This service was a powerful reminder that while we have two birthdays—one of the flesh and one of the spirit—the spiritual birth is the only one that truly satisfies the soul. Despite the ice and snow, the Lord warmed our hearts at Good Shepherd Baptist Church as we gathered to sing “Heaven’s Jubilee” and “The Old Account Was Settled.”
We were blessed by the ladies’ singing and a sweet spirit during the invitation. Pastor Arville Duncan took his text from John 3, preaching on the necessity and the evidence of being “Born of the Spirit.”
The Sermon Breakdown
1. The Two Birthdays
Pastor Duncan reminded us that every child of God has two dates to remember. He shared his own: born in the flesh in 1944, and born again in the spirit on December 16, 1973.
- The Flesh: Born of water, physical, and ultimately “dirt bound.”
- The Spirit: Born of the Holy Ghost, eternal, and the only way to see the Kingdom of God.As the Pastor said, “You can have the physical birth and die and go to hell without Christ. That ain’t nothing to brag about.”
2. The Conflict within the Carcass
Using Galatians 5:17, the message highlighted the constant war between the carnal mind and the spiritual mind.
- The Flesh Lusteth: Your flesh wants to stay home, it wants to satisfy itself, and it wants to keep you from serving God.
- The Spirit Warreth: The Holy Ghost inside you desires the things of God—church, prayer, and holiness.Pastor Arville was plain: If you are walking in the flesh and neglecting the house of God, you are obeying the wrong master. To walk in the Spirit, you must quit “showing favor” to the fleshly desires that interfere with your work for the Lord.
3. The Evidence of the Change
One of the most powerful points of the message was that a real salvation experience always results in a changed life. The Pastor listed several things that left him the moment he got “saved real good”:
- The Tongue: The desire to curse and use God’s name in vain vanished.
- The Dress: A desire for modesty replaced the worldly “spandex and vulgarity” seen in the world today.
- The Habits: The love for gambling and alcohol was replaced by a love for the brethren and the Word of God.“If you don’t change, you ain’t saved. Don’t let the devil fool you. When you get saved, you change—big time.”
The devil brings my old past up to me all the time. I always take him to Calvary every time he does. I say, ‘Devil, you remember what happened to me… I’m no longer under your authority!’
Quit walking in your flesh. Walk in the Spirit. If the thing you’re doing is flesh and you know it, quit doing it!
A Closing Thought
Are people able to see Christ in you? When you are full of the Spirit, you are full of love and light. Don’t let the “hangover” of the world keep you from the peace that only Jesus can provide. As the old song says, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.”