Jesus told Nicodemus, one of the religious leaders of His day, " Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. "
John 3:3After a question from Nicodemus, Jesus said, in John 3:5 " Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, He CANNOT ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD." We must give a word of warning here. There are a couple of Bibles that have inserted " again " making it look like one must be born again of water. There is absolutely no basis in the original Greek, or the Latin, for this addition to scripture. Jesus told that a person must have two births,- one of water, and one of the Holy Spirit, in order to enter the kingdom of God.
What about you? Do you want to enter the Kingdom of God, and go to heaven when you die? If so, Jesus said you must have two births. You need to be born of water, and you need to be born of the Holy Spirit.
Do you know what it means to be born of water? Listen to what Jesus said in John 3:6," That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. " In other words, you first have to have a natural birth. You need to have a birth from the water environment of your mother's womb,- like the newborn baby in the picture above. If you are reading this page, you have already been born of water! BAPTISM IN WATER is important, but it is not being BORN OF WATER!
Having been born of water, you have already met one of the two requirements that Jesus spelled out. You now need to consider what Jesus meant when He said one must be...born of the Spirit.
Since the word Spirit is capitalized in most Bibles, it means that one must be born of the Holy Spirit, or in other words,- born of God.So, how does one accomplish that? By yourself, you can't! Beware of anyone who tells you to do something that will quickly and automatically make you born of God ( and then take your money ). Some tell you to receive Christ and you will be all set. What they omit is John 1:13. They quote you John 1:12, and then rush you into water baptism, and church membership.
Look at the whole teaching, beginning with John 1:11," He ( Jesus ) came to His own,( people ) and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name,- WHO WERE BORN, NOT OF BLOOD, NOR OF THE WILL OF THE FLESH, NOR OF THE WILL OF MAN, BUT OF GOD." You see? That leaves out anything that you can do on your part. ONLY GOD CAN MAKE YOU BORN OF GOD.
When God looks at your heart, does He see a heart that wants to worship Him and serve Him? Or does He just see one that is looking for a quick fix that will take care of your sin problem, so that you can get back to living your normal life? Scripture tells us that God looks at the heart. If your heart hasn't been changed, it isn't right, and needs to be changed. You don't need to change your way of living and thinking. You need to let God change you, as He promised in Hebrews 8:10-12. "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."
Are you willing to let God to change you and give you a heart and human spirit that wants to serve Him? If you are, find a place where you can pray, and talk with God without any distractions. Tell Him that you want Him to make you one of His children. Ask Him to make you what He wants you to be. Remember that God looks at your heart, not on just what you say with your mouth. Ask, and keep on asking, until you notice that you are different, and have different desires, and know that you have become a new creation. See 2nd Corinthians 5:17. That is the time when you should seek to be baptized by immersion in water,- to tell others that your old desires are dead and buried, and that you are arising to walk in the newness of life.
For more information, click on the " Have you been born from above? " link below.
Our Sunday AM services are being held at the Mexico Beach Civic Center. In accordance with federal laws, we have permission to use this heated, and air conditioned, facility on Sunday mornings at 10:00 AM central time. We begin with a short time of greeting and fellowship, and then TJ leads us in worship. After the service we have holy communion, and a time when people can request prayer, especially for healing, and sometimes, a pot luck luncheon.
The Mexico Beach Civic Center is located at 105 N. 31st Street. It is the white building with the dark green roof, which is just behind that new Mexico Beach restaurant, Mango Marley's. It is behind Parker Realty, and is on the northeast side of Rte 98. It is about 7/10 mile south of the Mexico Beach Welcome Center. For a map showing the location of the Mexico Beach Civic Center, click below the photo:
Mexico Beach Civic Center
To learn more about Jesus's return, click here: Jesus Is Coming Soon !
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