“Born AgainBorn Again” What’s That?

“Can You be Born a Born a SecondSecond Time Time?There is an expression that says:

•“Today is the first day of the rest of your life!”

You can start all over again. Today!

In the Bible, in the Gospel of John we read ““There was a man of the Pharisees, named There was a man of the Pharisees, named

Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by Jesus by nightnight.”.” John chapter 3: verse 1-2

Nicodemus, a Jewish priest of the sect of the Pharisees, knew that Jesus was different. He was hungry for the truth, but…

he was probably embarrassed & afraid to be seen by day, by his colleagues, his peers, the other priests! So Nicodemus came to Jesus by night!

This we call: “Peer pressure!” If we obey and listen to our peers only, we may never find the truth! Imagine that Nicodemus would never have been born again! We would not meet him in Heaven!

Peers=Friends, colleagues, family members.Peer Pressure= Social control over us from our peers.

Nicodemus talks with Jesus John 3:2

““The same came to Jesus by night, and said The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that you are a unto him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God: for no man can do teacher come from God: for no man can do these these miraclesmiracles that you do, except God is that you do, except God is with him.”with him.” John 3:2

Miracles can be proof of messiah-ship!Messiah=Savior of the World! From “to save!” (verb)

Rabbi=“Teacher” or “Master” in Hebrew language

Born Again? John 3:3 ““Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say to Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say to

you, Except a man is you, Except a man is born againborn again, he cannot see the , he cannot see the kingdom of God.”kingdom of God.”

““born again” born again” means born a second time, all over again! Not into this World again, but into GOD’s Heavenly Kingdom! Heaven = The opposite of Earth, the physical world, or Universe

The “Kingdom of GodKingdom of God” is God’s people! Heaven! Unless you are re-born, you can’t even SEE or understand God’s Nation of Children of God on Earth, as it is in Heaven.

“The The Kingdom of GodKingdom of God” God´s Spiritual World. Jesus said in Matthew 18:3 “Unless you are converted and become as little children, “Unless you are converted and become as little children,

you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Heaven, the Heavenly Regions or Spiritual Universe, where God is all

powerful! Heaven! The real World!

Jesus says Heaven is real! A reality! Not superstition!

Superstition = untrue or unfounded belief or belief-system based on legends, lies or false teachings.

Nicodemus was puzzled/confused. ““Nicodemus said unto him,Nicodemus said unto him,

HOWHOW can a man be born can a man be born when he is old? Can he when he is old? Can he enter the second time into enter the second time into his mother's womb, and his mother's womb, and be born?”be born?”

Nicodemus didn’t understand. He took it literal, materialistically, fleshly! “In the flesh!”

“In the flesh” = opposite of “Spiritually” “in the spirit”“materialistic” = opposite of “idealistic” “Literally”= opposite of “figuratively.”

Born of water and of the Spirit! “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Verily, verily, I say unto you,

Except a man is born of Except a man is born of waterwater andand of the of the SpiritSpirit, , he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

Our first birth is a physical birth. Born of water. Born from human seed & from a water bag. Our bodies also, are 70 % water.

Our second birth is a spiritual birth. Born of Spirit! God’s Spirit, Jesus, God´s spiritual Seed, brings forth a new spiritual creation. A new child, son or daughter of God!

In 1 Peter 1:23 we read: ““Being Being born againborn again, not of , not of

corruptible seed, but of in-corruptible seed, but of in-corruptible corruptible seedseed. By the . By the Word of GodWord of God, , which lives and abides forever.”which lives and abides forever.”

Our “new man”, the new spiritual child of God, is born from Jesus, who IS the eternal Seed of God, who IS “the Word of God.”

““And the And the WordWord was made was made fleshflesh and lived and lived among us, and we saw His glory…”among us, and we saw His glory…” John 1:14John 1:14

Jesus was theJesus was the living Word of God, a walking living Word of God, a walking Bible. Bible.

BORN of the SPIRIT ““That which is born of the That which is born of the fleshflesh is is fleshflesh; and that which is ; and that which is

born of the born of the SpiritSpirit is is spiritspirit.”.” Our human body is born

from another human body. Body from body. Flesh from flesh!

But our spirit has to be born from God’s Spirit, from Jesus, God´s Son. Spirit from Spirit!

Our bodies look like our parents, but our born again spirit will become like God’s spirit.

Don’t be surprised! Jesus said:

““Marvel not that I said unto you, You Marvel not that I said unto you, You mustmust be be born again.”born again.”

““The wind blows where it wants, and you hear the The wind blows where it wants, and you hear the sound thereof, but can not tell where it comes sound thereof, but can not tell where it comes from, and where it goes to: from, and where it goes to: soso is every one that is is every one that is born of the Spirit.”born of the Spirit.”

Just as the invisible wind comes and goes, so is the new child of God. God´s Spirit makes them come and go. Sometimes active & seen and at other times quiet and still.

invisible = unseen

“Born again“ means born for the 2nd time! And it is forever!

Once born againborn again, you are born againborn again forever! You cannot be “UN-born”! Impossible! Once born always born!

You have everlasting Eternal life, just like your Father in Heaven, and you can not perish anymore.

to perish (verb) = to go down, to drown, to die, to get lost.

Your second birth means, that you are His child now!

