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Comments by Joan Boney:
When we are born again, the Holy Spirit speaks to each of us "the gospel of our salvation."
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My mother had followed horoscopes all her life. The Holy Spirit had me speak the following scripture to my mother.
10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
13 Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
After I spoke this section of scripture to my mother, she thought for a few seconds, and then she said, "Well ... I guess we'd better not do that anymore."
With that, she was born again!
It was the gospel of her salvation.
And she was changed immediately by God.
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Pam Padgett had a high school classmate killed in a motorcycle accident. Then she realized someone of her age could die. And if she did die, she knew she would go to hell. And this frightened her. She turned to God and asked God to help her that she not go to hell.
After that prayer, she realized she was changed. Now there was something of God "in her." She didn't know what it was until she read a scripture which told her the Spirit of God was in the believer.
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I was born again one night in August, 1975, when the Holy Spirit said the following to me:
"Joan ... you know those mistakes you've been making all these years? Those weren't mistakes. Those were sins."
Sins! I was shocked.
I was changed instantly by God after that word.
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In these 3 cases, "the gospel of our salvations" was different one from another.
The Holy Spirit is doing the work of God in each case, saving us by that brought by God by HIS Spirit.
When we speak, it is so important to yield to the Spirit of God and speak that which God brings to our mind.
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Enroute to Albuquerque, NM (USA), as the airplane landed I heard, "Be baptized."
My cousin who was Church of Christ member met me at the plane and I said, "Jeanne. If you can set it up at the church, I will be baptized this afternoon."
She said, "But you've already been baptized."
I replied, "Yes ... but I wasn't born again until now and the Holy Spirit tells me now to be baptized."
(Jeanne showed no sign of any understanding at all but she did set it up for me to be baptized that afternoon at the Church of Christ building in Albuquerque.)
About 15 of my relatives were at the building.
The young minister asked if I would like to say anything.
I replied, "I guess so." And I just started talking "as the Spirit gave utterance."
As I spoke, I noticed one of my cousin's shaking her head up and down ... "Yes, Yes ... she was indicating," as I spoke.
I saw my uncle crying as I spoke.
When the minister lowered me into the water, I heard this from the Holy Spirit, "This is like being buried with Christ."
As I came out of the water, the Holy Spirit said to me, "This is like being raised with Christ."
After I dressed and went back downstairs, my uncle came to me. He still had tears in his eyes. He said, "I've never heard anything before like that which you spoke today. Could you write that out and send it to me?"
I replied, "I guess so."
(After I returned to Dallas, I did write out as much as I could recall and sent it to my uncle.)
Later I realized my uncle was born again by God as I spoke that day.
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All we do is follow the instructions of the Holy Spirit and speak and do that which HE brings to mind.
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