New Birth Experiences

[MichaelPA]

Can someone describe to me a typical new birth experience?

[Bootstrap]

Can someone describe to me a typical new birth experience?

Hmmmm, is there a "typical" experience?

[MichaelPA]

Can someone describe to me a typical new birth experience?

Hmmmm, is there a "typical" experience?

I don't know. I was hoping someone could illuminate me.

[Sudsy]

I can give my father's as he was an unchurched, worldly living man who had a radical overnight change from darkness to light.

I have told this story many times here but I'll just take it from the moment he gave his life to Christ.

He was in a meeting where the Gospel was preached and recognized himself to be a sinner needing a Saviour. As he puts it, he was standing at the end of the meeting in the church pew area and the song being sung was 'Pass me not o gentle Saviour, hear my humble cry, while on others thou art calling do not pass me by' and he simply said 'Lord don't pass me by'.

Well that very next morning he knew his life had radically been changed and his desires now were to serve the Lord. One of the first indicators was when he used a swear word that very next morning (my mom said prior to salvation he swore, like every other word but never admitted to swearing) he dropped to his knees at the shop he worked at and asked the Lord for forgiveness. Then another sign was a hunger and thirst to know more. In those days that church had meetings of sorts 6 out of 7 nights a week. Plus late night talks with older Christians where he bombarded them with questions. And then he would share his new faith with everyone and anyone. He took much persecution from his old group of friends. He became a street preacher and we were raised to be heavily focused on brining people to Christ.

When I was in an Evangelical Baptist church years ago we had a period of very similar conversion experiences. Radical life changes; no fear to share their new faith; non-stop cravings to learn more; stumblings and need for tutors in the early days of this new life; rejected by old friends; also leading some to Christ; eager to be involved in church activities, old ways of living fell off and new ones began, etc, etc.

I'm glad I was raised in a church that believed and experienced these conversions. But since then I have been in some churches that are dead and none of this occurs. I only want to be in those churches who do believe and exerience these new births. So exciting, so challenging.

[silentreader]

I can give my father's as he was an unchurched, worldly living man who had a radical overnight change from darkness to light.

I have told this story many times here but I'll just take it from the moment he gave his life to Christ.

He was in a meeting where the Gospel was preached and recognized himself to be a sinner needing a Saviour. As he puts it, he was standing at the end of the meeting in the church pew area and the song being sung was 'Pass me not o gentle Saviour, hear my humble cry, while on others thou art calling do not pass me by' and he simply said 'Lord don't pass me by'.

Well that very next morning he knew his life had radically been changed and his desires now were to serve the Lord. One of the first indicators was when he used a swear word that very next morning (my mom said prior to salvation he swore, like every other word but never admitted to swearing) he dropped to his knees at the shop he worked at and asked the Lord for forgiveness. Then another sign was a hunger and thirst to know more. In those days that church had meetings of sorts 6 out of 7 nights a week. Plus late night talks with older Christians where he bombarded them with questions. And then he would share his new faith with everyone and anyone. He took much persecution from his old group of friends. He became a street preacher and we were raised to be heavily focused on brining people to Christ.

Salt of the earth, in other words.


When I was in an Evangelical Baptist church years ago we had a period of very similar conversion experiences. Radical life changes; no fear to share their new faith; non-stop cravings to learn more; stumblings and need for tutors in the early days of this new life; rejected by old friends; also leading some to Christ; eager to be involved in church activities, old ways of living fell off and new ones began, etc, etc.

I'm glad I was raised in a church that believed and experienced these conversions. But since then I have been in some churches that are dead and none of this occurs. I only want to be in those churches who do believe and exerience these new births. So exciting, so challenging.

[Sudsy]

I can give my father's as he was an unchurched, worldly living man who had a radical overnight change from darkness to light.

I have told this story many times here but I'll just take it from the moment he gave his life to Christ.

He was in a meeting where the Gospel was preached and recognized himself to be a sinner needing a Saviour. As he puts it, he was standing at the end of the meeting in the church pew area and the song being sung was 'Pass me not o gentle Saviour, hear my humble cry, while on others thou art calling do not pass me by' and he simply said 'Lord don't pass me by'.

