There was a man of the Pharisees,
named Nicodemus,
a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night,
and said unto him,
Rabbi,
we know that thou art a teacher come from God:
for no man can do these miracles that thou doest,
except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him,
Verily, verily,
I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him,
How can a man be born when he is old?
can he enter the second time into his mother's womb,
and be born?
5 Jesus answered,
Verily, verily,
I say unto thee,
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit,
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh;
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee,
Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth,
and thou hearest the sound thereof,
but canst not tell whence it cometh,
and whither it goeth:
so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
John 3:1-8
King James Version
What are your thoughts about being born again?
How do you feel about born-again Christians?
Would you like to know how it feels to be an independent one?
Huh, is there such a thing?
Yes, there is, for I chose to follow Jesus, at my own level of preparedness last year.
I cannot join the LORD, and claim to be His, unless I felt authentic within myself.
For the longest time, a few of my acquaintances, even in the late 80s were trying to convert me.
They almost succeeded, but when I saw how they conducted themselves, I began to be doubtful.
And God, knowing how I am, for He created me, knew that I was going to be His, at a time of both our own choosing.
"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord,
choose you this day whom ye will serve;
whether the gods which your fathers served
that were on the other side of the flood,
or the gods of the Amorites,
in whose land ye dwell:
but as for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord."
Joshua 24:15 (KJV)
He let me carry on with life, the best and worst way I knew how, and then a day before my last birthday, He knew I was ready for His Son.
The only one who could convert me was God Himself.
He knew I wanted His TRUTH alone.
He knew I searched, long and hard, for His TRUTH alone.
He knew I didn't quite trust man, for we are all fallible, plus we all vacillate between seeming truths, and half-truths.
He knew I'd been praying for the longest time to be shown His TRUTH.
And then, one day, it happened.
He led me to two life-changing videos about America that's falling apart, and selling its soul to the devil.
He knew that would wake up my spirit, to receive His SPIRIT, the Holy Spirit.
He knew that on this latest birthday of mine, I dearly needed to be shown, and taught -- only by Him.
That was exactly what God was waiting for.
After receiving Christ quietly in my heart, no bells and whistles, no formal baptism and all that, I began to receive instruction, and my understanding and writing, blossomed.
It's been over eight months now, and the articles and books keep flowing.
Whenever I'm tired or unsure, I merely pray to Jesus, to please lead the way, and let it only be HIS way.
I set aside self, and let God:
"He must increase,
but I must decrease."
John 3:30 (KJV)
Now, ALL instruction must come from the Holy Spirit alone, for I am a tainted human being.
"John answered and said,
A man can receive nothing,
except it be given him from heaven."
John 3:27 (KJV)
Even being a born-again Christian has its many challenges, maybe even more challenges, because your beliefs will be challenged by many.
You will be mocked, and reviled.
The lords of the earth will pounce upon you, for you have become God's Own.
Jesus did say:
18 If the world hate you,
ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world,
the world would love his own:
but because ye are not of the world,
but I have chosen you out of the world,
therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you,
The servant is not greater than his lord.
If they have persecuted me,
they will also persecute you;
if they have kept my saying,
they will keep yours also.
John 15:18-20 (KJV)
If you are ready to face all that, and to allow only the Holy Spirit of God to teach you, and self is completely set aside, then you are ready to follow Jesus as a true born-again Christian.
Humans love new things, trends, and they form organizations and cliques about it.
I've never really joined any club, now or ever -- what more with matters of God?
For myself, I became a born-again Christian in the simplest manner.
One day, I just knew.
One day, I wanted to follow Christ.
I became more of the child that I already am, but this time, I became even happier, as I hold Jesus' hand each day, and I skip, and hop, by His side, and He looks at me in great amusement.
He knows I dearly wish to know EVERYTHING about Him, and that only He can teach me best.
I am not elitist, but I am precise.
With matters of the soul, and actually most everything else, I wish to be precise.
One wrong thought, or move, and I endanger myself, and others.
I must know ALL about Jesus, before I can share my knowledge with you.
Well, I began reading the Bible -- especially Genesis, the four Gospels, and the Book of Revelation -- in September of last year.
With that reading, came greater understanding.
I allowed the Holy Spirit to teach me, for every man has a different understanding or version of what he may read.
Only by the GRACE of God, and through His Holy Spirit, can we be taught accurately.
I only wanted DIRECT instruction from God.
I think, if you really want to learn about God, you must declare that -- to learn ONLY from God -- directly.
You have to be precise, and particular, because He is.
And I think God likes that.
After all, it is His TRUTH we are talking about.
When you begin to know God's TRUTH, nothing else matters anymore.
More importantly, you begin to see truth, like who God Really Is, Who Jesus Really Is, who the Holy Spirit Is, who we really are, and why the world is the way it is, since God first created us in the Book of Genesis.
Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to teach us everything:
"But the Comforter,
which is the Holy Ghost,
whom the Father will send in my name,
he shall teach you all things,
and bring all things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you."
John 14:26 (KJV)
I am not here to convince you to become a born-again Christian.
Quite a few tried doing that to me.
Only the Holy Spirit of God can "convert" you, when you're good and ready, and perhaps, it may be at the lowest moment in your life, when your heart really seeks THE answers to EVERYTHING.
I am only here to write my own testimony, of how the Spirit of God touched my heart, clarified things through SCRIPTURE, how he had Joseph, a dear friend of mine, coach me about Scripture, and of how Jesus took pity upon my fallen soul, and started instructing me, in EXACTLY the way I desired to be instructed -- by HIM alone.
I am not elitist like the other Christians who tried to convert me.
I have no clique, no club, never had.
I belong to God alone.
P.S. Perhaps, you're wondering why I used an endearing Asian baby -- maybe even a Chinese baby -- as an image for my post? My belief is that we are all children of God, Chinese, Filipino, American, or any race you may be. May the Chinese see that we are also their brothers, and sisters, desiring the freedom God gave all of us, and subject to no man, religion, or race's domination. We forget that, thus, problems ensue. Look beyond race. Of course, when you become God's Own, you will begin to see. I dearly invite you to allow God to help you see, as He has helped me see, until all I could see was GOD.
(All Bible verses from biblegateway.com)
Updated 18 January 2022
