Born Again?

John 3:3-8: “Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are 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.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Baptism is widely referred to as a symbolic expression of our faith in Christ.  For all of the symbolism, the wonder, and the experience of baptism, it is a sign that points to a greater reality.  We encounter that reality in John 3.  The concept of being born again is one of the foundations of the Christian faith.  Coincidentally, it is also one of the most used, over-used, and misunderstood phrases in the Bible.  Whatever the associations we may place on the term ‘born again’, it is a phrase used by Christ himself as a description of the new life we enter into when we become Christian.  It is a powerful phrase that communicates a new beginning and radical life-change.

 

I recently had lunch with someone who has just started a new career path.  He expressed to me how much it felt like he was being born again.  This is a new beginning for him; bills are paid differently, daily schedules have been altered, new relationships have begun, new job training fills his mind, and a new rhythm of life is being discovered.  This is true of us on a much grander scale when we come into a saving faith in Christ.  The newness of life and the difference of worldview can be breathtaking at times.  Which brings us back to baptism.  The act of baptism is a special moment for the one being baptized, but also for those who have already been baptized and witness someone else experiencing it.

 

For those that have been Christian for many years, the newness of faith and the experience of being born again often seem like an eternity ago.  Watching a baptism helps bring us back to that moment when we first believed.  Jesus equates being born again to being born of the Spirit.  That rebirth is designed to be lived out in our daily lives, not merely a decision that is made and forgotten about.  I believe this to be part of the wonderful mystery of baptism; a reminder of the newness of life that each of us have in Jesus and a call to believe in Him.

 

Takeaway: Focus for a moment not just on the symbol of baptism, but to the greater reality that it points to.  If you’ve never understood faith in Christ or what it means to be born again, read John 3 and listen to Jesus’ words.  Talk to a Christian and discover for yourself what this new life is all about!

 

If you already are a Christian, take time to be re-inspired by the gospel message of new life.  Remember back to that moment when your relationship with God began anew and find creative ways to re-capture that excitement in the present.

 

Pray: God, thank you for sending your son, Jesus.  Thank you for offering new life to me that I may become born again.  As I am born of the Spirit, may you make the Spirit alive in my daily life.

 

Written by Mike Adams

Taking on Christ’s identity

Being baptized, we are made new in Christ, and his transformation process of creating in us a new person has begun (2 Corinthians 5:17).  We lose the sinful identity we are born with and take on more and more of Christ’s identity.  So what is this identity that we now share?  Jesus is identified as the Prince of Peace, the Messiah, the Son of God, God Himself in human form – big names, big identity.  But one of the strongest characteristics that describes Jesus has to do with how He did not want Himself identified.

 

Read Philippians 2:1-8

 

Focus on verses 5-7: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness.”

 

We spend so much time fighting for our rights, to be respected for who we are (often even for a mistaken idea of who we are), when the one we should be trying to become more like placed no value on such actions. Christ – who rightfully could have identified Himself as all He was – chose to take the very humble nature of a servant as what defined Him.  This, through baptism, re-birth and transformation, is the piece of Christ that we should desire to take on.

 

Takeaway: In the New King James Version, verse 5 reads “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…”

 

Think through how you identify yourself.  What do you see in yourself that is like Christ?  What is still your sinful self that Christ needs to transform?  Spend some time in prayer asking for God to continue His work in transforming your mind to the mind of Christ.

 

Written by Mary Allen

Developing Christ’s qualities as a transformational process

Sometimes I think Christians view baptism as one of those weird rituals that we are called to do, we think: “it seems like it was prevalent in Jesus’ day, but how exactly is it meaningful to my life now? “ This is a question I have wrestled with for a while… aside from actually following God’s word, what does this mean?

Maybe it just means: “actually following God’s word.”

Maybe it’s as simple as that, baptism, the outward submerging of the body in water, representing the inward submerging of our lives to Christ; might be the first step that most Christians should take in the process of trusting God.

 

Matthew 3, Jesus is baptized by John, that is the start of his ministry.

 

Acts 2, Peter calls new believers to be baptized, during the time of Pentecost (when the Holy Spirit came.)

 

Acts 8, Philip meets the Eunuch on the road to Damascus, explains the Gospel to him, and immediately the man stops so that Philip can baptize him.

 

Romans 6 and Galatians 3, Paul writes about baptism as the act of us taking on Christ’s death (Romans), and about us being clothed with Christ through baptism (Galatians).

 

The pattern that seems to emerge is that as people were starting out in ministry, they were baptized. The baptism is nothing magical itself, but it represents the first step of choosing to follow God in faith. As we grow more and more like Christ, we will be called to walk blindly sometimes, we will be called to take leaps of faith, we will be called to do things that do not seem logical, but God has called and we must choose if we will respond. I see baptism as one of those things… for many Christians, one of the first calls to step out in faith.

