##TODAYS RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL## BY: PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME TOPIC: BEING BORN AGAIN DATE: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH ,2014 TEXT: Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). The term “born again” wasn’t coined by certain denominations as some people think; it was originally used by Jesus to express the necessity for man’s spiritual rebirth. The Lord Jesus used the term when He addressed Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The expression puzzled Nicodemus, who then sought to know if being “born again” required a man going back into his mother’s womb to be born a second time. Read the Master’s response in John 3:5-6: “… Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” It’s important to understand the dichotomy of expression when He said, “…except a man be born of water and of the Spirit....” He was dealing with the same substance: spiritual rebirth. The original rendering actually says, “Except a man is born of water, even the spirit.” Water is a type of the Spirit. When you were born of your mother, you were born of the flesh. Hebrews 12:9 talks about the “fathers of our flesh” and the “Father of spirits.” Your earthly father is the father of your flesh, but God is the Father of spirits. Your spirit came alive to God when you were born again. The Master was quite emphatic about being born again; He said, “…Ye must be born again” (John 3:7); so it isn’t something to be taken lightly. If you’re born again, be glad about it, for it means you hail from Zion. David wrote about this in Psalms 87:5. He said, “And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.” David was a prophet of God, and spoke prophetically about Zion, the city of God. Coming to the New Testament, the Bible says, “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels” (Hebrews 12:22). You’re now established as a bona fide citizen of God’s own city—Zion. You’re a fellow citizen with the saints, and belong to the household of God (Ephesians 2:19). You’re now an heir of God, and a joint-heir with Christ. CONFESSION I’m a new creation in Christ Jesus, a bona fide citizen of Zion—the city of the living God. I’m no longer a stranger but qualified to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in the light. Halleluiah! Further Study: Ephesians 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; Psalms 87:3 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah. 1-Year Bible Reading Plan: Ephesians 1:15-2:1-10, Isaiah 13-14 2-Year Bible Reading Plan: 1 Timothy 6:17-21, Jeremiah 42.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 07:17:51 +0000
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