Month: October 2012

Born Again

John 3:1-36 Now there was among the Pharisees a man named Nicodemus, who was one of the rulers of the Jews.
He came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we are certain that you have come from God as a teacher, because no man would be able to do these signs which you do if God was not with him.
Jesus said to him, Truly, I say to you, Without a new birth no man is able to see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus said to him, How is it possible for a man to be given birth when he is old? Is he able to go into his mother’s body a second time and come to birth again?
Jesus said in answer, Truly, I say to you, If a man’s birth is not from water and from the Spirit, it is not possible for him to go into the kingdom of God.
That which has birth from the flesh is flesh, and that which has birth from the Spirit is spirit.
Do not be surprised that I say to you, It is necessary for you to have a second birth.
The wind goes where its pleasure takes it, and the sound of it comes to your ears, but you are unable to say where it comes from and where it goes: so it is with everyone whose birth is from the Spirit.
And Nicodemus said to him, How is it possible for these things to be?
And Jesus, answering, said, Are you the teacher of Israel and have no knowledge of these things?
Truly, I say to you, We say that of which we have knowledge; we give witness of what we have seen; and you do not take our witness to be true.
If you have no belief when my words are about the things of earth, how will you have belief if my words are about the things of heaven?
And no one has ever gone up to heaven but he who came down from heaven, the Son of man.
As the snake was lifted up by Moses in the waste land, even so it is necessary for the Son of man to be lifted up:
So that whoever has faith may have in him eternal life.
For God had such love for the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever has faith in him may not come to destruction but have eternal life.
God did not send his Son into the world to be judge of the world; he sent him so that the world might have salvation through him.
The man who has faith in him does not come up to be judged; but he who has no faith in him has been judged even now, because he has no faith in the name of the only Son of God.
And this is the test by which men are judged: the light has come into the world and men have more love for the dark than for the light, because their acts are evil.
The light is hated by everyone whose acts are evil and he does not come to the light for fear that his acts will be seen.
But he whose life is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his acts have been done by the help of God.
After these things Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judaea, and there he was with them for some time, giving baptism.
Now John was then giving baptism at Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people came and were given baptism.
For at this time John had not been put into prison.
Then a question came up between John’s disciples and a Jew about washing.
And they went to John and said to him, Rabbi, the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, the man to whom you gave witness, is now giving baptism, and everyone is going to him.
And this was John’s answer: A man is unable to have anything if it is not given to him from heaven.
You yourselves give witness that I said, I am not the Christ. What I said was, I am sent before the Christ.
He who has the bride is the husband: but the husband’s friend, whose place is by his side and whose ears are open to him, is full of joy because of the husband’s voice: such is my joy, and it is complete.
He has to become greater while I become less.
He who comes from heaven is greater than all others: he who comes from earth is of the earth, and of the earth are his words: he who comes from heaven is over all.
He gives witness of what he has seen and of what has come to his ears; and no man takes his witness as true.
He who so takes his witness has made clear his faith that God is true.
For he whom God has sent says God’s words; and God does not give him the Spirit by measure.
The Father has love for the Son and has put all things into his hands.
He who has faith in the Son has eternal life; but he who has not faith in the Son will not see life; God’s wrath is resting on him.

Obey Authority

Romans 13:1-3 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

The Beginning

Genesis 1:1-31 At the first God made the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was waste and without form; and it was dark on the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God was moving on the face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God, looking on the light, saw that it was good: and God made a division between the light and the dark,
Naming the light, Day, and the dark, Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, Let there be a solid arch stretching over the waters, parting the waters from the waters.
And God made the arch for a division between the waters which were under the arch and those which were over it: and it was so.
And God gave the arch the name of Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
And God said, Let the waters under the heaven come together in one place, and let the dry land be seen: and it was so.
And God gave the dry land the name of Earth; and the waters together in their place were named Seas: and God saw that it was good.
And God said, Let grass come up on the earth, and plants producing seed, and fruit-trees giving fruit, in which is their seed, after their sort: and it was so.
And grass came up on the earth, and every plant producing seed of its sort, and every tree producing fruit, in which is its seed, of its sort: and God saw that it was good.
And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
And God said, Let there be lights in the arch of heaven, for a division between the day and the night, and let them be for signs, and for marking the changes of the year, and for days and for years:
And let them be for lights in the arch of heaven to give light on the earth: and it was so.
And God made the two great lights: the greater light to be the ruler of the day, and the smaller light to be the ruler of the night: and he made the stars.
And God put them in the arch of heaven, to give light on the earth;
To have rule over the day and the night, and for a division between the light and the dark: and God saw that it was good.
And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
And God said, Let the waters be full of living things, and let birds be in flight over the earth under the arch of heaven.
And God made great sea-beasts, and every sort of living and moving thing with which the waters were full, and every sort of winged bird: and God saw that it was good.
And God gave them his blessing, saying, Be fertile and have increase, making all the waters of the seas full, and let the birds be increased in the earth.
And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
And God said, Let the earth give birth to all sorts of living things, cattle and all things moving on the earth, and beasts of the earth after their sort: and it was so.
And God made the beast of the earth after its sort, and the cattle after their sort, and everything moving on the face of the earth after its sort: and God saw that it was good.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, like us: and let him have rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every living thing which goes flat on the earth.
And God made man in his image, in the image of God he made him: male and female he made them.
And God gave them his blessing and said to them, Be fertile and have increase, and make the earth full and be masters of it; be rulers over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing moving on the earth.
And God said, See, I have given you every plant producing seed, on the face of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit producing seed: they will be for your food:
And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the air and every living thing moving on the face of the earth I have given every green plant for food: and it was so.
And God saw everything which he had made and it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Gain Life!

John 10:10 The thief comes only to take the sheep and to put them to death: he comes for their destruction: I have come so that they may have life and have it in greater measure.

Forget and Go on !

Philippians 3:13-14 Brothers, it is clear to me that I have not come to that knowledge; but one thing I do, letting go those things which are past, and stretching out to the things which are before, I go forward to the mark, even the reward of the high purpose of God in Christ Jesus.

Be Strong! See:

Hebrews 10:35-37 So do not give up your hope which will be greatly rewarded. For, having done what was right in God’s eyes, you have need of waiting before his word has effect for you. In a very little time he who is coming will come; he will not be slow.