The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1921-10-08

says mans great neeu ls no'
of something he has lost, but he"
birth. Except a man be DOrh asoim
he cannot enter the kingdom Of GOD
John 3:3, 5. 1t is not that men become
lost but that they are lost. JUST az
the lame man was born in his lame
condition so the unsayed have Deeh
born In lost condition. To have that
condition changed there must De
new birth, q second birth Inc luea
of a second birth naturally astonlsheu
NicOdemus for he asked "How can
man be born again7 Can he enter the
second time into his mothers WOMB
and be bornf" John ga The story
Of the lame man shows how
In verse three 1t is said he askeu
an aims. He was asking merely lor
temporary aid, not for permanent de-
liverance from his condition. SO 'ile
unsaved when first awakened do not
think of the new birth, but merely
some help for a sinful habit or man
ner of living. But underneath the
habit or manner Of life lies the un-
seen cause of the wrong they SEE
That unseen cause is their condltlon
by nature.
In verse FIVE it is said the lame man
gave heed" to the words Peter al
dressed to him. Faith cometh by
hearing and hearing by the word OF
God" Rom. 1919. 1t is by the WORD
; of God the new birth comes, Being
born again, not with corruptible SEED
! but by incorruptible, by the word OF
l God which liveth and abideth forever
e l Pet. 1:23. "Of His own will begat
}. He us by the Word of Truth" JAS
1:1S. When a man will give heed 10
what the word Of God says, he Is
well on the way to the new birth.
2 In verses seven and eight we are
told the man was Immediately an0
perfectly healed. There was no periot
of probation. His giving heed Il
Il the word spoken was proof OF hi
IL readiness to obey. When told to riS'
v I'M and walk, to do what he had neveI
done and what his lifelong experl
ence taught him was Impossible 10
er him to do, he started to obey ant
s. found he had the power
a, All the unsaved man has to do |
ID TO lay aside every hope he has ha
and simply yield to what the Wor
of God says; to turn aside from a
;, else, wholly on that word take tn
first step. In that first step come
the new birth-the passing from deaf
into life. verify, verify, | say uni
u YOU, he that heareth my word an
N belieyeth on Him that sent me hat
n. everlasting life, and shall not con
he into condemnation, but Is passed fro
ad death unto life" John 6:24.
The eighth verse says that as soc
"a the lame man was healed he b
nd came a worshiper, He instructive
in praised God and not man. Givll
credit to man robs God Of His rigf
Ful due and does immense harm
the man. But the lame man turn
" all his praise towards the One fro
whom the blessing came.
The ninth verse says, "All the pc
'eu nile saw him walking and praisil
OF God" He was witnessing publicly
at his healing. The cause of so mu
Re. lack of Christian experience is
much lack of Christian testimony
en- publicly to God. We are so airs
red Of being considered odd or eccent
No. and so afraid of being classed w
81 some who speak vagaries that we ke
an still concerning what God has dc
'i'n for us. Keeping still we often II
much that is ours by right Of the n
birth. But the lame man healed v
SUI not of such; he publicly and joyou
rom and continually gave glory to God
'ew such fashion that the door was opel
for Peter to preach remarkable
mon to the multitude.
4th. Lastly the healed man was an
answerable argument for the saw
grace and power of the Lord.
people knew he had been born la
and they knew he had never wall
anne Now they saw him healed and m
ken whole and could not but be astonisl
no They naturally would inquire
such change had taken place,
when told they could have notl
to say against it seeing the heI
man standing In their midst. In
manner the saved man should
his testimony by his public prais
God as well as by his changed mai