Jesus called it born-again
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 the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born-again. (John 3:3-7, KJV)
Hard to understand
Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews and a teacher of Israel and would have been an authority on the interpretation of Hebrew scriptures. He thought of being born again as any of us might think, and asked a very logical question, can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb and be born?
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Born of water and of the Spirit
And that is the part that is difficult to understand, the spirit world. But remember, we all know that these physical bodies will die one day.
And I understand that we all have a spirit and a soul that never dies, even though our physical bodies will certainly die someday. So, it is just a matter of time when we will be in the spirit world, whether we like it or not.
Preparing us for heaven
And I understand the words of Jesus to mean that the Lord will prepare us to meet Jesus in the clouds one day. And I understand that the first step is to fill a person with the Holy Spirit of God, and that is what Jesus told Nicodemus, you must be born-again.
It is hard to understand
Being born-again, and being filled with his spirit is hard to understand, and the Lord has not given me the words to properly explain what will happen to a person when he sends his spirit into a believer.
What has happened to me
I can still remember after over 70 years and have a vivid picture in my mind when I was born-again. When the preacher gave the altar call, I was sitting about halfway up the aisle on the right side, holding onto the bench rail. I visibly remember a very strong, highly intense, very troubling inner feeling inside of me.
I did not understand it, but I knew something had happened to me. I understood that I should get up out of my seat and go up the aisle in front of all of the people and shake the preacher’s hand and join the church. Later, the church would take me to the Floyd pond, about 10 miles away, and baptize me when the weather would permit. But I did not budge.
I can still see everything in my mind
And it worried me for about 10 years, and after my marriage, beginning my military obligation in the Army National Guard, and on my first job, my wife and I joined the church, and I was baptized.
Then for all the years of my career, I struggled to get ahead on easy payments and chased the world for a lot that it had to offer. And now, after all of those years, I can still see everything in my mind of that critical day in my life and cherish it with all of my heart.
Believer will remember
Now I know that on that day, at that instant, God sent His spirit into me, and I was born again, and I was saved on that day. I visibly remember that time in my life, and I believe that every person that has really been born-again will remember and be proud to tell anyone interested to hear.
Only a few will go to heaven
Born-again or not born-again? To hell or not to hell? All but a few will go to hell. (Matthew 7:13-14) Born-again means God’s Spirit is within a person. And it is free. It requires a heartfelt belief and change of lifestyle.
The decision means heaven or hell. Born-again means a lifetime of Bible study, prayer and fellowship with other born-again believers. Born-again means unbelievable peace and joy in the heart even in times of hardship. Take the narrow road to heaven. Which will it be?
Are you ready?
I am burdened to ask, repeatedly, have you been born-again with his Holy Spirit in you? He burdens me to keep asking the same question because the answer will determine whether a person goes to heaven or to hell. And I ask, are you ready, are you born-again with his spirit in you and do you have a relationship with him?
Why I worry for others
I worry for the lost because Jesus said that all persons, except a few, are going to be left behind when he comes in the clouds. I understand that to mean that those left behind will spend eternity in everlasting torment in a place called hell and an everlasting lake of fire.
I think the born-again question should be “shouted to the rooftops,” repeatedly, repeatedly, because Jesus may come sooner than we think. And someone may say that old man is meddling, crazy, lost his marbles, out of tune, needs to get up-to-date, get in the flow of things, two religious, old-fashioned, and get high tech. And I say that everybody is free to have their own opinions.
But just know, without a doubt, that old man, “ME,’” is in the “FEW,” happy, excited that my Lord is using me at the age of 91. And the reason that I am here is because there may be just one person that the Lord wants them to hear what He has led me to say.
