What does being born again really mean?

What does it mean for a Christian to be born again?

by Matt Slick

To be born again means to be changed by God into a new creature.  "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come," (2 Cor. 5:17).  He is different.  He is saved from God's righteous judgment.  He is enlightened spiritually to what is right and what is good, and he accepts the truths found in the Bible, which is God's word, where before he could not (1 Cor. 2:14).  He then seeks to please God and resist sin because this born again change in him makes it possible.  Being born again is also known as regeneration.  Along with this regeneration, God indwells him (John 14:23) and he receives guidance from God's Spirit through the Scriptures.

Literally, the English phrase "born again" is the Greek "to be born from above."

In the New American Standard Bible, the phrase "born again" occurs four times:

•  John 3:3, "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is  born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'”
  • Greek, born again is  γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν, gennatha anothen, which is literally "might be born from above."
• John 3:7, "Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’"
  • Greek, born again is  γεννηθῆναι ἄνωθεν, gennathanai anothen, which is literally "to be born from above".
• 1 Peter 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,"
  • Greek, "born again" is  ἀναγεννήσας,  anagennasas, which is literally "having given birth again."
• 1 Pet. 1:23, "for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God."
  • Greek, born again is  ἀναγεγεννημένοι, anagegennamenoi, which is literally "having been born again."

So, again, being born again is the work of God where the sinner is supernaturally changed "from above where God is" and made into a new person -- one who trusts in God, seeks God, believes the truths of God, resists sin, and seeks to do good.

We allowed this to come to the USA

I just got done watching our House of Representatives bowing and praying to allah. I cannot even begin to find the words to express how upset I am, but I will try.

We allowed this folks!  It is time for many of us to get off of the fence and stop playing it safe because of fear and “political correctness.”  It is time for many of us, to take a bold stand for our Christian beliefs! It is time to shout the alarm and talk to people who still are not aware just how far our nation has fallen. It is time to stop compromising your Christian walk, open up your eyes and take a good look where our nation has gone. Do not think all of this will go away, just because of ignoring what has happened in the White House. The enemy has a stronghold on our country due to the spirits of apathy and lethargy swallowing us up inside of our comforts and selfishness. I say comforts because it is easier to turn on the tv, than to pray. Isn’t it? Let’s be honest. It is easier for us to call a friend and complain, than to pray. It is even easier for us to get out of bed and get ready for work than to take the time to pray.  It is easier for us to sweep our mistakes and sins under the rug, convincing ourselves that we are doing alright in front of those we see everyday. But, what does our own self- righteousness look like to the Lord? 

Lukewarmness? I remember Jesus saying he would spit it out of His mouth!

Where are you in the Lord?  Cold or hot? 

It is time to start being honest with ourselves! It is time to get serious with the God of the Bible. YES, the Bible!  If you had to choose between choosing allah to live for a little while longer on this earth and go along with sharia law or to choose Jesus who died for you, whom would you choose?  

Did not Jesus say, “if they persecute me, they will persecute you too?”  

We here in the west have not even began to see such persecution the church has in the middle east. But, I want to tell you, it is here! Are you ready for it? Are you ready to lay your own life down for Him? Are you ready to exercise your faith ?  Fight the fight of faith in a really big way? 

Be forewarned! In the past,  God has used other nations to judge other nations because of their disobedience.  God the Father has said to our nation:

 “Very well,  my young, selfish and spoiled daughter, you have turned your back upon me and my ways. You have made a choice not to teach your children to pray and aborted them from calling to me in schools! You have desecrated my Son whom was sent to give you forgiveness of sins and eternal life; and through this unbelief; you have perverted yourselves with other gods and call it your rights. You have even desecrated His name by your hypocrisy. You have aborted the godly ways I have given to you from your forefathers, instead; you choose idols that justify your idolatries while looking around to find recruits and then wonder why the plagues have ravished your nations. Do you not realize that with every idol that is given creed will follow with the diseases and plagues of that other nation? You willing sacrifice and abort over a million of my children a year for your satisfaction and convenience. With this very thing, you have encouraged others to follow this evil killing. The blood of my children are on your hands! You have made your choice and judgement is upon you! 

