Bible Study: Acts 4, 32 to 37 and John
3, 7 to 15.
Quite often, we Christians love to pride ourselves as being born
again. Once upon a time, I was visited by a company of preachers on a Sunday
afternoon and when they met me by my gate at home, the first question they asked
was: “Sir, are you born again?” Initially, I didn’t know what to say so as a
typical Nigerian, I responded with a question: “what does it mean to be born
again?” Their response was quite surprising. For them, to be born again is to
change one’s church and start attending their own church. As funny as this may
sound, this is exactly what they believed. You may change your church as many
times as possible and still not be born again.
In our Gospel passage this morning, Jesus is in a conversation
with Nicodemus and we can see that even Nicodemus was struggling to understand
what it means to be born again. For him, to be born again meant having to pass
through his mother’s womb the second time. Jesus said to him: “Just as Moses
lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so
that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life!” John 3, 15.
To be born again, my dear friends is to have eternal life and
this eternal life comes by letting go of our physical life. To be born again is
to die to the self and be alive to love. While Self-interest says everyman for
himself, being born again proclaims the very opposite. In our first reading
this morning, we get to see how people who are born again live. We see a
community where no one was in need because no one claimed ownership of whatever
he or she possessed. A community of one heart and mind, a community where
everyone cared for each other.
Being born again is not something that happens in your head. It is
practical! When you are actually born again, you would no longer be stingy. In fact,
you become like the Good Samaritan. You go about your life helping people and
never counting as loss whatever you give away. You no longer believe that your
survival depends on what you possess and your security is no longer based on
material realities. You become generous conscious of the fact that this world
is not yours and you shall eventually leave without taking anything with you.
Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, teach me to live as your
child free from the prison of self-interest. Amen.
God bless you. Good morning. Be
Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you.
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