Born Again

Born Again

Wow, today? This country? This World

- From Pandemics and racial tension.

- From fear and anxiety to disregard and rebellion

- We have peaceful protests

- And we have dangerous riots

- Pastoring through this time has to be the most challenging thing I have ever done

o I have never spent days praying into how to handle something

§ I have numerous times through this

o Your pastors – they are going to deserve extra love after all of this

- You see, all of this is happening, all of this destruction

o Viruses

o Fear

o Anxiety

o Lies

o Hate

o Rioting

- All of this destruction is opportunity for the Church

Can we be honest today? I know I am a guest preacher, and I probably should give some Spirit filled encounter message, but I believe, what we have in front of us is crucial. I see the biggest revival of our time coming, but we have to catch this.

- We are called to look different,

o We are called to look different from the rest of the world

I. My story

a. Do you remember when you came to faith?

b. Maybe you were raised in it?

c. Maybe you were younger?

d. Or maybe like me, you came to faith later in life?

e. When I came to faith, I remember a moment

i. My family went out of town, and like any other bachelor

1. I worked through an inner healing book

2. This was a type of book that walked your though prayer and repentance

3. I began around 6pm and I think it was around 2 in the morning when I went to bed.

4. The next morning, I hurried to get out the door, I was running late

5. I took one last look at myself

6. And… I looked different

7. I recognized a visible difference in myself

a. I thought, “I look like a Christian”

b. I was different

c. You see, I have had many pivotal points in my walk with Jesus

i. From Hearing God for the first time on a mountain

ii. to truly dying to myself in Mozambique

iii. but this moment is where I was born again

II. Born Again –

a. John 3:1-8 NIV “Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 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.””

b. Born Again?

c. We hear – I am a born-again Christian,

d. Is this just a title?

e. But What does that mean?

i. Like my experience? is it that day?

1. I could have written that day in my Bible

2. Or maybe the day I was baptized in water?

a. I actually wrote that day in my Bible “Born Again…”

b. Are those days proof I have been born again?

3. Let me ask you this, Do I need a birth certificate to prove I was born?

4. Meaning, If I told you I was born, “would you say prove it”?

5. No, I am a witness to it, you see, me standing here is proof of my birth.

a. I don’t need to tell you,

b. You already know I was born

6. I implore, being born again should have similar witness

f. Honestly – I think we pass these verses and not really grasp the depth of what Jesus is saying

g. Born again – Is there any other picture of complete transformation?

i. This is the picture Jesus was painting for Nicodemus

ii. Jesus is proclaiming the availability of the kingdom of God

iii. But it requires transformation

iv. Complete transformation

v. Transformation from something to nothing

h. Transformation by being born of the Spirit

i. Last week we celebrated Pentecost

i. The day the promised gift was poured out

ii. 3,000 men were born again that day – complete transformation.

iii. This transformation, this re-birth is not done through our efforts

1. It is done by His grace

2. But it does require something on our part

3. It requires us to receive it

4. It requires us to position our hearts and say “yes Lord”

5. 3,000 men came to faith that day, but I can assure you many more let pride, judgment, and the fear of man keep them from receiving the gift that was being poured out

j. Born again – Being born again is about joining a new family

i. Romans 8:14-15 NIV “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “ Abba, Father.””

ii. Let’s remember this -The Spirit was not first found here at Pentecost

1. Genesis 1:1-2 NIV “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

2. It was the Spirit who spoke God’s words through the prophets and leaders

iii. Jesus is talking about a new type of relationship – a family relationship

1. This relationship does not require a prophet or leader to represent God

a. The Spirit is now in you

b. You are God's Representative to the rest of the world

2. This is not the only picture of this

3. Priests

4. 1 Peter 2:9 NIV “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

a. Old Testament Priests were the people’s representative to God, they offered the sacrifices, worship,

i. they were the mediators

b. As prophets were God’s representatives to His people

c. Priests were the people’s representatives to God

d. But now you are a priest

e. Now you have the Spirit of God within you

f. You do not need a representative anymore

k. Are you catching this? Jesus is announcing something new, one of complete transformation, as dramatic as birth, and one that involves a new type of relationship.

l. Our re-birth must look like something

i. Something other than the rest of the world

I think I was blessed; I came to faith later in life. I can see the difference. I know who I was then, and I know who I am now.