Well that very next morning he knew his life had radically been changed and his desires now were to serve the Lord. One of the first indicators was when he used a swear word that very next morning (my mom said prior to salvation he swore, like every other word but never admitted to swearing) he dropped to his knees at the shop he worked at and asked the Lord for forgiveness. Then another sign was a hunger and thirst to know more. In those days that church had meetings of sorts 6 out of 7 nights a week. Plus late night talks with older Christians where he bombarded them with questions. And then he would share his new faith with everyone and anyone. He took much persecution from his old group of friends. He became a street preacher and we were raised to be heavily focused on brining people to Christ.

Salt of the earth, in other words.


When I was in an Evangelical Baptist church years ago we had a period of very similar conversion experiences. Radical life changes; no fear to share their new faith; non-stop cravings to learn more; stumblings and need for tutors in the early days of this new life; rejected by old friends; also leading some to Christ; eager to be involved in church activities, old ways of living fell off and new ones began, etc, etc.

I'm glad I was raised in a church that believed and experienced these conversions. But since then I have been in some churches that are dead and none of this occurs. I only want to be in those churches who do believe and exerience these new births. So exciting, so challenging.

Whoops, spelling error. Make that 'bringing'. Funny reply.

I guess even a spell checker would have missed that one. Speaking of spell checkers - check this out -

Eye Halve a Spelling Chequer

Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

A checker is a bless sing,
It freeze yew lodes of thyme.
It helps me right awl stiles two reed,
And aides me when aye rime.

Each frays come posed up on my screen,
Eye trussed two bee a joule;
The checker pours o'er every wyrd,
To cheque sum spelling rule.

Be fore a veiling chequers
Hour spelling mite decline,
And if were lacks or have a laps,
We wood bee maid to wine.

Butt now bee cause my spelling
Is checked with such grate flare,
Their are know faults with in my cite,
Off nun eye am a wear.

Now spelling does knot phase me,
It does knot bring a tier.
My pay purrs awl due glad den
With wrapped words fare as hear.

To rite with care is quite a feet
Of witch won should be proud.
And wee mussed dew the best wee can,
Sew floors are knot aloud.

Eye strike a quay and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee four two long
And eye can putt the error rite
Its rarely ever wrong.

Sow ewe can sea why aye dew prays
Such soft ware four pea seas.
And why eye brake in two averse
By righting want too pleas.

Eye half run this poem threw it
Eye am shore your pleased two no
Its let her perfect in it's weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.

-- Sauce unknown

[MichaelPA]

I can give my father's as he was an unchurched, worldly living man who had a radical overnight change from darkness to light.

I have told this story many times here but I'll just take it from the moment he gave his life to Christ.

He was in a meeting where the Gospel was preached and recognized himself to be a sinner needing a Saviour. As he puts it, he was standing at the end of the meeting in the church pew area and the song being sung was 'Pass me not o gentle Saviour, hear my humble cry, while on others thou art calling do not pass me by' and he simply said 'Lord don't pass me by'.

Well that very next morning he knew his life had radically been changed and his desires now were to serve the Lord. One of the first indicators was when he used a swear word that very next morning (my mom said prior to salvation he swore, like every other word but never admitted to swearing) he dropped to his knees at the shop he worked at and asked the Lord for forgiveness. Then another sign was a hunger and thirst to know more. In those days that church had meetings of sorts 6 out of 7 nights a week. Plus late night talks with older Christians where he bombarded them with questions. And then he would share his new faith with everyone and anyone. He took much persecution from his old group of friends. He became a street preacher and we were raised to be heavily focused on brining people to Christ.

When I was in an Evangelical Baptist church years ago we had a period of very similar conversion experiences. Radical life changes; no fear to share their new faith; non-stop cravings to learn more; stumblings and need for tutors in the early days of this new life; rejected by old friends; also leading some to Christ; eager to be involved in church activities, old ways of living fell off and new ones began, etc, etc.

