A Witness to History

by Hobert Arp

As I write this I am struck by the fact that this is the last newsletter of this century. And not only that, but it's also the last one of the millennium. What will the 21st century bring? Technology is increasing at a rapid pace. Medical advances are incredible, and though the Internet world communication is just a mouse click from New York to New Zealand!

But we also see some very disturbing thins on the rise. Immorality. Violence. False Religion. Nuclear Arms being developed in third world nations. Poverty and starvation on a world scale. Diseases on the rise. The whole world looks like it might come unraveled at any moment. And we all sit and wait to see if the Y2K bug is going to zap us back to the Stone Age.

So how does the Church fit into all of this?

Apostasy

That there will come a great falling away in the Church is predicted in 2 Thess. 2; 2 Tim. 3; Rev. 3 and 17. You won't have to search too hard these days to find out that this is true. The Church (especially in America) is biblically illiterate, morally bankrupt, and without serious leadership.

Persecution

The Church has seen persecution down through the centuries, but nothing like the last 100 years. More believers have died for the Lord, than in the last 1800 years combined! In China, India, Burma, the Sudan, Etc., Christians are tortured, sold into slavery, and out right murdered, wholesale. And it's now coming to the United States. Paducah, KY; Littleton, CO; Ft. Worth, TX. Hostility to the Gospel is on the rise.

Revival

Praise God, in the midst of all this chaos, Jesus is steadily at work. The Gospel is going out like never before. The Spirit is being poured out all over the world. God promised a great latter day harvest. Many before the Rapture, many more after. But the Kingdom of Heaven will be full!

So as we approach this new millennium, let us be ever mindful of this, whatever happens, God is in control. Nothing takes Him by surprise. He is Sovereign, and everything is ticking along, right on His schedule.

Church Football

Quarterback Sneak - church members quietly leaving during the invitation.

Draw Play - what many children do with the bulletin during worship.

Halftime - the period between Sunday school and worship when many choose to leave.

Benchwarmer - those who do not sing, pray, work, or apparently do anything but sit.

Backfield in Motion - making a trip to the back (restroom or water fountain) during the service.

Staying in the Pocket - what happens to a lot of money that should be given to the Lord's work.

Two-minute Warning - the point at which you realize the sermon is almost over and people begin to gather up their children and belongings.

Instant Replay - the preacher loses his notes and falls back on last week's illustrations.

Sudden Death - what happens to the attention span of the congregation if the preacher goes "overtime".

Trap - you're called on to pray and are asleep.

End Run - getting out of church quick, without speaking to any guest or fellow member.

Flex Defense - the ability to allow absolutely nothing said during the sermon to affect your life.

Halfback Option - the decision of 50% of the congregation not to be there for the whole service.

Blitz - the rush for the restaurants following the closing prayer.

What plays are you calling?

Just Five More Minutes

While at the park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground. "That's my son over there," she said, pointing to a little boy in a red sweater who was gliding down the slide.

"He's a fine looking boy," the man said. "That's my son on the swing in the blue sweater." Then, looking at his watch, he called to his son. "What do you say we go, Todd?" Todd pleaded, "Just five more minutes, Dad. Please? Just five

more minutes." The man nodded and Todd continued to swing to his heart's content.

Minutes passed and the father stood and called again to his son. "Time to go now?" Again Todd pleaded, "Five more minutes, Dad. Just five more minutes." The man smiled and said, "O.K."

"My, you certainly are a patient father," the woman responded.

The man smiled and then said, "My older son Tommy was killed by a drunk driver last year while he was riding his bike near here. I never spent much time with Tommy and now I'd give anything for just five more minutes with him. I've vowed not to make the same mistake with Todd ...

... he thinks he has five more minutes to swing. The truth is,

I get Five more minutes to watch him play."

Life is all about making priorities, what are your priorities?

