Probably one of the most famous Bible verses has to be John 3:16. I'm sure most of us know it by heart.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. " John 3:16 (NIV)
But what is lesser known is that this famous quote from our Lord Jesus came during a nighttime conversation with a man named Nicodemus that began like this.
"Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him."
Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." John 3:1-3 (NIV)
Nicodemus was showing respect to Jesus as a great teacher, referring to him as Rabbi, and acknowledging he was from God.
But notice what Jesus says before launching into his lesson, before even mentioning being "born again." Back up just a little further to three very significant words.
"kingdom of God"
There is a kingdom which you cannot enter without a spiritual rebirth, because it is a spiritual kingdom. And as such, it transcends nationality, political parties, even dare I say? Church membership!
I'm challenged by this thought. What does it really mean to be a part of this kingdom?
The subject was of such importance that we find John the Baptist preaching about it up until his imprisonment. And then Jesus' first message after being tempted by the devil in the wilderness was the same,
"From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." Matt 4:7 (NIV)
What is the kingdom of heaven? Give that question some thought, and these as well.
What does it mean to be a member of this kingdom? How should our lives be different because of it? What do we do to build the kingdom? Does this kingdom have an enemy?