I'm glad I was raised in a church that believed and experienced these conversions. But since then I have been in some churches that are dead and none of this occurs. I only want to be in those churches who do believe and exerience these new births. So exciting, so challenging.

Inspiring story of your father. Thanks, Sudsy.

[Bootstrap]

When I was in an Evangelical Baptist church years ago we had a period of very similar conversion experiences. Radical life changes; no fear to share their new faith; non-stop cravings to learn more; stumblings and need for tutors in the early days of this new life; rejected by old friends; also leading some to Christ; eager to be involved in church activities, old ways of living fell off and new ones began, etc, etc.

I think these are the things to measure by.

In the New Testament, I see a wide variety of conversion experiences, and I see them among my friends too. I'm happy to see any conversion that results in serious discipleship, by grace, not according to your own wisdom.

I have seen Christians like that who grew up Christian and did not remember one specific conversion experience.

Mine came in two stages, actually. I was rather a handful as a boy, always involved in fights, rather impulsive, out of control, and I felt like a lot of people in church looked down on me. I'm not sure how much of that came from them and how much came from my own guilt. When people tried to teach me the Four Spiritual Laws, it just didn't click.

Our church held an event where people from other churches witnessed to what God had done in their lives. One of the things that was overwhelming was the sense of prayerful love and caring acceptance, something I hadn't really experienced from my church. When I saw that kind of love, I was ready to accept Jesus as my Savior. They had a time where people could sit in quiet in the church, and if we were ready, we were invited to come to the front, pick up a cross to take with us and carry every day, and kneel at an altar to pray and accept Jesus.

But they all went back to their churches, and I felt alone. And they hadn't really told me about accepting Jesus as Lord. A family friend who had been my babysitter at one point started taking me to prayer meetings and helping me mature in my faith. We sang together at coffeehouses, went to conferences, talked to people and prayed with them. When I really came to understand lordship, I got baptized as an adult.

[MichaelPA]

When I was in an Evangelical Baptist church years ago we had a period of very similar conversion experiences. Radical life changes; no fear to share their new faith; non-stop cravings to learn more; stumblings and need for tutors in the early days of this new life; rejected by old friends; also leading some to Christ; eager to be involved in church activities, old ways of living fell off and new ones began, etc, etc.

I think these are the things to measure by.

In the New Testament, I see a wide variety of conversion experiences, and I see them among my friends too. I'm happy to see any conversion that results in serious discipleship, by grace, not according to your own wisdom.

I have seen Christians like that who grew up Christian and did not remember one specific conversion experience.

Mine came in two stages, actually. I was rather a handful as a boy, always involved in fights, rather impulsive, out of control, and I felt like a lot of people in church looked down on me. I'm not sure how much of that came from them and how much came from my own guilt. When people tried to teach me the Four Spiritual Laws, it just didn't click.

Our church held an event where people from other churches witnessed to what God had done in their lives. One of the things that was overwhelming was the sense of prayerful love and caring acceptance, something I hadn't really experienced from my church. When I saw that kind of love, I was ready to accept Jesus as my Savior. They had a time where people could sit in quiet in the church, and if we were ready, we were invited to come to the front, pick up a cross to take with us and carry every day, and kneel at an altar to pray and accept Jesus.

But they all went back to their churches, and I felt alone. And they hadn't really told me about accepting Jesus as Lord. A family friend who had been my babysitter at one point started taking me to prayer meetings and helping me mature in my faith. We sang together at coffeehouses, went to conferences, talked to people and prayed with them. When I really came to understand lordship, I got baptized as an adult.

Thanks, Bootstrap, for the interesting story of you becoming a Christian.

[MichaelPA]

The Mennonite Christian Fellowship churches require prospective members of Old Order background to testify of having had a new birth experience before they accept them as members. This church apparently feels that there should be a definite new birth experience instead of slowly becoming a Christian. This is what I meant when I started the thread: a dramatic new birth experience that you can look back upon as being the moment when you became a Christian.