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- My name is Alan Nelson, and I'm the pastor of Second Baptist Church in Perryville, Arkansas.
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- I've served here now about seven years, but really this is my hometown. So I serve here because this is where I believe
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- God has called me and also because I love the people. So here we are in unglamorous and rural
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- Arkansas, but I believe that Christ is worthy of a healthy church right here.
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- So here's where I serve, in the trenches, seeking to preach the Word of God, to pastor the people of God, to take the gospel to the streets of Perryville and to every door as we seek to make
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- Christ known in our community. Really, this lays the groundwork for why
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- I have written A Change of Heart, understanding regeneration and why it matters.
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- I want people to understand biblical Christianity. So the book is broken up into three parts.
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- First, we work to understand the problem of our day. So many people name the name of Christ, and yet their heart is unregenerate.
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- They believe Christianity is nominal or cultural and haven't truly been born again.
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- So in part two, we dissect what it means to be born again and how it happens. We start out talking about the need for regeneration, then how
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- God is sovereign in regeneration. Then we see how regeneration affects all of us.
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- Just like depravity touches every part of us, so too does regeneration.
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- And then we close section two by talking about how regeneration is a lasting change.
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- Once someone has been born again, they never become unborn again. Part three, then, is understanding why this doctrine matters so much, how we view the church, how we understand the scriptures, how we understand the
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- Holy Spirit, how we understand the ordinances, how we understand the purpose and how we ought to do evangelism.
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- All this ties into our understanding of the doctrine of regeneration.
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- This doctrine matters. It's something that I want the people of Perry County to know, and by God's grace, hopefully it's something that will help you as well.
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- Jesus says you must be born again. And I hope this book is a help to believers and churches all over the world as we think about this precious doctrine and the ramifications of this doctrine on our life, on our ministry, and in the local church.