 

Do you want to become more like Christ? Follow in his very own actions and get baptized. Take a step in faith, that although you don’t understand why this is important, or what this accomplishes, somehow God has intended it for your good.

 

Takeaway: Has anything been holding you back from being baptized? Whether it be fear, or stubbornness, or simply inconvenience, maybe this is the time you should consider taking that step. Jesus ministry didn’t really kick off until he was baptized… maybe it’s possible God is waiting until you step out and trust Him in this, to begin unleashing a new time of ministry in your life.

 

(If there is something in your life, that you have been holding back from God, you should go back and replace the word baptized with ___________ (Whatever it is) because God always challenges us to give Him everything… to hold nothing back!)

 

Pray: “God I want to hold nothing from you, if you have called me to be baptized, or to take another step in my life that is illogical, or that I have been holding back from you, would you help me to honor you and step out blindly, in faith. Thank you God that you always respond, that you never leave me or nor forsake me.”

 

 

Written by Matt Beattie

Baptism’s role in Christ’s lifetime (and why now?)

I can remember my baptism moment vividly.  It was a powerful, symbolic moment for me and one that I will keep with me for the rest of my life.   Over 2,000 years ago John, the forerunner of Jesus, preached a message of repentance and baptism.  In the gospels, John said;  “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Mat. 3:11)” Jesus’ baptism later in that chapter is one of the hallmarks of the New Testament and helped to launch his public ministry.  How does this ancient ritual from thousands of years ago impact us today?  The answer lies in the past.

 

Surely, the concept of repentance and the washing away of sin is one that transcends time.  David captures this sentiment in Psalm 51:7,10-12 as he writes,

 

“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

 

This is part of the foundation that we look to in the Christian ritual of baptism. At its core, baptism is a symbolic cleansing.  It is an inward commitment of faith expressed in an outward sign.  Many have argued that it is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament rite of circumcision.  There are many parallels between these two biblical practices, and some obvious differences.  Baptism is our symbolic entrance into the larger family of God; the church.  Maybe this is why so many baptisms are celebrated in church services.

 

In Romans 6, Paul does a masterful job in describing the spiritual symbolism of baptism.  In verses 1-4 he links the action of baptism with the death and resurrection of Jesus; “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”  Here Paul explains that the waters of baptism envelope our old, sinful selves.  We leave that behind in water as we are ‘raised’ out into new life as we emerge from the water.

 

I’ve had the privilege of performing many baptisms in my time as a pastor.  Each baptism takes mere seconds to perform.  Each one is life-changing for the person being baptized.

 

Takeaway: Is God calling you to be baptized? For many, our lives have changed significantly since we were children and we can now better identify with the symbolism and spiritual significance of baptism.  Talk to a pastor about this if you feel God leading towards baptism.  Maybe you’ve already ‘taken the plunge’.  If so, as an exercise, write out an updated version of your testimony as a reference on how you’re faith has changed over time.

 

Pray: “God, thank you for the ability to be counted as ‘yours’. Thank you for baptism and for making me white as snow”.

 

Written by Mike Adams

Rebirth and the implications of a “New You”

I don’t know about you but sometimes I find myself lying awake in the night and thinking about things.  Things I don’t like to think about.  My decisions that day, the bills, projects that need tending to, my relationship with those whom I love … and those I work with … and so on.

 

And then there are times that the thoughts get the best of me.

 

And I don’t like me.   And it’s awful.

 

And then I remember 2 Corinthians 5:15-18.  Take a moment to read those incredible 4 verses.

 

… a new life …

The more I look at those verses, the more I conclude that God wants us to be free.  And what could make you feel more free than to know that through Christ, we have been set free from the perpetual feelings and thoughts of self-hatred or self-dislike which usually are derived from feelings of failure or “not measuring up.”  What if you knew that, because of God, you not only measure up, but are restored in God’s eyes.  You are his child.  You are his own … and he loves you.

 

Sometimes we do have to stop and look at our mistakes and they need their proper confession, but the loathing of self you sometimes feel burdened and shackled with are the very things that Jesus came to crush.  “What this means is that those who become Christ-followers become new persons.  They are not the same anymore … (v.17)”

 

Takeaway: Today, try the experience of defeating the thoughts that defeat you.  Surrender them to Christ and as you pray ask him, “are these thoughts from you?”  The answer is that they are not.  Then lift up 2 Corinthians 5:15-18 (pray it out loud) and tell God you plan to walk in these verses today … as a new person.

 

Blessings to you.