- unknown -

20 Things to Remember

1. If you feel far away from God, guess who moved?

2. Fear knocked. Faith answered. No one was there.

3. What you are is God's gift to you. What you become is your gift to God.

4. I am God's melody of life and He sings His song through me.

5. We can never really go where God is not, and where He is, all is well.

6. No matter what is happening in your life, know that God is waiting for you with open arms.

7. God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

8. Do your best and then sleep in peace. God is awake.

9. God has a purpose and plan for me that no one else can fulfill.

10. The will of God will never take you to where the grace of God will not protect you.

11. We are responsible for the effort, not the outcome.

12. We set the sail; God makes the wind.

13. Begin to weave and God will give you the thread.

14. Sometimes when God says "no", it's because He has something better in store for you.

15. The task ahead of us is never as great as the power behind us.

16. Prayer: don't bother to give God instructions, just report for duty.

17. It's my business to do God's business and it's His business to take care of my business.

18. Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm.

19. How come you're always running around looking for God? He's not lost.

20. God put me on earth to accomplish a number of things; right now I'm so far behind I will live forever.

IF JESUS CAME...

would you have to change your

clothes before you let Him in?

Or hide some magazines, and put the Bible where they'd been?

Would you hide your worldly music and put some hymnbooks out?

Could you let Jesus walk right

in, or would you rush about?

And I wonder - if the Savior

spent a day or two with you,

would you go right on doing, the things you always do?

Would you go right on saying, the

things you always say?

Or would life for you continue

as it does from day to day?

Would you take Jesus with you

everywhere you go?

Or would you maybe change your

plans for just a day or so?

Would you be glad to have Him

meet your closest friends?

Or would you hope they stay away,

until His visit ends?

Would you be glad to have Him

stay forever on and on?

Or would you sigh with great

relief when He at last was gone?

It might be interesting to know,

the things that you would do,

If Jesus came in person, to spend

some time with you.

- unknown -

WERE YOU COLDER THAN THIS?

by Ruth Seamands

It was Christmas Eve in Korea. An expectant mother walked through the snow to the home of a missionary friend where she knew she could find help. A short way down the road from the mission house was a deep gully spanned by a bridge. As the young woman stumbled forward, birth pains overcame her. She realized she could go no farther. She crawled under the bridge. There alone between the trestles she gave birth to a baby boy. She had nothing with her except the heavy padded clothes she was wearing. One by one she removed the pieces of her clothing and wrapped them around her tiny son - around and around like a cumbersome cocoon. Then, finding a discarded piece of burlap, she pulled it over herself, and lay exhausted beside her baby. The next morning the missionary drove across the bridge in her Jeep to take a Christmas basket to a Korean family. On the way back, as she neared the bridge, the Jeep sputtered and died, out of gas. Getting out of the Jeep she started to walk across the bridge, and heard a faint cry beneath her. She crawled under the bridge to investigate. There she found the tiny baby, warm but hungry, and the young mother frozen to death. The missionary took the baby home and cared for him. As the boy grew, he often asked his adopted mother to tell him the story of how she had found him. On Christmas Day, his 12th birthday, he asked the missionary to take him to his mother's grave. Once there he asked her to wait a distance away while he went to pray. The boy stood beside the grave with bowed head, weeping. Then he began to disrobe.

As the astonished missionary watched, the boy took off his warm clothing, piece by piece, and laid it on his mother's grave. Surely he won't take off all his clothing, the missionary thought. He'll freeze! But the boy stripped himself of everything, putting all his warm clothing on the grave. He knelt naked and shivering in the snow. As the missionary went to him to help him dress again, she heard him cry out to the mother he never knew: "Were you colder than this for me, my mother?" And he wept bitterly.

When Christ came, He stripped himself of every royal garment and entered into our world of hatred and cold indifference. Why did He do it? Because He saw centuries of broken lives needing a Savior. And then He died of a broken heart. What broke it? The sin of human hearts. The long history of men making slaves of other men. Centuries of cannibalism and cruelty. Starvation and suffering. The worship of false gods in temples made with hands. War, bloodshed, crime, and greed - those things broke the heart of Christ. But so did we. Our coldness broke His heart and now it freezes Him out. We complacent Americans who are saved, satisfied, and sitting! We who pray, "Give us compassion for a lost world," and then "sacrifice" a dollar for missions. We with our elegant homes and brimming garbage cans. We who have the money, knowledge, and manpower to take the gospel to every creature, and yet we don*t. We who say we love the lost, and neglect to tell a lost neighbor about a loving Savior.

