19 High Road South, Carbonear, NL. A1Y1A4                                                         Phones: 709-596-1525, cell: 709-597-1146

www.cornercarb.com e-mail: pastor@cornercarb.com

Pastor Dennis W. Seely B.Th.

Hello folks! Welcome to the web page of Cornerstone Baptist Church.

Cornerstone Baptist Church is located at 19 High Road South, Carbonear, in the beautiful province of Newfoundland & Labrador. We are committed to reaching Carbonear and the surrounding areas with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. In a world that doesn’t want to acknowledge the work of God in their lives, it is amazing to see how He still works in the lives of those that will call on Him.

What does it mean to be a born again Christian? The classic passage from the Bible that answers this question is John 3:1-21. The Lord Jesus Christ is talking to Nicodemus, a prominent Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin (a ruler of the Jews). Nicodemus had come to Jesus at night. Nicodemus had questions to ask Jesus.
As Jesus talked with Nicodemus, He said, “’I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’ ‘How can a man be born when he is old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:3-7).
The phrase “born again” literally means “born from above.” Nicodemus had a real need. He needed a change of his heart—a spiritual transformation. New birth, being born again, is an act of God whereby eternal life is imparted to the person who believes (2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1-4, 18). John 1:12,13 indicates that “born again” also carries the idea “to become children of God” through trust in the name of Jesus Christ.
The question logically comes, “Why does a person need to be born again?” The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:1 says, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins…” (NKJV). To the Romans in Romans 3:23, the Apostle wrote, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” So, a person needs to be born again in order to have their sins forgiven and have a relationship with God.
How does that come to be? Ephesians 2:8-9 states, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” When one is “saved,” he/she has been born again, spiritually renewed, and is now a child of God by right of new birth. Trusting in Jesus Christ, the One who paid the penalty of sin when He died on the cross, is what it means to be “born again” spiritually. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
If you have never trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, will you consider the prompting of the Holy Spirit as He speaks to your heart? You need to be born again. Will you pray the prayer of repentance and become a new creation in Christ today? “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12-13).

If you want to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and be born again, here is a sample prayer. Remember, saying this prayer or any other prayer will not save you. It is only trusting in Christ that can save you from sin. This prayer is simply a way to express to God your faith in Him and thank Him for providing for your salvation. “God, I know that I have sinned against you and am deserving of punishment. But Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. I place my trust in You for salvation. Thank You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness—the gift of eternal life! Amen!”

“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27).

IN OUR PRESENT CONDITION, WE ARE FRAGMENTARY CREATURES WHO LONG FOR THE WHOLENESS THAT WE HAVE LOST. We are driven by deep desires to find some kind of “fulfillment.” Yet our hopes for perfection must not be set on the outcome of our own efforts, but on the completeness of our God, a God whose perfection is eternal. He is the “goal” of our existence.
The eternity of God may be hard to comprehend, but it is strengthening to consider. “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27). Bogged down as we are in all the limitations and frustrations of the temporal world, we need the hope that can only come from faith in a God who transcends time. The Scriptures present us with the soul-nourishing truth that God had no beginning and will have no end. Immortal, eternal, and infinite in all His attributes, He is able to deal in perfect wisdom with every one of the short-term problems that plague our mortal world, including the problem of our own sinfulness. God is not limited by time or space or worldly difficulty in any way. He is a God whom we may trust.
We are goal-striving creatures who always seem to be reaching for something in one way or another. In our moments of greatest courage, we reach FORWARD. And in our moments of greatest hope, we reach UPWARD. When we reach toward God, we are moving along the only path that holds any real promise for us. If it is not in our Creator, where else can we find the pieces that are missing from our created nature? “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2:9,10).
The only arms strong enough to support us are the “everlasting arms.” And those arms are, in fact, waiting for us. Our eternal God waits for us to confess our weakness and come home to Him. The story contained in the Scriptures is the story of how God made this homecoming possible. It is the story of an infinite God in whose perfection we may find our sustenance and support.
And I smiled to think God’s greatness flowed
round our incompleteness,
Round our restlessness, His rest.
(Elizabeth Barrett Browning)
Gary Henry – Diligently Seeking God