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.