of born again Christians, including many pastors and members of mainline and non-evangelical denominations and churches. Jesus makes it very clear, however, that unless you have been born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus asks him the very  sensible question, how can you possibly be born again?

The answer to that question is simple: you can’t—except by a supernatural spiritual miracle from God.

You can’t go back into your mother’s womb a second time and be born once more as an act of will. A dead person also can’t come back to life as an act of will. But Jesus can call the spiritually dead person back to life, and that awakening or regeneration (“new birth”) is what takes place when you are born again. Of course, when you are born again, you are not aware that this is happening. Some people will have an “ah ha!” moment of conversion when they are born again that they will always remember. But not everyone will have an  experience like that, at least not one they can pinpoint. Nevertheless, everyone who has been born again will have a telltale mark that can never be erased:

A sense of sin and unworthiness that leads us to cling in loving gratitude to Jesus Christ as the only one who has secured our pardon and accomplished all that is necessary for our salvation.

Do you have it? It’s called saving faith. If you do have it, you can thank  God for it, because it’s a gift from him to you. It is that supernatural spiritual miracle I mentioned before. God gave you a gift by sending his Son to die for your sins. Since Christ had already died for you, he applied that gift to you by calling you back to life, so that you will live forever. The first inward sign of the new birth to the person who has been born again is saving faith, which always accompanies the spiritual new birth itself.

—Phillip Dennis

Other articles inside the full issue

• Psalm 19:1-6
• Report on Baby Bottle Boomerang and Kenya drought relief
• New “Show Me Jesus” curriculum in Children’s Church
• Nursery church begins for 2s and 3s
• Upcoming street fairs, litter pick-up events, and work day
• New women’s book study
• Librarian’s recommendations
• And more

Chapel Chimes, April 2013 (PDF)

Pastor’s Letter: An Ambassador’s Loyalty

We must always remember that we are servants of Jesus Christ and must not have divided loyalty in any measure. As servants of Christ, it is our responsibility to state the truth of the gospel candidly, frankly, directly, in the hope that those who hear it will believe and be saved. It is hard for us to speak the truth frankly, though, because we know it is a hard message for people to hear, and many do not accept it. It is hard for us to speak the truth because, although we want to please and serve the Lord, we also want to please the people around us, the people among whom we live. We want to fit in. We want to be liked. We want to have everyone’s approval, Christ’s and the world’s.

This text from the pen of the apostle Paul gives us encouragement and a pattern to follow.

Take encouragement in the fact that Paul also felt the conflicting desires to serve Christ faithfully while also pleasing people. We see no divided loyalty in this text, however. It is clear that he is a servant of Christ and will do what the Lord wants, no matter what others may think.

Take encouragement in the fact that only those who are blinded by the god of this world will reject you and your Christian testimony. Why should you be concerned about the opinion of those who cannot perceive things rightly?

Take encouragement above all in the fact that we have this ministry by the mercy of God. As Christ’s ambassadors, you face the disapproval of the world—but think, you no longer face the disapproval of God! He has rescued you, set his love upon you, brought you into his own family, promised you life without end in the new creation. What do you have to fear! The message you carry is a ministry from mercy, for mercy.

The pattern to follow is simply this: state the truth openly and plainly. You’re not proclaiming yourself but Jesus Christ as Lord. He is the judge of the living and the dead. No one comes to the Father except through him. He is the way, the truth, and the life. There is no other name given under heaven by which men must be saved. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Are you timid? Ask God to give you courage to be bold. Don’t lose heart. What you proclaim is not yourself but Jesus Christ as Lord. In doing that you are actually serving those who hear, whether they listen to you or not. How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!

—Phillip Dennis

Other articles inside the full issue

• Africa missions update
• Easter pot luck breakfast and egg hunt
• The Banner of Truth Trust

Chapel Chimes, March 2013 (PDF)

Pastor’s Letter: Outward Signs of Inward Spiritual Health

I have been very happy to announce all kinds of good news lately—how much our membership grew in 2012; how much progress we’re making toward financial self-sufficiency; our insurance claim from Hurricane Sandy is being paid without any delays; we’re getting very close to being able to close on the sale of the parsonage and buy a new parsonage. I’m excited about the new women’s ministry being organized and about the fun trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania and the Sight & Sound Theatre being planned for this summer. I’m happy that some of our newer members are really feeling like they belong and are a part of things, using their spiritual gifts and taking responsibility for different areas of our life and ministry together. Basically, I’m really thankful for all the kindness God is showing us as our church grows and flourishes.

With so much good news being spread and productive activity going on in the church, I’m tempted to exhale and rest satisfied with the way everything is shaping up.

The only problem is, I know there are spiritual problems in our church. I know that some of you are far from the Lord in your heart. Some of you are very cold and distant from him. Some may be busy with church activity but have little fire of love for God or his people burning within. Maybe that’s you. Maybe you haven’t even noticed how hard your heart has become toward the Lord, you’ve been so busy with the holidays and this-and-that in your life lately. You have put a distance between yourself and God, maybe without even noticing it.

I want our church to grow and to have a more effective, resourceful, powerful ministry in our area. But what I want most of all is for each one of you to walk faithfully with the Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to be near to him and to sense his nearness to you. I want you to love him more than anyone or anything else. I want you to value him, to prize him, to cling to him through thick and thin, to hold fast to him as your only hope, your highest good, your greatest gain.

I can’t rest satisfied with the way everything is shaping up because I know that some of you are sleeping spiritually, struggling for your lives, or wandering away into mortal danger. That’s why I pray for you, and why I want more opportunities to talk to you candidly about spiritual and personal matters, to visit you and talk about the important things. I want you to do the same thing for each other: pray for each other earnestly, talk with each other frankly about the state of your soul. “Bear one another’s burdens,” the apostle Paul says, “and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2).

Let’s keep working, serving, and thanking God for all he is doing, but let’s pay close attention to our spiritual health and the spiritual health of our neighbor. When we stand before God, we won’t present him a church brochure or a portfolio of ministries. We want to present him ourselves, with none of us missing, “in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (Eph. 5:27). I see the external indications of growth and health in our church. Let’s watch and pray that our inner spiritual life keeps pace.

—Phillip Dennis

Other articles inside the full issue

• Special events of interest to the women in the church
• Facts and figures about tithes and offerings
• Book recommendations from the church librarian
• Information about the men’s brotherhood of New Hope
• Services opportunities
• Registration form for our All-Church Road Trip to the Sight & Sound Theatre in Lancaster County, PA

Chapel Chimes, February 2013 (PDF)