You fear man over me. You fear to tell your neighbor about my saving Grace. You care more about what those around you think, than what I think. 

Wake up! Be honest in your hearts! Choose this day whom you will serve. Draw near to me and I will draw close to you. 

Call on me, while there is still time and breath in your body and I will hear you.”

Those who would like to pray with me, let’s pray:

Heavenly Father,

Please forgive our corrupt spoiled and selfish hearts. Forgive us our unbelief. Forgive us for putting everything else in our lives before you and  your ways. Forgive us our lack of zeal. Forgive us for going along with the crowd. Forgive us for fearing people instead of giving you honor and the reverence that you deserve. Forgive us for doing our own thing, instead of your will. Forgive us for wasting our lives on things that will be gone tomorrow. Forgive us for being political correct and accepting all of the lies. Most important Lord, forgive us for our judgmental ways, our haughtiness and pride!! We choose today to humble ourselves. 

Help us Father, give us the strength to be strong and able to help those around us.

We choose this day to put you first in everything we have. We choose to come before you and we plead with you for our nation to be merciful to those of us who are not ready for what is coming. Equip us with what we need to follow through with your will. Help us to examine our hearts. Help us to be honest with ourselves. Help us to break the strongholds that have kept us from you. We need your help Lord. 

In Jesus we ask. 

amen

The way I see it, 2 Chronicles 7:14 is our only hope in this nation. “If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 

Your kairos moments

I woke up too early this morning with the word “kairos” on my mind. I started to think back at those special moments when I knew without a doubt that God opened a door of opportunity for me to walk through.

Opportunities to give what you have learned, to befriend and help someone in need, to bless another, to forgive, when God sends the right people to buy your home, when you get unexpected money in the mail, when you have that chance to listen to a friend, to speak the truth, that perfect time to walk away from something and not feel guilty, to rescue someone and to be bold for God. Just to name a few things. Our kairos moments can be different because that is how God designed us to be. 

I
n the New Testament, "kairos" means "the appointed time in the purpose of God", the time when God acts (e.g. Mark 1:15: the kairos is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand). "Kairos" (used 86 times in the New Testament) [11] refers to an opportune time, a "moment" or a "season" such as "harvest time”,[1

There will always be that perfect person that God will use to guide you into that appointed time that will be a part of your destiny. A word, a song, a friend who says the right thing at that perfect time can be a confirmation that you are heading in the right direction. It is by faith that we sign on that dotted line! It is by faith that we take that job or leave it! We believe in the guiding power of the Holy Spirit. As we live by faith and get closer to the Lord, His light gets brighter and we can see more clearly as we are aware of being in His will in our lives.
We desire what the Holy Spirit wants in our lives. When this happens we are ripe to receive many kairos moments in our journey.

Let’s pray:

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for those kairos moments that only you give. Thank you for sending your angels to minister to us your truth, your love and forever directing us into those special places where we can receive, as well as give your goodness. Thank you for continually conforming us. We thank you this day for giving us stacks of opportunities to listen to what your Spirit is saying and able to discern whether it be a true kairos moment. Most important we recognize that our lives are not about us, but You Father and those around us. Give us your ideas and kairos moments to create ways in which we can bless You Father and those you send our way.
IN Jesus we ask,
amen
“
The time has come, he said. The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” Mark 1:15 nib

!2 very short, very remarkable experiences that will bless your soul!