I realize- what I saw as truth before became lies, and what I believed to be lies became truth. I was living a different truth than I did before.

Do I struggle from time to time yes, but I recognize the difference, and I go to the feet of Jesus.

III. We get to Choose our truth

a. Did you know, today you can choose whatever truth you want?

I. Thomas Jefferson

a. The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth,

i. was completed in 1820

ii. by cutting and pasting with a razor and glue numerous sections from the New Testament

iii. excludes all miracles by Jesus

iv. and most mentions of the supernatural,

v. including sections of the four gospels that contain the Resurrection and most other miracles, and

vi. any passages that portray Jesus as divine

Transition - You are probably thinking “what the **** Thomas Jefferson?”

- But, don’t we kinda do the same thing?

- Maybe not physically cutting and pasting, but don’t we in a sense pick and choose?

o I do –

o It’s not just those denominations besides us

o We are guilty of it too

- We live in a society that we can choose our truth

- Truth is actually invented

- This is what postmodernism is all about

- There are many un Christian world views that are plaguing today’s western Christian’s, and they are so evident during these crazy times

II. Today we can probably say, “we live in a Post Christian society” –

a. I am not being negative,

b. and yes, Jesus is breaking out within our culture,

i. and yes, He will prevail

c. but this is the society we live, and we need to know this.

III. When helping hurts

a. Many years ago, I read a book called “When Helping Hurts” by Brian Fikkert

i. This book was actually a requirement to serve with Heide Baker

ii. I don’t remember much of the book

1. But what I learned was,

a. as we share the Gospel,

b. as we help people

i. we are not trying to change their culture,

ii. but to insert Jesus into it

b. The importance of these ideas came out of a time where the Christian Church did ministry really bad

i. There was a long period of time when missionaries would go out and not only share the gospel

1. But, push their culture

a. Whether good or bad, whether Christian or not

b. Christian missionaries were colonizing cultures

c. Christian missionaries hurt cultures

i. This is a blemish on the Christian faith even today

IV. With that said, today in a post Christian society We run the risk of being colonized

a. The danger was Christians were colonizing

i. But today the danger is Christians becoming colonized

ii. When Christians enter a pre-Christian society that’s when we need to be aware of the danger of colonizing that society

1. Some remote village

iii. But when Christians enter a post-Christian society, we run the risk of being colonized.

1. Slowly and slowly, and I think I am being generous, we begin to look like the world

iv. We are called to influence, but today we are being influenced

v. Instead of shaping we are being shaped

vi. Who do you look like?

1. Jesus?

2. The disciples?

3. Or a Christian influenced by individualism, postmodern, and a post Christian society?

V. Crazy Times

a. I am struggling – how does a pastor, lead during these times

b. There are so many opposing truths -even within the church

c. What we are facing is like no other

d. Pandemics, fear, anxiety, uncertainty, hate, and everything in between

e. I have to admit something, and this brings me to my point of this message

i. I expected the reaction of the world as we have seen it

ii. But what I didn’t expect is the same reaction from the church

iii. The same world views that plague our society are just as much present in the church.

iv. Postmodernism, individualism, nationalism – yes nationalism is a worldview, and so much more.

v. We should be looking at the world through the lenses of the Kingdom

1. Not the Kingdom through the lenses of the world

vi. Church – We have been colonized

vii. Church – We have been colonized

viii. How can this be born again?

IV. Conclusion

a. Again, I ask, “What is your truth?

b. Do you look transformed?

c. Do you look like Jesus?

d. All of this destruction is an opportunity for the Church

i. To give hope in the midst a virus

1. Peace in the midst of fear and anxiety

2. Truth in the midst of lies

3. And love in the midst of hate

4. We are supposed to look like something.

a. Jesus has commissioned us for something.

b. Sometimes I feel like we wait for God to do what He already came and commissioned us to do.

ii. Jesus says, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

iii. You are the light

1. You are the light among all this darkness

2. Shine

3. It’s time for the Church to remove the cover and shine

4. It’s time to represent the Kingdom of God family well