This week, Michael writes
that his “Influencers Ministry to Men” has five objectives: (1) To make
Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives. (2) To make the bible our final
authority for faith and practice. (3) To join together with like-minded Christians.
(4) To become people of prayer. (5) To give away the gospel message. When
we gather together, we create an environment where the Holy Spirit is welcome
to come help Himself to our lives. Shouldn’t this be the goal of everyone?
The love of God is often
contrary to the world's concept of love. Whom
the Lord loves, He will chastise, reprove and correct. To correct means to
restore to an upright position so that we can walk in fellowship with Him. Sometimes
God will break our hearts for what breaks His. A broken and a contrite heart God will not forsake. He'll pick
up the threads of our broken hearts and weave them together again, conformed to
His will according to His greater plan. As Israel’s King David said,
"Create in me a new heart O Lord."
When God leads us into the
fire, He will protect us like He protected Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego. In the fiery furnace, the only thing that burns will be the
bands of sin and iniquity that held us captive. This life is full of suffering
and separation from our loved ones. Every relationship in this life will end in
heartache except one, for Jesus said, "I
will never leave you or forsake you."
According to John 3:1-8 There was a man of the Pharisees named
Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said
to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one
can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and
said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him,
“How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his
mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered,
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is
born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That
which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born
again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but
cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born
of the Spirit.” Nicodemus was a
Pharisee who eventually became a “follower” of Jesus.
Jesus knows what was in the
heart every person. Jesus knew that Nicodemus had a heart that was pure. The
Holy Spirit had been wooing Nicodemus. Jesus said in the beatitudes that
"Those who hunger and thirst after
righteousness shall be filled." There is always a struggle of the will
to humble our hearts before God. Even though Nicodemus was a
Pharisee, Jesus knew that Nicodemus' heart was right before God to receive the
truth of the Word. Jesus said, "Unless
a person is born again of the spirit, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Jesus himself had to make a
decision to surrender His own will under God's will. He humbled himself and took upon himself the form of a servant.
He became obedient even unto the death of the cross. Jesus would not give Himself
to the crowds who followed Him. They said that they would be faithful to
follow Him but He knew their hearts. He knew that they could not live up
to their promise. The problem with “works” to earn your way into heaven is that
you can never do enough to approach a holy God. Nothing we could ever do could
ever deserve entering into God's throne room of righteousness and
justice. As Jesus said, “There is
none good, no not one.”
A works-based religion
cannot bring us to salvation. A woman of ill repute approached Jesus at the Well
of Jacob in John 4. Even though her reputation was a sinner, Jesus knew
her heart. Her heart was ready to receive the truth of the Word of
God. Jesus Christ is the fountain of living waters and the truth of the Word
made flesh.
Let's continue Michael's message on being "born Again" in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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