John 3:3-6 TPT “Jesus answered, “Nicodemus, listen to this eternal truth: Before a person can even perceive God’s kingdom, they must first experience a rebirth.”
4 Nicodemus said, “Rebirth? How can a gray-headed man be reborn? It’s impossible for anyone to go back into the womb a second time and be reborn!”
5 Jesus answered, “I speak an eternal truth: Unless you are born of water and the Spirit, you will never enter God’s kingdom.
6 For the natural realm only gives birth to things that are natural, but the spiritual realm gives birth to supernatural life!”
Hello Family,
Unless you give a thought to your rebirth, you may never come to awakening. Even though you see, you will not perceive, and even though you hear, you will not understand. Unless you are born again, the Word of God is just history and will make you drowsy when you listen to sermons or read rather than experiencing excitement in your spirit. Rebirth will make the Word of God alive and experiential as it becomes new food, new wine, and new ingredients to nourish our spirits.
We see in verse 5, unless we are born again, we cannot even enter the Kingdom of God. Therefore, many are only near and contending. Scripture shows that us being near can still produce and experience healing, deliverance, being supernaturally fed, witnessing the power of God, the dead being raised, possessing spiritual gifts, blessings, and much more.
Jesus told Nicodemus he must be born again to even see or enter the Kingdom. Nicodemus was a leader, well educated, a person who prayed, physically well off, respected, going to church, etc.
What is rebirth? Rebirth is not based on what new things you are doing, such as going to church now, reading the bible, praying, tithing, etc. All these things you should do as Nicodemus was doing. Rebirth is when the old person is no more and a new person is born.
You are no longer defined or identified by your trauma, hurt, fear, mama boy/girl, spoiled brat syndrome, greed, abuse, self-pity, the old man/woman, or the past, but you are now defined and identified by Christ in you the Hope of His Glory.
What comes out of your heart? What comes out of your mind? What comes out of your mouth? Flesh gives birth to flesh. Spirit gives birth to spirit. What comes out of your mouth? Constant words of the past of your pain? Traumatic events? Have a hard time letting go of the past? Unable to forgive? Regrets? Complainer? These are the characteristics of the old man. Carnal words are constantly being birthed from your old man.
Or have we become the new wine or new birth, and now what comes from our mouths is what Jesus has done for your life? We testify how HE has saved and set us free! We testify of new things birthed and experienced.
Or we may be in the middle like Nicodemus. A religious person checking off the list of religious duties and testifying we are a little better person than before, saying at least we don’t smoke “crack” anymore because we go to church.
Give thought, and you should ask God.
Pastor Steve Kim