Ejikeme Ejim
Part of the problems we have in the body of Christ, today, is that we have so many people that have head knowledge of Jesus but without a living relationship with Christ. When I was a young man, I used to memorise a lot of Scriptures and in my pride as a young man, I did not memorise the short Bible verses, but the longer ones. When I did not know Christ, they would invite me to fellowship meeting to come and recite the scriptures off-hand. It was just a purely mental exercise and there was nothing spiritual about it. At my own end, I will get out there and recite the scriptures, long scriptures, I was a very young man, and God Had blessed me with the ability to memorise and to read out and then I would go. Whenever I returned home, I would still be the child I was— a very difficult child.
Sometimes, while I was reciting these scriptures, people would begin to speak in tongues and some people would begin to cry. But the man who was reciting the scriptures did not have any living relationship with Christ. He was just doing a mental exercise, it was purely academic, and had nothing to do with the Holy Spirit or Jesus. My mother will tell you that I did not know who the Lord was. My father will tell you the same. I was a difficult child, but they would call me to come and recite the scriptures and people would begin to respond in the spirit. Nicodemus was a religious leader, yet he did not understand the concept of the new birth. Jesus said to Nicodemus, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. Here, Jesus was talking about spiritual rebirth, that is, being born again; being saved from sins; being cleansed spiritually from impurity and receiving new spiritual life.
So, when I was growing up, I got to know you can teach scriptures, you can preach scriptures, you can come out with wonderful explanations or whatever about the scriptures, but that doesn’t mean that you are a child of God. Jesus said that it is by your fruits you will be known, not by your teaching ability, not by the position you occupy in the church and not by your preaching ability. No, but by your fruits, by what the Word of God had worked out in your life, you will be known. You must have a testimony that you have experienced the cleansing power of the Word of God and that you are a new man in Christ (Ezekiel 36:25-27).
Nicodemus said we know you are teacher from God, but Jesus said to him, “Verily, verily, I say to you except you are born again, you will not see the kingdom of God.” (John 3: 2-3) What Has Jesus response got to do with what Nicodemus had said? Absolutely nothing! The man was praising Jesus as being a teacher sent by God. The man was stating what he thought or knew to be the evidence that Jesus came from God, but Jesus went from the right angle, if you like from a tangent and started saying something else. Jesus said to Nicodemus, there is something more important than what you are saying and you better listen, except a man be born again, he can never see the kingdom of God.
Today’s Nugget: Being Born Again is a Spiritual Rebirth
Prayer: Jesus, save me from my sins
Prayer lines: 08054477940.
E-mail: servantofgod111@yahoo.com
Rev. Pastor Ejikeme Ejim, General Superintendent, Assemblies of God Nigeria
