Friday, May 8, 2015

Born Again, Born of The Spirit, Born of God, Ambassador for Christ



New King James Version (NKJV)

The New Birth (John 3:1-21)

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that YOU are a Teacher come from God; for no one can do these Signs that YOU do unless God is with Him.”  Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to YOU, unless one is Born Again, he cannot see The Kingdom of God.”  Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”  Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to YOU, unless One is Born of water and The Spirit, he cannot enter The Kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is Born of The Spirit is Spirit.  Do NOT marvel that I said to YOU, ‘YOU must be Born Again.’  The wind blows where it wishes, and YOU hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is Everyone Who is Born of The Spirit.”  Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”  Jesus answered and said to him, “Are YOU the teacher of Israel, and do NOT know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to YOU, We speak what We know and Testify what We have Seen, and YOU do NOT Receive Our Witness.  If I have told YOU Earthly things and YOU do NOT Believe, how will YOU Believe if I tell YOU Heavenly Things?  No one has Ascended to Heaven but He who came down from Heaven, that is, The Son of Man who is in Heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must The Son of Man be Lifted Up, that whoever Believes in Him should NOT perish but have Eternal Life.  For God so Loved the World that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whoever Believes in Him should NOT perish but have Everlasting Life.  For God did NOT send His Son into the World to condemn the World, but that the World through Him might be Saved.  “He who Believes in Him is NOT condemned; but he who does NOT Believe is condemned already, because he has NOT Believed in The Name of The Only Begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that The Light has come into the World, and men loved darkness rather than Light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates The Light and does NOT come to The Light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does The Truth comes to The Light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

 

A Heavenly Inheritance (1 Peter 1:3-12)


Blessed be The God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His Abundant Mercy has begotten Us again to a Living Hope through The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an Inheritance Incorruptible and Undefiled and that does NOT fade away, reserved in Heaven for YOU, who are kept by The Power of God through Faith for Salvation ready to be Revealed in The Last Time.  In this YOU greatly Rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, YOU have been grieved by various trials, that The Genuineness of Your Faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found To Praise, Honor, and Glory at The Revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having NOT seen YOU Love. Though now YOU do NOT see Him, yet Believing, YOU Rejoice with Joy Inexpressible and Full of Glory, receiving The End of Your Faith—The Salvation of your Souls.  Of this Salvation The Prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who Prophesied of The Grace that would come to YOU, searching what, or what manner of time, The Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He Testified beforehand The Sufferings of Christ and The Glories that would follow.  To them it was Revealed that, NOT to themselves, but to Us they were Ministering the things which now have been reported to YOU through those who have Preached The Gospel to YOU by The Holy Spirit sent from Heaven—things which Angels desire to look into.

 

Living Before God Our Father (1 Peter 1:13-21)


Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest Your Hope Fully Upon The Grace that is to be brought to YOU at The Revelation of Jesus Christ; as Obedient Children, NOT conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He Who Called YOU is Holy, YOU also be Holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be Holy, for I Am Holy.”  And if YOU Call On The Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that YOU were NOT Redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with The Precious Blood of Christ, as of a Lamb Without Blemish and Without Spot.  He indeed was Foreordained before The Foundation of the World, but was Manifest in these Last Times for YOU who through Him Believe in God, Who Raised Him from the dead and gave Him Glory, so that Your Faith and Hope are in God.

 

The Enduring Word (1 Peter 1:22-25)


Since YOU have Purified Your Souls in Obeying The Truth through The Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been Born Again, NOT of corruptible seed but Incorruptible, through The Word of God which Lives and Abides Forever, because “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.  The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but The Word of The Lord Endures Forever.”  Now this is The Word which by The Gospel was Preached to YOU.

1 John 5:1-5


Whoever Believes that Jesus is The Christ is Born of God, and everyone who Loves Him Who Begot also Loves him who is Begotten of Him.  By this We know that We love The Children of God, when We Love God and keep His Commandments.  For this is The Love of God, that We keep His Commandments.  And His Commandments are NOT burdensome.  For whatever is Born of God overcomes the World.  And this is the Victory that has overcome the World—Our Faith.  Who is he who overcomes the World, but he who Believes that Jesus is The Son of God?

 

The Certainty of God’s Witness (1 John 5:6-13)


This is He who came by Water and Blood—Jesus Christ; NOT only by water, but by Water and Blood.  And it is The Spirit Who Bears Witness, because The Spirit is Truth. For there are Three that Bear Witness in Heaven: The Father, The Word, and The Holy Spirit; and these Three are One.  And there are three that bear Witness on Earth: The Spirit, The Water, and The Blood; and these three agree as One.  If We receive the witness of men, The Witness of God is Greater; for this is The Witness of God which He has Testified of His Son.  He who Believes in The Son of God has The Witness in himself; he who does NOT Believe God has made Him a liar, because he has NOT Believed The Testimony that God has Given of His Son.  And this is The Testimony: that God has given Us Eternal Life, and this Life is in His Son.  He who has The Son has Life; he who does NOT have The Son of God does NOT have Life.  These things I have written to YOU who Believe in The Name of The Son of God, that YOU may know that YOU have Eternal Life, and that YOU may continue to Believe in The Name of The Son of God.

 

Confidence and Compassion in Prayer (1 John 5:14-17)


Now this is the confidence that We have in Him, that if We ask anything According to His Will, He hears Us.  And if We know that He hears Us, whatever We ask, We know that We have the petitions that We have asked of Him.  If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does NOT lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him Life for those who commit sin NOT leading to death.  There is sin leading to death. I do NOT say that he should pray about that.  All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin NOT leading to death.

 

Knowing the True—Rejecting the False (1 John 5:18-21)


We know that whoever is Born of God does not sin; but he who has been Born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does NOT touch him.  We know that We are of God, and the whole World lies under the sway of the wicked one.  And We know that The Son of God has Come and has given Us an Understanding, that We may know Him who is True; and We are in Him who is True, in His Son Jesus Christ.  This is The True God and Eternal Life.  Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Be Reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:12-21)

 

For We do NOT commend Ourselves again to YOU, but give YOU opportunity to boast on Our behalf, that YOU may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and NOT in heart.  For if We are beside Ourselves, it is for God; or if We are of Sound Mind, it is for YOU.  For The Love of Christ compels Us, because We judge thus: that if One died for All, then all died; and He died for All, that those who Live should Live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and Rose Again.  Therefore, from now on, We regard no one according to the flesh. Even though We have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now We know Him Thus no longer.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a New Creation; old things have passed away; behold, All Things have become New. Now All Things are of God, who has Reconciled Us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given Us The Ministry of Reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ Reconciling the World to Himself, NOT imputing their trespasses to them, and has Committed to Us The Word of Reconciliation.  Now then, We are Ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through Us: We implore YOU on Christ’s Behalf, be Reconciled to God.  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for Us, that We might become The Righteousness of God in Him.

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