Jesus love lies frozen between trestled lips that ought to be warm to speak for Him. Lord, we take off our garments of pride and self-righteousness, glittering but transparently filthy rags that they are, and lay them at Your feet. In our naked need we cry, "Were you colder than this because of us, Lord?"

And we weep bitterly, because we know You were.

"Changing the World"

by Rubel Shelly

Many of us dream of being involved in something that will change the world. So one person becomes active in politics, another in education, and still another in a business or profession that stands to affect the masses. But the crime rate remains high, and we cannot build prisons fast enough to avoid overcrowding in our jails. Poverty continues to grind whole families beneath its crushing weight. Homelessness, cancer, aging, child abuse, divorce, teen pregnancy -- the problems are staggering.

God has created us in his own image. Thus we not only notice these problems that blight our world and cause so much misery but also feel compelled to try to do something to help. But is it really possible for any of us to make a difference?

The first atomic bomb used in war was dropped over Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945. Dr. Fumio Shigeto was waiting for a streetcar about a mile from the center of the blast. He was sheltered from its deadly force by the corner of a concrete building. Stunned and disoriented by an explosive force more devastating than anything humankind had ever experienced, he had no idea what had happened.

Dr. Shigeto's bewilderment quickly turned into a sense of being overwhelmed. He was one physician with a tiny black bag still in his hand. Yet all around him he could hear the screams of desperately wounded men and women. He needed an army of physicians, nurses, and technicians. He needed tons of supplies. He needed every bed in dozens of hospitals.

What could one man with so little at his disposal do in the face of such an incredible situation of need? The stunned survivor knelt, opened his medical bag, and began treating the person lying at his feet.

Dr. Shigeto's experience parallels our own. We look around and see such incredible devastation in our world that it is easy to be paralyzed and do nothing. After all, what difference can one person make against such formidable odds?

God doesn't expect you to change the world. He is not holding you accountable for helping everybody in need. That is too heavy and impossible a burden for anyone. But there is a hint of what you can and ought to do in the example of Jesus. Although he preached to huge crowds, he touched and healed people one at a time.

There is one lonely person or one frightened child you can help today. There is someone you know whose marriage is in trouble or who is about to die from her alcoholism. There is a kid failing history class or a friend at work who is depressed.

Forget about changing the world. Reach out to just one person near you today.

Four Questions

A co-worker of mine had four questions about the Christian Faith that he needed answered, so this is my attempt to put them into writing. I hope that they will be helpful to some of you.

Question 1: Why are Christians not taught to call the Creator by His "proper" name?

Answer: There are over a dozen names for God in the Hebrew Scriptures. El, Elohim, El Elyon, El Shaddai, Adonai, just to mention some. When Moses asked God point blank what His name was, God replied, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" (Exodus 3:14)

In Exodus 6:3, He told Moses that He had revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty (El Shaddai), But not by His name LORD (Yahweh, or Jehovah).

This is called the tetragramaton. YHWH. There are no vowels in the Hebrew language, so the exact pronunciation is not known for sure, but Jews usually pronounce it Yahweh. Jehovah is an Anglicized version of His name (there are no J's in the Hebrew language).

Most English Bibles translate it as LORD, using all capitals, as opposed to Lord (Adonai).

A more literal translation of YHWH is "the LORD is&ldots;" That is why it is used in combination with other words, such as Yahweh-Yireh (the Lord is our Provider). This is the name most used of God in the Old Testament, His covenant name with Israel.

In the Hebrew language, names mean things. They tell something about the person who bears it. Adam means, "Man". Eve means, "Mother of All". Abraham means, "Father of a Multitude". Isaac means, "Laughter". Jacob means, "Deceiver". God changed his name to Israel, which means "Prince of God".

