“This man came to Him at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher, for no one could perform these signs You do unless God were with him.” Jesus replied, “I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” “But how can anyone be born when he is old? ” Nicodemus asked Him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born? ””
‭‭John‬ ‭3:2-4‬ ‭HCSB‬‬
http://bible.com/72/jhn.3.2-4.hcsb

Some of us were raised in church. I am so grateful for the adults in my life that saw to it that I was taught about Jesus’ love for me from an early age. I realize, however, that for everyone this is not the case.

In this scripture passage a man who has realized that Jesus is truly the Messiah comes to Him to find out how to get to heaven. Jesus tells him that he must be born again. We often use the term “born again Christians”.  So what does this really mean?

Think about a baby being born. In order for this child to thrive and be healthy, he/she has to grow and learn. The same is true for a Christian. You see we come to this world as a young sinner in the making. No one has to teach their child to be selfish or mean. If those behaviors go uncorrected, they will flourish. This is because we are born in the flesh. Our flesh follows our instinct to do what we want, take what we want, live as we want to live.

As we learn of God and his goodness, we may desire that life. This is where being born again comes into play. We actually die, or at least our old mean, selfish, fleshly spirit dies. When we decide to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit breathes new life into us and we are born again. The awesome thing about this is that it’s like God gives us a do-over! So we begin this new life as baby Christians.

Yesterday I spoke of inspecting the fruit. You see people go before the church and profess their faith for different reasons. Maybe to make a family member happy. Maybe because their friend or loved one did it and it just seemed like the right thing to do. The only true reason we should do this is because we feel a tug from God on our heart calling us to be one of His children, adopted into His kingdom. If a person is truly saved, they die to self. This means that it is no longer about what they want, but about what God wants. They don’t strive to please man.  They strive to please God. It doesn’t mean that they will be perfect. It does, however, mean that in everything they do they will strive to put God first.

Have you ever sat in front of a young baby and spoke words like momma and da-da.  At a certain age that infant will closely watch your mouth and try to mimic your movements and speech. As baby Christians, we learn and grow through prayer and bible reading and doing our best to mimic Jesus Christ as we go through our day to day life.

So, if you are like Nicodemus, and you want this life that gets you into heaven, I’ve got good news. You can be born again. You can get a do-over. If you accepted Christ earlier in life but have fallen into sin and away from God, you too can get a do-over.

Begin with prayer.  This prayer is called the sinner’s prayer. Confess to God that you are a sinner. Let him know that you believe that He sent His son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to save us from our sins. Let Him know that you are tired of your sinful life and want Jesus to come into your heart and fill it with the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to help you to live in a way that is pleasing to Him. Once you say this prayer, find a good pastor, counselor or Christian friend to be your mentor in your walk with Christ. A church family can be a tremendous support system. Look for a church with a pastor who preaches God’s Holy Word through the Bible.

If I can help you in any step of this process, please feel free to contact me.

Have a blessed day and remember to grow and thrive in your Christianity!