There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” Did you notice that He stated that before being born again he couldn't even see the Kingdom? Also, that is the only account which the term "born again" is referenced in the Constitution scriptures, and yet the expression has become almost a catch phrase among the religious Christian community. So much so that it has lost its true meaning.
What does it mean to be born again? Being born again means that you have accepted Jesus the Christ as your Lord and Savior and have received the Holy Spirit--our Governor--and have therefore been given a completely new nature, unlike the world and its system. A new nature is to become citizens of the Kingdom Government. Ambassador Paul put it this way when he was addressing the Ephesian believers: Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. NKJV
Because of the Holy Spirit--our Governor--we now have His DNA. Wherever you go, you are a child of the King and your conduct should reflect that. King Jesus made that quite clear when He made this statement: “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
We are to represent the King and His Kingdom in all that we do and say. We aren't to live like we have no principles or standards. We are an extension of the Kingdom of God, in this fallen world. If we choose to live a life without God's principles or standards, there are consequences. Read what ambassador Paul wrote to the saints and citizens of Ephesus: Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey Him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
Keep in mind, the new birth, or conversion as most Christians call it, prepares us to be with our King to be reconnected with the Kingdom government and restores our relationship with our King and Lord God. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” To be a Kingdom citizen, you must have in your mortal body the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, our Governor. That is a must! Why? Because the Holy Spirit is the extension of the Lord's nature from Him to us. In other words, regardless of the color of your skin or the country in which you were born, or the language you may speak; if you are born again with the Spirit of the Lord God, then the Lord God is your Father. In essence, you have the same Father as the Lord Jesus. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, “Abba, Father.” For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. Yes, we are heirs of the Lord God and joint heirs with Jesus!
And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are Heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering. Your life should reflect the nature of the Lord God you serve at all times, not just on Sunday morning. The foundation of your thinking should always be the Word of God. By the way, it is the Governor--Holy Spirit--that gives you the power and authority to overcome the World. But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.
The Lord Jesus did it all for us. He overcame the World and its system, that we could be reinstated back to the Father. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.
One more thing, once you have received the gift of the Holy Spirit--our Governor--that is His seal of approval to you that He has accepted you into the Kingdom family. Keep in mind that the Lord did this back in the early church. So the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue. At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Gospel and believe. God knows people’s hearts, and He confirmed that He accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for He cleansed their hearts through faith. It was through their faith in Jesus that they were purified. And remember...
Your faith in the King is your greatest asset in the Kingdom!
John 3:1-3 Ephesians 5:1-2 Matthew 5:13-16 Ephesians 5:3-7
Acts 1:8 Romans 8:14-17 1 John 4:4-6 John 16:33 Acts 15:6-9
All NLT except where noted
W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” Did you notice that He stated that before being born again he couldn't even see the Kingdom? Also, that is the only account which the term "born again" is referenced in the Constitution scriptures, and yet the expression has become almost a catch phrase among the religious Christian community. So much so that it has lost its true meaning.
What does it mean to be born again? Being born again means that you have accepted Jesus the Christ as your Lord and Savior and have received the Holy Spirit--our Governor--and have therefore been given a completely new nature, unlike the world and its system. A new nature is to become citizens of the Kingdom Government. Ambassador Paul put it this way when he was addressing the Ephesian believers: Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. NKJV
Because of the Holy Spirit--our Governor--we now have His DNA. Wherever you go, you are a child of the King and your conduct should reflect that. King Jesus made that quite clear when He made this statement: “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
We are to represent the King and His Kingdom in all that we do and say. We aren't to live like we have no principles or standards. We are an extension of the Kingdom of God, in this fallen world. If we choose to live a life without God's principles or standards, there are consequences. Read what ambassador Paul wrote to the saints and citizens of Ephesus: Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey Him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
Keep in mind, the new birth, or conversion as most Christians call it, prepares us to be with our King to be reconnected with the Kingdom government and restores our relationship with our King and Lord God. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” To be a Kingdom citizen, you must have in your mortal body the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, our Governor. That is a must! Why? Because the Holy Spirit is the extension of the Lord's nature from Him to us. In other words, regardless of the color of your skin or the country in which you were born, or the language you may speak; if you are born again with the Spirit of the Lord God, then the Lord God is your Father. In essence, you have the same Father as the Lord Jesus. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, “Abba, Father.” For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. Yes, we are heirs of the Lord God and joint heirs with Jesus!
And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are Heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering. Your life should reflect the nature of the Lord God you serve at all times, not just on Sunday morning. The foundation of your thinking should always be the Word of God. By the way, it is the Governor--Holy Spirit--that gives you the power and authority to overcome the World. But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.
The Lord Jesus did it all for us. He overcame the World and its system, that we could be reinstated back to the Father. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.
One more thing, once you have received the gift of the Holy Spirit--our Governor--that is His seal of approval to you that He has accepted you into the Kingdom family. Keep in mind that the Lord did this back in the early church. So the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue. At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Gospel and believe. God knows people’s hearts, and He confirmed that He accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for He cleansed their hearts through faith. It was through their faith in Jesus that they were purified. And remember...
Your faith in the King is your greatest asset in the Kingdom!
John 3:1-3 Ephesians 5:1-2 Matthew 5:13-16 Ephesians 5:3-7
Acts 1:8 Romans 8:14-17 1 John 4:4-6 John 16:33 Acts 15:6-9
All NLT except where noted
W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