So it is with the different names of God. They reflect the various aspects of His character, power, and person.

His name Yahweh, as I said before, is most literally translated, "The LORD is&ldots;" The Lord is what? Whatever you need. Do you need peace? He is Yahweh-Shalom (the Lord is my Peace). Need healing? He is Yahweh-Rapha (the Lord our Healer). Do you suffer from lack? He is Yahweh-Yireh (the Lord our Provider). Whatever you need, the Lord is!

So why do Christians not use this name when addressing God? Because most of us don't speak Hebrew! We use the name "LORD", the English translation of Yahweh. There are times when we may address God as Yahweh or Jehovah, but speaking His name in our own tongue is fine, since God understands English perfectly. Just as He understands El Senor in Spanish, or Der Herr in German. There are no language barriers with God! In fact He even knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts.

(Psa 26:2 NKJV) Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart.

(Psa 44:21 NKJV) Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.

(Jer 17:10 NKJV) I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.

(Heb 4:12 NKJV) For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

But for the Christian, we have an even greater way to address God. We have been given the unspeakable privilege of calling Him, "Father". Jesus taught us to pray to Him that way. (Mat 6:9 NKJV) "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven&ldots;." In fact, we are able to call out to Him as "Abba, Father". (Rom 8:15 NKJV) For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."

(Gal 4:6 NKJV) And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" Abba is an expression of intimacy; the closest thing we have to it in English is "Daddy". Oh, what an incredible privilege God has granted to us!

But we must be careful about how we use that name. The commandment says not to use His name in a profane way. (Exo 20:7 NKJV) "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. Every time a member of the Watchtower Society uses God's covenant name for their false god, they commit a great act of blasphemy! Every time a Mormon applies these names to their pagan gods, they break God's law. Do not make the mistake of ascribing the name of the Lord to the god of Islam. They are not one and the same! These are all lesser gods than the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They are all watered down versions of Yahweh of the Bible. Anytime you remove any of the attributes of God; the very things that make God, God, you have created an idol. You have created a god that you can deal with, instead of falling on your face before the one true God who holds your entire, eternal destiny in His hands. We can only stand before Him with fear and trembling, awe and amazement, relying solely on His mercy and grace.

Question 2: Why do Christians put Jesus Christ in front of God, when the first commandment says: (Exo 20:3 NKJV) "You shall have no other gods before Me."?

Answer: Christians do not put Jesus Christ "in front" of God, because He is God! I will go more into that in the next question. It is the Father Himself who puts Jesus into the forefront. (Phil 2:9-11 NASB) Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. It is the Father who has elevated Him, and glorified Him. The Father commands the angels of heaven to worship Him (Heb 1:6 NASB) And when He again brings the first-born into the world, He says, "AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM.", and us to hear Him (Mat 17:5 NASB) While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!"

Question 3: Why do Christians consider Jesus Christ as God in the flesh?

Answer: The confession of Israel is called the "Shema" (from the Hebrew word for Hear)

(Deu 6:4 NKJV) "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!

This is also the confession of the Christian. With this confession, how can Christian's claim that Jesus Christ is God, when there can be only one God? Since we also believe that the Holy Spirit is God, doesn't this make three God's? After all, 1+1+1=3. This would be correct, if the equation is right. 1+1+1 can only equal 3. But if the equation is 1x1x1, then the only possible answer is One!

This is what we have in the Tri-Unity (or Trinity) of God. One eternal Being, manifesting Himself as three distinct and separate persons. Like the equation 1x1x1=1, so it is with the Tri-part nature of God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Separate but never separated. Totally distinct, yet perfectly united. Of different office and function, but of one essence and nature. Whether or not we can grasp or understand this concept of God's nature is immaterial. God is what He is. We can only describe Him from what He has revealed of Himself to us.

The Bible says that:

1. The Father is God.

(Psa 89:26 NKJV) He shall cry to Me, 'You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.'

(John 20:17 NKJV) Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'"

(1 Cor 8:6 NKJV) yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him;

2. The Son is God.

(Isa 9:6 NKJV) For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

(Heb 1:8 NKJV) But to the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom.

