Have You Been Born Again?
"There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same 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. 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. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? 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." (John 3:1-5)
Thought For Today:
If a church is absent of sound Biblical teaching, people will become disheartened. So many churches avoid teaching about baptism in Jesus name and the infilling of the Holy Ghost. One would think that this would be the core value of all church doctrine and teachings. The New Testament church began in Acts with the outpouring of the Holy Ghost upon 120 believers in an upper room and another 3,000 people were baptized that same day after they heard Peter's preaching (Acts 2:1-4; 38-42). If a person isn't filled with God's Spirit and water baptized in Jesus name by immersion, they are not born again and will struggle in their walk because they lack power and authority. Nicodemus wanted to know how Jesus was performing miracles. Maybe he wanted a part in what Jesus was doing but he didn’t want anyone to know so he came to Jesus by night. When he said that no one can do these miracle that You do except God be with him, Jesus told him it was because he wasn't born again (my wording). You can only understand the miraculous things of God by the Spirit of God. "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14). If you really want to know God and how the church is supposed to work, you must be born again of the water and the Spirit. Have you been born again?
