What does being born again mean? Kathryn Kuhlman

I want to share a letter with you. I shall not give the minister's name. Neither will I tell you in what city he is the minister of the church. Because I'm sure that he would not mind. But these are the things that I feel is only fair to keeping... confidence. But I do want to share with you the contents of his letter. He holds the degree of DD, PSD, MSD. He's the minister of First Church of Divine Science. Dear Miss Kuhlman, today, September the 21st, marks just one week since Gladys and I were touched by the Holy Spirit when you gave the altar call for those who wished to be born again. No one can describe the ecstasy of God's power that came over us as we arose and listened to your sincere thanks to God for our complete surrender and dedication to Him for His tender mercies in forgiving us of our sins. thus bringing salvation to our souls. From that moment on, we both have continued to praise and thank Jesus over and over again for bringing us to a new spiritual understanding of his merciful love for all mankind, irrespective of race, color, or creed. For the first time in our lives, Our souls are now really and truly experiencing such a tremendous spiritual zeal and uplift. It actually vibrates our whole being from the topmost part of our heads to the very tips of our toes. Praise God, and like you always say, thanks a million to Jesus, our Lord. Today I'm writing a letter. to Dr. Erwin Gregg, the president and minister of the Divine Science Church and College in Denver. I do not want to upset him unnecessarily by discussing a subject that, from his standpoint, would be controversial. Therefore, because of his enduring love for us and because of his many kindnesses to both of us, I have simply decided to tell him the truth to prevent further controversy. I am telling him that we have been attending the Catherine Kuhlman services and that we have had the glorious experience of being born again and have felt the reality of the Holy Spirit and His tremendous power as it has touched our lives. This experience has changed our whole spiritual outlook and understanding. Therefore, we feel we can do a far greater service to God through Jesus Christ by concentrating our whole effort henceforth to the salvation of souls. In all fairness to divine science teachings, we feel we must sever Our connections with Divine Science Church were enclosing a photostat copy of the letter we sent to Dr. Gregg. Our future, of course, poses many questions as to how and where our efforts in the salvation of souls shall be. Only God has the answer. However, if and when you wish to discuss our future efforts in this venture, we shall be only... Too happy to have a heart -to -heart talk with you or anyone else who might direct. Letters of this nature are so very unsatisfactory and ponderous. We pray every day that you and your workers may be strengthened, renewed, prospered, kept in health in the name and through the power of Jesus Christ. We... Do give Jesus all the praise and thanks for these blessings. We have six more people who want to attend your miracle service, and perhaps there may be many more. We shall all be coming by plane, and we're all so eager we can hardly wait. And this minister of a church, of divine science. Science is full name. I have his full address. Ye must be born again. How often you've heard me say, not just once, but over and over again, that the healing of the physical is marvelous. Oh, Beloved, I too thrill when I see people receiving their physical healing. That's glorious. We thrill when we see legs that are loosened. When we get the verification of somebody who's been healed of cancer. Or the little baby who receives sight. Sure, that's thrilling. But we also know that even those who were healed through the ministry of Jesus had to die sometime. Every one of them. Sure, we thrilled to those miracles during the ministry of Jesus here on earth. But there had to come a time when they too had to face death. When the old heart took its last beat, regardless of how wonderful their physical healing might have been, we face the same thing today. Someone can be wonderfully healed of cancer, and yet, even as we're rejoicing with the healing of that sick body, we also face facts. that one will die a physical death. Perhaps never of cancer, but something else, because it is appointed unto every man to die. There is a miracle that's far greater than the healing of the physical. The greatest miracle in the world is that glorious spiritual miracle. That spiritual healing. There is no greater miracle than when a man's life is completely transformed by the power of God. When literally that one becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus. The things he once loved, he now despises. He hates the things of sin. The things that were related to the old nature. And the things he once hated. The things of God. Spiritual things. The word of God. that he once hated, now he loves and his entire being yearns and craves and desires the spiritual. Why? Because he has been born again. Here's a minister. A minister of the First Church of Divine Science. And he's pouring out his heart and saying, my wife and I have had this wonderful experience the last time when you were in the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Everything looks different to us. This experience has changed our whole spiritual outlook and understanding. But what does the scripture mean about being Born again. Let me read you that portion of the Word of God as found in the third chapter of John. And before I read it, let me remind you that it makes no difference whether you're Catholic or Protestant, whether you are a Jew, a Gentile, your race, your color, Your nationality has nothing to do. You are no exception. God knows no such thing as nationality or race or color. God is bigger than all of these things. If you are a part of humanity, if you have been born the first time, and that's one thing that we all have in common. Regardless of who we are. Regardless of our race. Regardless of our nationality. Regardless of our color. The one thing that we all have in common is that first birth. And we all come into the world the same way. Naked. But with... A nature that is contrary to the nature of God. Now I want to talk to you about that new birth experience. There was a man. He was a wealthy man. He was not just an ordinary man. In fact, he was a ruler of the Jews. And he became very curious regarding this experience. His name was Nicodemus. And he came to Jesus by night and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God. For no man can do these miracles that... thou doest, except God be with him. Keep it perfectly honest. And that's the starting point. Every man has to begin at this point. Understand something. Jesus knows you better than you know yourself. He knows me better than... I know myself. And we must be dead honest when we come to him. You cannot hide one thing from him. And he laid his cards on the table. He said, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God. For no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him. His reasoning was logical. And sometimes I wonder how many days he spent reasoning with himself. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Now that... The little word again has great meaning. It means immediately that there has been a first birth, a former birth, that birth that we all have in common, our first birth from our mother's womb. But Jesus said, except a man be born again, The second birth. He cannot see the kingdom of God. He makes no exception. He makes a very definite statement. He cannot see the kingdom of God. Regardless of influence, prestige, nationality, Influence? Color? Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. And Nicodemus saith unto him, and here comes a very reasonable question, a sincere question. How can a man be born when he is... Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. all been born of the flesh. And that which is born of the spirit is spirit. That's that spiritual birth that I'm talking to you about. That's that spiritual birth. That which is born of the spirit is spirit. That is that new birth experience that this minister of divine science received the other Sunday in the shrine auditorium. Why all of this glorious ecstasy in this man's letter? Why? As he said, this has changed and revolutionized my whole life. This experience has changed our whole spiritual outlook and understanding. Why? Because up until this hour, he has had the mental knowledge of all these things. But in spite... of all of his degrees, he has never, up until the other day, had this glorious experience of having been born of the spirit. There it is. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. Oh, but somebody says how. The best I can tell you is to do just as this minister has done. Come sincerely and say, Dear Jesus, I want that experience more than anything else in the whole world. Come into my heart. It's not a mental experience. It's something in the heart. It's the most wonderful experience that can come into a man's life. More than that, the most important experience to any man.