3. The Holy Spirit is God.

(John 4:24 NKJV) "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

(Acts 5:3-4 NKJV) But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? "While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."

Yet the Bible presents them as distinct and separate persons. It is from these facts that are presented to us in the Scriptures, that the doctrine of the Tri-une nature of God was developed.

The Scriptures testify to the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, both Old and New Testaments. There are over 100 prophecies in the Tenach (Old Testament) about a coming Messiah. These were perfectly fulfilled in His Incarnation.

The following are just a few: click here to view chart

Old Testament Scriptures that speak of the Deity of Messiah are:

(Isa 7:14 NKJV) "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. (God With Us, Matt. 1:22-23)

(Isa 9:6-7 NKJV) For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

(Psa 45:6-7 NKJV) Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.

(Psa 110:1-4 NKJV) The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool." The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power; In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth. The LORD has sworn And will not relent, "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek."

New Testament passages that speak of Yeshua's deity are:

(John 1:1-18 NKJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'" And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

(John 20:28-29 NKJV) And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

(Rom 9:5 NKJV) of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

(Phil 2:5-6 NKJV) Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God

(Col 2:9 NKJV) For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;

(1 Tim 3:16 NKJV) And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

(Titus 2:13 NKJV) looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

(Heb 1:8 NKJV) But to the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom.

(2 Pet 1:1 NKJV) Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ

What many don't seem to realize is that Yeshua's greatest claim to deity is His claim to be the Son of God. I don't know how many times it has been said to me that Yeshua was not God, that He was only the Son of God.

But how can a Son not have His Father's nature? (John 14:5-11 NKJV) Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him." Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. (Col 1:15-19 NKJV) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell. How can we not bear the genetic markers of our dads. None of this was lost on the Jewish leaders. When Jesus said he was God's Son, they sought to kill Him, because He was making Himself equal with God. (John 5:17-18 NKJV) But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. (John 10:30-33 NKJV) "I and My Father are one." Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?" The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."

These are but a few of the over 700 verses in the Bible that deal with the Tri-une nature of God. That is why it is so sweet to bask in the Pauline Benediction: (2 Cor 13:14 NKJV) The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

Question 4: You can only come out of the womb once, physically. So how is it you can be "Born Again"?

Answer: Lets look at the passage of Scripture that most deals with this Question.

(John 3:1-21 NKJV) There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. {2} This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." {3} Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is BORN AGAIN, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish Governing body) came to Jesus to have a private interview with Him. Cutting through all the small talk, Jesus told him that no one could see the kingdom of God, unless they are "Born Again" (or more literally, "Born from Above").

{4} Nicodemus said to Him, "HOW CAN A MAN BE BORN WHEN HE IS OLD? CAN HE ENTER A SECOND TIME INTO HIS MOTHER'S WOMB AND BE BORN?"

This was a stumper for Nicodemus, so he asked Jesus how this was possible? He was thinking purely from a human, fleshly, standpoint.

{5} Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is BORN OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. {6} "That which is Born Of The Flesh Is Flesh, and that which is Born Of The Spirit Is Spirit. {7} "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You Must Be Born Again.' {8} "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is Born Of The Spirit."

"Most Assuredly" (Gr. Amen, Amen). This is the second time Jesus has said this to Nicodemus. The word Amen is the same in Greek or Hebrew, and means "let it be so." It can also be translated as "truly, assuredly, verily, etc., for added emphasis, it was repeated. Jesus wanted Nicodemus to get the fill impact of what He was saying. Jesus told him "unless" you are born again, there is no place for you in the God's kingdom. People all the time ask if I'm a "born again Christian". Well, there are no other kinds of Christians.

Jesus told Nicodemus that unless one was born of "water and the Spirit"; they could not enter the kingdom. Jesus is talking about a spiritual birth. He makes a distinction between physical and spiritual birth. Then once more, He says, you "must" be born again. It's not an option, but a requirement for the kingdom.