 

 

 

Written by Rob Strong

Personal application of Christ’s sacrifice

I would like to share something God did in my life just this past summer – which after decades of knowing the Truth and continuing to live in it, stunned me in such a way that I could not have prepared for.

 

I volunteer with the youth ministry at Grace, and this past summer I went with a group of students and two other leaders to New Mexico to serve the people of the Navajo Nation. We repaired houses, roofs, in some instances even built nearly from scratch. We stayed at a middle school, using the gym to sleep in and the locker rooms to store our things. One day, early in the week, I noticed a quarter on the floor of the girls’ locker room. I noticed it, but of course, didn’t pick it up. It was near suitcases and clothes and I knew it must belong to someone. Only the next day, it was still in the same spot. Likewise, it remained the next day. I kept thinking “why isn’t the owner of this quarter claiming it? It’s a quarter! It has value. Wouldn’t she want to take it back?” On one of the last remaining days in New Mexico…I went into the locker room and once again, I saw the quarter. I began to walk past it, just like always, when a thought literally stopped me in my tracks: this is just like the saving grace of God. What Christ did on the cross, and who He died for…I had lived as if it always applied more for others. Why can’t I see that it is something for me to take ownership of?

 

I know what He did. I believe it to the fullest, with all of my heart. I try to take the opportunities in my life to tell others what He has done for them, how He allowed His body to be broken, and His blood shed so that they, specifically, could be with Him in paradise – at the throne of God, living a life eternal. Yet the realization which the quarter on the floor suddenly shocked me into, was that I, too, am who He died for. I am a follower of Christ. I know the certainty of my eternity. Though I do not know if I ever fully grasped the direct, personal application for my life. I am not in a school of fish in a widely cast net, who just happened to be included. Neither are you.

 

When Jesus was breaking that bread, reclining at that table, describing the glory and weight of what was about to take place, he was speaking to me. When His lungs were straining and His side was aching and His eyes were seeing the Father in glory, where He was to prepare a place…He saw my face before Him. I cannot reach the level of understanding to grasp this…but oh my…it’s TRUE.

 

How had I never let myself acknowledge this truth so deeply before?

 

I picked up the quarter, that very moment. It rests on my wall to this day. It is my reminder that I was claimed. Specifically thought of at the moment of Sacrifice. Brother and sister, so were you. It is not a wide net with a random tossing. Each child is His. He knows each of His flock by name.

 

Today, let us end by reading John 10:1-18.

 

He calls us to have new life. To have it abundantly. One that will never perish. And He knows His own. You are His own. I am His own. What astounding beauty!

 

He has the door open to His Kingdom for you, specifically. Will you pass by, assuming grace and mercy apply to others? That it couldn’t possibly be for you? I beg of you, to come and seek and know the truth. Take firm hold of new life, of new identity, of a love that was worth dying for. He poured himself out to forgive your sins, to wipe them completely away. May we remember Him, as He remembers us.

 

Written by Leigh Kay

A call for communion with friends

The bible seems to take communion pretty seriously, have you ever read some of Paul’s warnings in 1 Corinthians?

 

Read 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

 

Yikes, it sounds like the church in Corinth had some major issues going on, they had divisions among them, some of the people were going hungry, some were getting drunk, they were competing or God’s approval; overall this is clearly a community in disorder. Paul begins to lay out how they should take communion together, with some very specific instructions. The specifics of these instructions are less important (to me) than the message that they send, and the impetus behind them.

There should not be divisions among us if we are going to take communion. If you have an issue with a fellow Christian, or something unresolved before God in your life, communion with God challenges you to address it.

We should be looking out for each other, as we take communion together. I read the account in 1 Corinthians, and think how sad it is that some in the body were hungry while others had plenty, that they were looking out for only themselves. As we join in communion together I think about the challenge from Philippians 2:1-11, to value others above ourselves.

Communion is a call to forgiveness. Look at the church in Corinth, they were competing for God’s favor, unfortunately they didn’t realize that God actually values those who are humble, those who make themselves least. Rather than competing to be greater than each other, we should approach the communion table with the perspective of: how can I humble myself and love others as Christ did?

 

Communion is meant to be shared as a healthy community, it is meant to be shared between friends, between sinners whom God has redeemed to fullness of life, and fullness of relationship, with God and each other. Next time you are taking communion, thank God for those he has placed in your path, ask how you can love them more.

 

Communion is meant to be shared with friends, rather than only taking it with a choice few people, let that be a challenge to be a person of peace.

Pray: “God, I want to love others as you do, give me your eyes to see those around me, give me your heart to love them wholly. Bring to my mind any conflict that I need to deal with, and let your peace reign in my life. Let the joy of life shared together, with friends, be part of my communion experience.”

 

Written by Matt Beattie