These 12 short stories are all very good lessons, and really  make us think twice about the daily happenings in our lives as we deal with others ! 1. Today, I interviewed my grandmother for part of a research paper I'm working on for my Psychology class. When I asked her to define success in her own words, she said, "Success is when you look back at your life and the memories make you smile." ------------------------------- 2. Today, I asked my mentor - a very successful business man in his 70s- what his top 3 tips are for success. He smiled and said, "Read something no one else is reading, think something no one else is thinking, and do something no one else is doing." ------------------------------------------------------- 3. Today, after my 72 hour shift at the fire station, a woman ran up to me at the grocery store and gave me a hug. When I tensed up, she realized I didn't recognize her. She let go with tears of joy in her eyes and the most sincere smile and said , "On 9-11-2001, you carried me out of the World Trade Center." ------------------------------------------------------- 4. Today, after I watched my dog get run over by a car, I sat on the side of the road holding him and crying. And just before he died, he licked the tears off my face. ------------------------------------------------------- 5. Today at 7AM, I woke up feeling ill, but decided I needed the money, so I went into work. At 3PM I got laid off. On my drive home I got a flat tire. When I went into the trunk for the spare, it was flat too. A man in a BMW pulled over, gave me a ride, we chatted, and then he offered me a job. I start tomorrow. ------------------------------------------------------- 6. Today, as my father, three brothers, and two sisters stood around my mother's hospital bed, my mother uttered her last coherent words before she died. She simply said, "I feel so loved right now. We should have gotten together like this more often." ------------------------------------------------------- 7. Today, I kissed my dad on the forehead as he passed away in a small hospital bed. About 5 seconds after he passed,I realized it was the first time I had given him a kiss since I was a little boy. ------------------------------------------------------- 8. Today, in the cutest voice, my 8-year-old daughter asked me to start recycling. I chuckled and asked, "Why ?" She replied, "So you can help me save the planet." I chuckled again and asked, "And why do you want to save the planet ?" Because that's where I keep all my stuff," she said. ------------------------------------------------------- 9. Today, when I witnessed a 27-year-old breast cancer patient laughing hysterically at her 2-year-old daughter's antics, I suddenly realized that I need to stop complaining about my life and start celebrating it again. ------------------------------------------------------- 10. Today, a boy in a wheelchair saw me desperately struggling on crutches with my broken leg and offered to carry my backpack and books for me. He helped me all the way across campus to my class and as he was leaving he said, "I hope you feel better soon." ------------------------------------------------------- 11. Today, I was feeling down because the results of a biopsy came back malignant. When I got home, I opened an e-mail that said, "Thinking of you today. If you need me, I'm a phone call away." It was from a high school friend I hadn't seen in 10 years. -------------------------------------------------------- 12. Today, I was traveling in Kenya and I met a refugee from Zimbabwe. He said he hadn't eaten anything in over 3 days and looked extremely skinny and unhealthy. Then my friend offered him the rest of the sandwich he was eating. The first thing the man said was, "We can share it." -------------------------------------------------------- The best sermons are lived, not preached. --------------------------------------------------------

My Little Blue Angels

Bluebirds! That is what is on my mind! I have been learning so much about them! For one, the male is very doting towards his mate and keeps watch all of the time to keep her protected. While she is tending to the siblings, he flies briefly down and talks to her through the door as if to say: "Honey, are you alright? Is there anything I can get for you? Your favorite worm?" They are on their 2nd set of nesting now and their first off springs are absolutely wild with delight, as they fly and explore their new world. I laugh when I see an ambitious young male land so hard and suddenly in the grass that he tips on his beak. I have seen them sit on the porch railing looking puzzled at me. They keep my garden free from bugs and are fiercely territorial. Then, it was like the Lord speaking to me, " If you take care of them, they will take care of you." God, you are so good to us!

Can we pray together this morning?

Heavenly Father,

We want to bless you today. We want to bless you in our thoughts and in everything we do. It is our desire to glorify you and magnify you by the love that you have given to us. Thank you for your never-ending Grace. We give you honor, glory and all of our love this morning. We ask that you will continue to be with us and help us to be sensitive in what you say to us during this day.
We Ask in your Son's name Jesus
Amen

"And, whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father fhrough him." Colossians 4:17