Why, you may ask? Because we are dead, and nothing dead can enter God's kingdom. You may be thinking, if I'm dead, how come I'm able to read this? How come I'm able to breathe, eat, work, talk, walk, etc., if I'm dead? Because you are spiritually dead.

In the Garden of Eden, God told Adam that he could eat freely of every tree in the Garden, except one. He could not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God told Adam that on the day he ate of it, he would surely die. The serpent tempted Eve, she ate of the tree, and so did Adam. They had disobeyed God. Sin had entered the human race.

But, you may say, they didn't die that day. Actually, they did. They died first of all spiritually. Their rebellion cut them off from the life of God. (Eph 2:1 NKJV) And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sin. (Col 2:13 NKJV) And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.

Secondly, the process of death began. (Gen 3:17-19 NKJV) Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." (Rom 5:12 NKJV) Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned;

Thirdly, death through a substitute. (Gen 3:21 NKJV) Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. God had to slay animals to provide the skins for Adam and Eve. They should have died, but God provided a substitute. The fig leaf aprons they had made were insufficient to cover the sin they had just committed. Therefore, God Himself provided a covering. In the same way, when Abraham offered his son Isaac, he said "..God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." (Gen 22:8 NKJV) Just as God provided a lamb as a substitute for the sons of Abraham, so He provided a lamb as a substitute for the sons of Adam.

When John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching, he called out, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29 NKJV) Jesus was our substitute. He died on our behalf, for our sins, and provided a cover of righteousness for us, so that we can now stand on God's presence. (2 Cor 5:17-18,21 NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God&ldots;For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (Isa 53:4-6 NKJV) Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Gal 2:20 NKJV) "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Heb 9:28 NKJV) so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

(1 Pet 2:24 NKJV) who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.

(1 John 2:2 NKJV) And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

So we see that man is spiritually dead. A hopelessly lost sinner before God. (Eccl 7:20 NKJV) For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin. (Psa 51:5 NKJV) Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. (Jer 17:9 NKJV) "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? (Psa 14:2-3 NKJV) The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one. (Rom 3:10-12 NKJV) As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one." (Rom 3:23 NKJV) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

So he must have a spiritual re-birth so that he is able to enter into God's kingdom.

Jesus said you must be born of water and the Spirit. What does that mean?

Born of water- there are three main views as to what this means:

1. Water Baptism - most Christians do not believe that baptism saves, but we realize that it is not an option either. It is a command from Jesus Himself, and identifies us with Messiah's death, burial, and resurrection. (Mat 28:19-20 NKJV) "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (Mark 16:15-16 NKJV) And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. (Acts 2:38 NKJV) Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Rom 6:3-4 NKJV) Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

2. Physical Birth - first you are born physically, then you can be born spiritually.

3. The Word of God - many times water is used as a symbol of God's Word and its cleansing power. (Ezek 36:25-27 NKJV) "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. (Eph 5:26 NKJV) that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word. (Titus 3:4-6 NKJV) But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. (1 Pet 1:23 NKJV) having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever. Personally, I lean toward this one, even though the other two work as well. You see, it is though the message of the Gospel that we are saved, (1 Cor 1:21 NKJV) For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe, and it is through the Holy Spirit that we are convicted of sin. (John 16:8 NKJV) "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment, and lead to repentance.

You can't see it happen, anymore than you can see the wind, but you can see the results when the wind blows. You see the leaves move, and feel the coolness of it against your skin. When the Spirit causes someone to be re-born, you see the change that is affected in his or her life. The sinful begin to live holy. The profanity that once spewed from their lips begins to cease. The drunkard and the drug addict become sober. The prostitute becomes pure. The liar begins to speak the truth. The wicked turns to righteousness. (2 Cor 5:17 NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (1 Cor 6:9-11 NKJV) Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. This is what happens when someone is Born Again!

