Good day dear friends. Yesterday found me in Kerrville, Texas with no internet access thus no ConCafe for yesterday. I will share yesterday's study guide and today's prayer guide in this mailing.
Our prayer focus today for those traveling on spring break and vacations. Eric and Sarai Cortez travel to California on their vacation today. A special prayer for the Ehler family of San Antonio.
We studied the meaning of baptism in Sunday's sermon and here is Tuesday's study guide:
In the Gospel of John 3:-122, Jesus visits the Pharisee, Nicodemus. Slowly read this passage. You might recognize the familiar verse John 3:16. How does Jesus' declaration of God's purpose in sending the Son relate to Nicodemus' question about being born again? Could our rebirth be a rebirth into this eternal life that Jesus came to bring? What might it mean to "live by the truth" in verse 21?
Here is that passage: John 3:1 Now there was a Phar'isee named Nicode'mus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." 3 Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." 4 Nicode'mus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, "You must be born from above.' 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." 9 Nicode'mus said to him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? 11 "Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17 "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God." 22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and baptized.
To fully understand Jesus' purpose it takes a spiritual mind. To possess a spiritual mind, one must surrender to God, repent of past sins, and invite Jesus in as Lord and Savior. That marks the beginning of a spiritual journey with the Lord that takes us to new and deeper understandings of what God has for us. Nicodemus wanted to know more but was limited by his carnal mind. Nic was a righteous man but hadn't yet surrendered to God in a complete manner, thus Jesus telling him to be "born again" (or "from above"). This confuses the poor man and Jesus explains it to him, telling Nic that spiritual understandings come through Him. Jesus came to reveal the spiritual realm not yet understood even by the righteous. God's love, grace and mercy were ours if we could just understand from a spiritual standpoint, but as the saying goes, "We can't see the forest for the trees!" Our busy-ness keeps us from it. Study again John Wesley's schedule and see how busy he was, truly engaged in doing God's work, but that kept him from truly knowing Jesus as he needed until that day that he slowed down enough to let someone else do the work of God, in this case a lay person who was reading Luther's Preface to the Epistle of Romans, that Wesley felt his heart strangely warmed. Is your busy-ness kept you from slowly down and letting God speak to you? Are you thinking with a spiritual mind or still using a limited not-yet exposed to God mind?
To "live by the truth" (or "do what is true" NRSV) as we find in verse 21 means to be guided by God through our new spiritual understanding after we allow God to give us new spiritual birth. This means to trust God and allow God to speak to us through our prayer time, our devotional time, our scriptural reflection time, worship time, and our Christian fellowship time. All of these work to bring us God's blessings of direction.
Our prayer guide for today says, "For our day of prayer and purpose, we remember this season of Lent. Let us remember that the journey to the cross is down hill. In the Kingdom of God, the way up is the way down. Jesus was our example in this. Rather than getting on the fast track to earthly power and glory, he humbled himself and submitted to His Father's plan. How can we trade our striving for humble faith in God's dreams for us? How can we be a faithful member of the Body of Christ? That humble body that bore all our sins." (LT)
PRAYER: Come, Holy Spirit to my life. Let me slow down enough to receive the blessing of new life in You. Let the Father's will for my life be known to me as I let You speak to me His will. I pray through the Son, Jesus Christ my Savior. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day.
e.v.