“ “But as many as But as many as receivedreceived him him [Jesus, God’s Seed][Jesus, God’s Seed], to , to them gave he power to become the them gave he power to become the sons of Godsons of God, even , even to them that to them that believebelieve on his name” on his name”

““Which were Which were BORNBORN, not of blood, nor of the will of , not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of but of God!God!””John 1:12-13

If we’ve received Jesus into our hearts, we have received the right/the power/the authority, to become His children, the children or sons & daughters of God.

“Born of God” means that we are His spiritual baby now. And just as we love our children, so does He love us & will also take good care of us!

You are a NEW CREATURENEW CREATURE now! When we are born againborn again, the Bible calls us “a a

new creature!new creature!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 ”Therefore if any man be in Christ, ”Therefore if any man be in Christ,

he is a new creature: old things are passed he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”away; behold, all things are become new.”

Matthew 18:3 — Unless you are converted and Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. enter the kingdom of heaven.

Galatians 6:15 ”For in Christ Jesus neither circum-”For in Christ Jesus neither circum-cision avails anything, nor un-circumcision, cision avails anything, nor un-circumcision, but a new creature. ”but a new creature. ”

New-born spiritual babies 1 Peter 2:2

““As As newborn babes, newborn babes, desire desire the sincerethe sincere milk milk of theof the word, word, that you maythat you may grow grow thereby.”thereby.” 1 Peter 2:2

What do natural new born babies do? Not much! They lie in bed, sleep, eliminate, cry & they just love to drink milk!

When we are ”born again” we also should desire God´s Milk, the ”pure milk of His Word ” in the Bible.

Babies need Milk! Not junkfood! And so spiritual babies

should “desire the pure Milk of the WORD” much more than other things...

like spiritual junkfood, system books, worldly newspapers & shallow gossip magazines.

That is ... IF they wish to grow up spiritually healthy!

“Re-generation” means re-born! Saved from spiritual death & damnation! Titus 3:5

Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which “Not by works of righteousness which wewe have done, but according to his have done, but according to his mercymercy he he savedsaved us, us, by the washing of by the washing of regenerationregeneration, and renewing of , and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”the Holy Ghost.”

We are not born into this physical world because we did something good.

Neither are we born into the Spiritual World of God’s Kingdom, because we deserve it.

Second birth--the washing of the washing of regenerationregeneration--is just a merciful gift of Godgift of God by grace!

“The Knob is on the Inside!”Holman Hunt (English painter

1827-1910) painted the picture "Christ the Light of the World." It is a painting of Christ in a garden at midnight, holding a lantern in His left hand. With His right hand He is knocking on a heavily paneled door. When the painting was unveiled, several critics were present. One critic detected what he thought was lacking, namely, a knob on the door. He said, "You haven't finished your work.” "It is finished," said the artist."But there is no knob on the door," protested the critic."Ah," said the artist, "that is the door to the human heart. It can be opened only from the inside!"

Getting to know Jesus! There’s a story about a girl who was assigned some book to read in college. She

started but because she found it kind of dry and uninteresting, she threw it in the top of her closet and thought she'd read it later. Later on a man came to the college and lectured. She found out during the course of his lecture that he was the author of the book! She fell in love with him on his visit to the college and after hearing his lectures she went home and dug the book out of the top of her closet and buried herself in the book to read it!

Why? How come the book was all of a sudden so interesting, whereas she thought it was dry and uninteresting before?—She knew the author!

What's the most important reason why we know the Bible is true? We know the Author! We know the Bible is true because we know the Author and we know He wouldn't have written us any lies; we know what He says is right!

Before somebody introduced you to the Author, you probably didn't care much about the Bible and didn't know whether it was true or not, never read it and maybe didn't even believe it. But now since we've told you that it's Jesus and you've been introduced to Jesus and have received Jesus in your heart, all of a sudden you're interested in the Bible for the first time maybe in your life, because now you know the Author and you want to hear what He has to say!

Go by the Book! Two men, the one a foreman, the other, one of the carpenters

under him, were standing on the deck of a steamship, then on the stocks, in one of the shipbuilding yards on the Clyde River in Scotland. "Well, Stephen," said the foreman, "I have been anxious to have a conversation with you. I'm told you are one of those people who say they know for certain that they are saved. Is that true?”"Yes," said Stephen, "quite true; thank God, I know I'm saved. In fact, there is nothing I'm more sure of, than that I'm saved.”"Well, now," said the foreman, "that is something I cannot see through. How any man can say that he is saved as long as he is in this world. I think it is rather presumptuous for anyone to say so...”"Well," said Stephen, "there is a reality in being saved, in being a child of God & in knowing it. What is the diameter of this pipe?"

Go by the Book! The foreman, astonished at the apparent sudden change in the

conversation, said, "Why, 35 centimeters all around, to be sure. What makes you ask that, when you know?” “But are you quite sure that it is 35 centimeters?”

"Certainly.” "But what makes you so sure?” "Why, I'm going by the book," and, as he said so, he pulled a book out of his pocket, in which were marked the sizes and position of the various things on the deck.

"I'm sure it is 35 centimeters, for it is here in the book, and I got the book from headquarters.”

"Oh! I see," said Stephen. "Now look here. That is exactly how I know I'm saved. I'm just going by the Book. It came from headquarters.—It is God's Word."

END of Stargazers Presentation See our other presentations on: BORN AGAIN. ETERNAL SALVATION THE HOLY SPIRIT THE EARLY CHURCH, A BLUEPRINT. SIGNS OF THE TIMES Matthew 24 GOD? Who is He, She or It?--Or they? WITNESSING SPIRIT WORLD DANIEL 2, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 ACTIVATED