In the 3rd Chapter of the book of John, Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council, was perplexed when Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” In reply, he said, “How can a man be born when he is old? Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” And Jesus goes on to tell him that flesh gives birth to flesh but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. Let me explain what Jesus meant.

In years past, the phrase, “You must be born again!” has gained much attention and much ridicule. It has been heard so much, that its meaning has become obscure. But nevertheless, it is true. And as Jesus emphatically stated two thousand years ago, we must be born again in order to see and understand what God sees and understands. Jesus’ kingdom was not of this world and yet He walked the earth telling everyone, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Or, in other words, “Change your way of thinking, for God is visiting you through me. And in order to know what My Father is like and to get a glimpse of His Kingdom, His way of doing things, you must have new spiritual ‘eyes’. You can’t see it with your natural eyes! You must be born again spiritually. And it will be like hearing in a new way, too - in a way you’ve never known before. It’s like getting a fresh start. You can’t do it with your mind, either. My Spirit has to be placed in you in order for you to understand.”

Receive the Spirit of God today through Jesus Christ. He is The Key that unlocks the Kingdom.

Here’s the story of the human race. There is a God, he is alive, and he created you and he created me. He loves you, and he loves me. And he wants to be in a relationship with us. That’s the good news.

But the bad news is that every one of us has sinned. And you know about that. You know that you may lie sometimes, and you may do selfish things sometimes. God never does. God is without sin. God is perfect, and he intends for his world to be a perfect place. So sin has created this chasm between God and us. We are separated from God by our sin.

We cannot make our way back to God on our own. People try to do this sometimes. They think, “Well, maybe if I go to church enough I’ll earn my way to him. Or if I give God enough money or do enough good deeds.” But the fact is that because God’s standard is perfect because God is holy, I can’t be holy. I can’t be perfect, and neither can you.

All of our efforts fall short, and the really bad news is the Bible says that the results, the wages, the natural outcome of our sin is death — spiritual and physical death — separation from God in hell through all eternity. This is real serious. And if we were left to our own devices, this is where we would end up — you and me.

But God couldn’t stand for the world to end up that way, so God made another way. God made a kind of bridge for us to get to him, and that bridge is the cross. When Jesus died on the cross, he was dying the death that you and I should have. He was paying the moral debt that you can’t pay, and I can’t pay either.

Our forgiveness comes not by our earning it, but as a free gift of God. That’s what grace is. Now it’s a real good thing for you to understand this, but understanding is not enough. Because right now, you’re still on the far side of the chasm from God and you must make a choice. You have to choose to walk across that bridge and to be with God.

The way that you do that is by saying to God, “I confess that I am a sinner. I know I’ve sinned, and now I receive the gift of forgiveness because Jesus died in my place. And I ask you to become the forgiver and the leader of my life.” You can say that prayer right now, and you can know that you are made right with God and be with him forever.

1. The first thing I would encourage you to do is to tell someone. This is an important and exciting step. In Romans 10:9 in the Bible it says, “...if you confess with your mouth,"  Jesus is Lord, "and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Sharing what happened to you will increase and strengthen your faith.

2. The next thing I would encourage you to do is to find a local Bible believing church. It is important that we fellowship with others who are like-minded. The local church is a place where we can learn more about God and His wonderful plan He has for us. You now belong to Him and He wants to unfold this plan to you.

3. While you are looking for a church, (ask God to help you find one) start reading the Bible. The Bible is like God’s love letter to us. Get a translation that is easy to read and ask God to help you understand it. *I suggest the New International Version,  (NIV) and as a supplement, The Living Bible, (TLB) which is a paraphrase, but will help you understand the Bible in layman's language.

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