When the Pharisee, Nicodemus, asked Jesus about the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus told him that “ye must be born again.” Without getting into a bunch of religious jargon and theological sermonizing, suffice it to say; “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” We, in the evangelical community, have preached this to the world since the Church began. Born again! Born into a new way of life. Born again, young babes craving new spiritual milk, following the Good Shepherd, and enjoying life to the fullest, while hoping in the eternal life to come. People who are born again sing a new song and praise God even through heartache. Those who are born again live every moment in the “abundant” life promised us by our Savior. (It really takes the Spirit to know that last one.) And finally, those born again into the kingdom of heaven know of the peace of Christ, the joy of the Lord and assurance of God’s love.
Now, all of the above is true and many a Christian has lived the blessed life of faith in God. But if we stop short in the conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus, we too will fall short in knowing the reality of the whole meaning of being “born again.” Their conversation is found in the third chapter of John’s gospel. In the fourteenth verse Jesus reveals that He must die in order for us to be born again. “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” Do you remember the W.W.J.D. bracelets that everyone was wearing? They were supposed to remind us to ask ourselves, “What would Jesus do?” Well, He died! He died to sin, He died to temptation, He died to the world (and for the world.) He died to insults, He died to rejection, He died to unbelief. He died for saints and sinners. He died for His enemies. He died for the will of His Father –He died to Self! You see, dying is a very big part in being born again. In fact, if you do not die (in the spiritual sense) then your “born again” life is just an allusion. Paul clearly understood this aspect of being born again and he clearly taught it to us: “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life that I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” Gal.2:19-21

The story goes, the way that I heard it, that Robert James, a Baptist minister and the father of Frank and Jesse James said that he once traded his two boys for a dog. Well, what happened was this: This old stray dog wandered onto their property one day and the dog took a liking to them and they to the mutt. Everything was going fine until they heard rumors in town that this old couple had lost their dog. The description matched the dog that they had. Someone told the couple that they thought that they had seen the dog on the James’ property. So, Robert James took that old dog behind the barn and chopped off its tail. When the old man came looking for his dog, he was sure that this was the one. But, with his boys standing there beside him, he lied to the old man and told him that it couldn’t be his dog, “for it didn’t have no tail.” “Them boys saw their dad lie and steal that day and they never stopped lying and stealing since that day.”

Frank and Jesse James grew up to be notorious bank robbers and died horrible deaths. Jesse James lived what he saw –hypocrisy. His father was a Baptist minister yet he lived a very carnal life. After Jesse James married, he and his wife and two children moved to St. Joseph, Mo. There he lived under the assumed name of Tom Howard. He went to church but never worked for a living. He recruited Charlie and Bob Ford to help him rob the Platte Bank. But during the planning of the robbery, the $10,000 reward for Jesse was just too appealing for Bob Ford. While Jesse’s back was to him, Bob Ford put a bullet into the back of his head.

You know, Jesus said that he only did what he saw his Father do. Then, while He was praying He said, “For them, I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.” Jesus knew full well that He lived His life for others. We too, should sanctify our lives for others. Yes, we are our bother’s keepers. Living for God is infectious and we should infect those living around us with the Word of God.

Life is full of it. No one can stop it. God, who changes not, has ordained it –it cannot be otherwise. There is nothing in a man’s life that is more inevitable than change. Man begins change at the moment of conception and at the inception of life. He changes physically within the womb and his body continues to change long after his spirit leaves the body. Man changes physically, mentally and emotionally. The decisions that we make change our personality and our personality changes our character. If change is inevitable, and cannot be stopped, then it would be to our best welfare, to use change for our advantage. For instance, Fanny Crosby was born a healthy girl back in 1820. Yet, while she was still a baby she developed an eye infection. An incompetent doctor applied a salve to her swollen eyes that blinded her for life! At that moment her life changed. A few months later her father died and her mother had to go to work to provide for the family. So, Fanny was raised by her grandmother for most of her life –another change. Even though these changes were beyond her control, Fanny would not let these changes determine the kind of person that she would be. She would eventually give her heart to Jesus Christ and allow him to change her heart and mold her life. She would be the most prolific writer and poetess America would know. She wrote over 8000 hymns and many poems. Once she was asked about her blindness and this is what she said: “It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank Him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me…If I had a choice, I would still choose to remain blind… for when I die, the first face I will ever see will be the face of my blessed Saviour!” This is profound! This is amazing. This is fortitude and this is character. What a blessing it would have been to have lived in association with this woman! But you know what? I wouldn’t expect anything less from someone who has been changed by the grace of God. God changes us for the good and in His wise Providence, He allows circumstances that will give us opportunities for that change. Just a side note here; do you see how the character of the people in our nation has changed over the last two centuries? If what happened to Fanny back in the early 19th century would have happened in this day and age, the family would have probably sued for malpractice and felt that “life owed them.” Have you ever been around those kinds of people –pleasant isn’t it? Listen to what Fanny wrote when she was just eight years old!

Oh what a happy child I am, although I cannot see
I am resolved that in this world contented I will be.
How many blessings I enjoy that other people don’t
So weep and sigh because I am blind, I cannot –nor I won’t!

Incredible! Eight years of age and she showed more courage and fortitude than many adults do today. I pray that God gives us the grace to see the changes that are taking place in our lives and that we freely allow Him to change us for our good.

Imagine yourself in a church service where there are a dozen or so theologians, scribes, and lawyers. You are listening intently to every word hoping for some insight into something that you have believed for years. These men are learned. They have doctorates under their belt and letters behind their names. Surely if anyone has something to say –these men would! It’s not the time to fall asleep or leave church early –it’s an opportunity to hear wisdom and knowledge. It’s time to receive something for the soul. And so you wait and listen and you wait and listen and you wait some more and you listen some more. But you’ve heard it before for there is nothing new. Sure, these men are able to articulate wonderfully. They can capture your imagination for a few moments with a new twist and a different spin. Then after a few moments your attention is drawn to another hope. Maybe this fellow has something. Maybe that one will share. Excitement for religion is a rare thing. To share that excitement is even more rare. To sustain it is divine! It doesn’t take long now and your mind begins to wander to daily chores, planning vacations or figuring out what it is you just pulled from your ear. You yawn. You scratch. You stretch and in the middle of that stretch… a young man steps up out of the congregation. “I have a question.” He interrupts.
“Oh, this is going to be good,” you think, “This kid can’t be twelve years old and he has a question for these men of God? What could he possible want to know about? These men will brush him aside. They’ll satisfy his inquiry quickly and move along.” But they don’t. In fact, they stumble and you sit up in your seat. This kid has got your attention. Some of the “teachers” smirk at the young lad and some patronize smugly, yet all have their attention drawn to this single child. For the next few minutes you are on the edge of your seat and when you finally look at your watch again, an hour has passed. What happen? Where did this kid come from? Are these men of God as amazed at him as they appear? How did he become so learned at such an early age? Where did this kid get this stuff? Then, all of a sudden, his parents burst in with the mother leading the way. “Son, we have been looking all over for you,” she says with anguish. Then, just when you thought you couldn’t be any more astonished with this kid than you already are, he says, “Why were you looking for me mother? Did you not know that I would have to be in my Father’s house?” The only question that floods your mind is –“whose child is this?”
The answer to that question is of such great importance –it cannot and should not be ignored. Jesus Christ, at the age of twelve, astounded the temple priest and scribes with His knowledge and understanding of God. But nothing could be more astounding than when He said, “…I must be in my Father’s house.”