Peniel Pentecostal Holiness Church

3239 Rosebud Road Walnut Cove NC 27052
Pastor: Dr. Tim Nelson -  Church Office 336-591-36112
A Place To Encounter God Face To Face. Gen. 32:3

A Word From The Pastor Archives 2026
August 2026
 

"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.'"  John 3:3

Jesus is telling the Jew of all Jews that he had to be born again.  Nicodemus could not comprehend that, after all he was born Jew and follower of the Law.  From his perspective, one can't get more born again than that.  But Jesus said he had to be "born again," - born of water and of the spirit.

Jesus is saying real change with God starts inside, not by being "good" or religious.  Being "born again" is a fresh start through trusting Him.  For someone stuck in guilt, addiction, or empty success, this verse promises God can give a completely new heart, outlook, and direction in life.  Jesus is not calling Nicodemus or anyone to try harder but He does invite him into an entirely new way of being--one that begins with receiving, not achieving.

"Sanctify them through thy truth:  thy word is truth."  John 17:17 (KJV)

God is a sanctifying God.  He sanctifies positionally when He sets us apart as His own, by His sanctifying grace.  This is an instantaneous sanctification.  This is the process where God continually makes us more holy, more like Christ, through the power of His Holy Spirit by His word.  And then the day will come when we will experience God's perfected sanctification when we will be like our Lord Jesus Christ in glory.

So sanctification is being set apart by God.  Separated from sin to holiness; from being in the world to being in Christ.  This means we belong to God, are dedicated to His purposes, are being transformed into His image, and will be glorified with Him.

Adapted from:  https://www.newcovenantgj.org/sanctify-them-in-the-truth/

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:  and ye shall be witnesses unto me..."  Acts 1:8 (KJV)

The purpose of God and the passion of the Spirit are not yet completed.  We might question why, but Jesus' answer will always be, "It is not for you to know the times and seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority."

The great danger we face in the American church is the illusion that the purpose of God is complete, that the world has been evangelized.  There are unsaved and unreached all around us.  Let us pray for the power of the Holy Spirit as the first century believers prayed, received, and witnessed the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

Adapted from:   https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-spirit-wants-the-world-for-christ