I had an interesting conversation on the phone the other night with an Anglican girl that has fast become a friend of mine. She told me she was intrigued why a born again Christian wanted to contact her on a singles site. I assumed most Anglicans were born again and so I asked her what she thought a born again Christian was.
She went on to tell me we are a bit fanatical and that we pray in tongues and that's when I thought she was saying that I was Pentecostal. Apparently out there in the world we are the hand raising tongues speaking guys that you see on TV late at night..
I become a born again Christian in a Baptist church and if your Baptists churches are the same in the USA as they are in Australia well they definitely are not into speaking in tongues. In fact even when my parents wanted to speak in tongues it took them close to two years to get the gift such was there teaching against it and fears.
One day when I was walking to the station I passed a couple of Catholics and I thought in my mind if they only knew Jesus like me and Jesus spoke right into my mind, "You leave my people alone. Speak to them kindly with love."
And so tonight as you are such great people of prayer, I want to share with all you Catholics and the other people who are reading a prayer that would be accepted by most born again Christians as a prayer that when prayed with sincerity from the heart would get you into a born again state.
Dear Jesus
I recognize you as the Son of God and come to you today in prayer. I thank you for dying on the cross for my sins on Calvary and I ask you to forgive all the sins I have committed in my life. I ask that you will come and live within my heart and from this day on I ask that your Spirit reside within me. I know that you came and died on a cross and three days later came back to life and from this evidence I know that when I die as a person of faith I also will go to heaven and meet you and live for eternity. I chose to follow you and do what you ask for me from this day forth as I live my life for you. Bless you Jesus.
Amen
A born again Christian believes some essential things.
One- Jesus blood is sufficient for our sins to be forgiven
Most born again Christians do not go to confession but simply petition Jesus and God directly and tell them of their sins. The Holy Spirit that lives in them convicts them of their sins and encourages them to confess their sins and when they confess them this self same Holy Spirit gives the Christian the peace in their heart and assurance that they have been forgiven.
We believe that Jesus suffered enough on that cross for all of our sins and that the blood actually has the power in it to help us give up certain sins. There is no need for us to do penance of any type as Christ already suffered for us. Yet if you pray the prayer you could still go to confession and do penance, just take the time to read some books on basic Christianity and understand that the price for all our sins has been paid.
Two- A born again Christian believes Jesus was the Son of God and a complete sacrifice
This would not differ that much with a Catholic person who is very devout. But many people who are not of the faith seem to think Jesus was just a simple man who taught some wise things and was not actually come down from heaven.
Jesus was no wise teacher and a good man.
Jesus was either a lunatic, a liar or who he said He was.
He claimed to His apostles that anyone that had seen Him had seen God. He even said that He was God at one stage.
Today even if you said you were Jesus you would be put way and given medication to take.
If Jesus was not God's Son and come down from heaven he was lying to the apostles and the people He spoke to. This does not make Him a good man.
Jesus is not a good teacher and a normal man because He didn't give us that option to choose. You either accept that He is God's eternal Son or you have to accept that He lied or someone lied because no good teacher would tell lies.
Many books abound that try and say Jesus did not die on the cross and yet Jewish historians document Jesus death. Jesus was close to Mary Magdalene but they did not marry and have a child because Jesus had died, rose again and ascended to the Father God in heaven and Mary only had Jesus Spirit inside her.
People seem to think the apostles started a cult with a wild story of the resurrection but the Gospels record that after Jesus death they were in hiding and after he came back from the dead and gave them some further teaching they become zealous and bold teachers of His Kingdom. Nearly all of them died a death like Jesus being killed for their faith and all could have recounted but chose to die for this supposed lie of the resurrection.
Jesus was no ordinary man but he promised His Holy Spirit to all His followers.
Three- A born again Christian feels and communicates with God via an indwelling Holy Spirit
The prayer above by faith invites the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit to come and live within you and if you do pray this prayer and you are willing to live a life pleasing to God when you pray it the Holy Spirit will come and live within your heart and you will feel a sort of change in your thoughts and behavior and even a feeling of peace
Up till a person is born again its most often an angel that places a godly thought into a persons mind but from the day they are born again the Holy Spirit starts in certain measure to begin to direct and lead the believer.
I pray that you have found the courage to pray the prayer. As a loyal catholic you would find it as a nice prayer and I encourage you to search out a born again Christian that you know and tell them you prayed the prayer. In fact take them a print out of this article. Also take it to your priest and ask Him about the Holy Spirit and how you can grow in your faith and how to better communicate with the Holy Spirit. You might want to read what some of the Catholic mystics have written about Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Have a great day!