{9} Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?" {10} Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? {11} "Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. {12} "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

Nicodemus still didn't get it though. Perhaps he expected Jesus to open up the grand and glorious mysteries of heaven, and all he got was "you must be born again". The Gospel is so simple a child can understand it. (Mat 18:2-3 NKJV) Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Yet it is this simplicity that causes us to stumble all over it. We want to complicate and make it out to be something that it was never meant to be. The Ten Commandments are simple, but the Pharisees had heaped up hundreds of regulations on top of them in an effort to keep from breaking them. Somewhere along the way the meaning of them got lost under the pile. That is why Jesus had so many run-ins with them. They didn't like the way He kept the Sabbath. He didn't wash His hands in the proper manner. He didn't hang out with the right crowd. They couldn't deny His miracles, so they claimed He did them in the power of Satan. That's what happens when man complicates the simple word of God. They can't see the forest for the trees.

{13} "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.

The Son of Man is from heaven, so He knows all about heavenly things.

{14} "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, {15} "that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

Let's look at the story of Moses and the bronze serpent. (Num 21:4-9 NKJV) Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread." So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live." So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. Just as Moses put this serpent on a pole and all who were bitten by the deadly snakes looked upon it and lived, so also God placed His Son on a cross and lifted Him up, and all who look upon Him receive forgiveness of sin and eternal life.

{16} "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Often called the most precious verse in the Bible, it gives us the whole Gospel in one sentence. It is because of God's great love for us, that He gave His Son to die in our place. It is by faith that we receive this payment for our sins, and the free gift of eternal life.

{17} "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. {18} "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. {19} "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. {20} "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. {21} "But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

Jesus didn't come to condemn us, but to save us. Those who receive him are removed from condemnation. Those who don't believe are already condemned, because we are sinners by nature and deed. When we reject Jesus as our Savior, we reject the light of Heaven. (John 1:4-5 NKJV) In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 8:12 NKJV) Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." Men reject that light because they prefer the darkness. The light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ exposes the sinful heart of man. Those who reject him continue on in darkness. Those who accept Him live in the light of God's Grace.

I hope I have answered these questions in a way that would open your understanding. The Scriptures say to always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; (1 Pet 3:15 NKJV). I have studied the Bible for twenty years, and am more convinced than ever of its truthfulness and reliability. I have seen too many lives changed by it, too many prayers answered, too many miracles, to not be. It has changed my life. And when I would sometimes lose my enthusiasm and begin to stray, it has always brought me back. It shows me what I am, and what I can become. It tells me where I'm at, and where I'm going. It tells me about the life I can live here, and the one I can live in eternity. It warns me of the dangers of sin, and of the beauty of holiness. Of the consequences of rebellion, and of the joys of righteousness. It tells me of the horrors of Hell, and of the splendor of Heaven. But most of all it tells me about my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the one who died for me, and with whom I'll spend eternity. He is alive and well, and seated at the right hand of the Majesty on High. I eagerly await the day I can take my place in His Kingdom. The day I can stand in His glorious presence. Amen.

The difference between Christianity and religion is this, religion is ritual, and Christianity is relationship. Religion (even when it is called Christian) is following a set of rules, regulations, and rituals in an attempt to make oneself acceptable to God. If that's what you are looking for, than pick anyone you like, it doesn't matter. The end result is the same. When you strip away all the outer shells, they all come out saying the same thing, that you can be your own savior. But true Biblical Christianity says you cannot be your own savior, not to any degree. But it does say that you can have an intimate, personal relationship with the creator of the universe. If you would like to know how, read on.

The following is a simple Gospel presentation called the Roman Road:

I. All men are sinners.

  (Rom 3:23 NKJV) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

II. We are sinners by nature because of Adam's rebellion.

  (Rom 5:12 NKJV) Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned;

III. No amount of works will make us right with God.

  (Rom 3:20 NKJV) Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

IV. But God loved us so much, He sent Christ to die in our place.

  (Rom 5:8 NKJV) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

V. The just payment for our sin is death, but God offers us the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

  (Rom 6:23 NKJV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

VI. Anyone, anywhere, may call upon the name of the Lord.

  (Rom 10:13 NKJV) For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."

VII. If you believe in, and confess Christ as Lord, you will be saved.

  (Rom 10:9-10 NKJV) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Put your trust in Jesus Christ today, and you can receive God's free gift of eternal life.