John 3: 1-9
5Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one
can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.
John 13: 33-36
35By this everyone will know that you are my
disciples, if you have love for one another.’
Second
Corinthians 5: 16-21
20So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is
making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled
to God.
What does it mean to be a teacher, the son of God and being
born of the Spirit? Three questions
asked by Nicodemus of Jesus, and yet what Nicodemus really wants to know is
where does Jesus fit on the team? Rev.
Jason added the context for this interchange- Nicodemus comes to Jesus at
night, Nicodemus asks these rather roundabout questions, and what preceded this
text in the Bible are the episodes of the water being made into wine and tables
that are upended in the temple.
Nicodemus’s approach is that the physical explains what the
spiritual. It is defined, it is
legalistic. Jesus responds that the
spirit is inborn- a Christian cannot just expect to be spiritual but needs to
be moved or lead by God.
And what does it mean to be a disciple? Rev. Jason described
the lesson Jesus wanted his Disciples to know, and the setting for Jesus’s
calling them “Little Children”. This
phrase is really a tender admonition to tell the Disciples, “wait, wait- don’t
strive to be grown up or even ready to accept what is coming”. Jesus and the Disciples have now been
together for 3 years, and Rev. Jason explained that in this time, the Disciples
have grown almost quite literally from “little children” who know nothing to
Disciples who are a reflection of Jesus, His teachings and His love. At the end of this passage, the challenge
is you must love to show that you are a Christian. Rev. Jason’s challenge to the
congregation: Are you willing to prove
to the world who you are?
And what is an Ambassador for Christ? The historical context, as defined by Rev.
Jason, is that an Ambassador was critical to politics and power in the days of
Jesus. Distance was a huge factor in
placing an individual who could represent his country and manage the
relationship.
In the spiritual realm, God relies on us to be His Ambassador- for what we have to share and what we each have to offer is unique. Rev. Jason reminded us that
Jesus did not heal the blind, the lame or the deaf in the same way twice,
underscoring that each of us is unique.
A member of our congregation gave a powerful testimony of
his learning to be a Christian, and his development into an Ambassador. He stopped asking “where should I go? what should I do?” and became that spokesman
for God- showing love, faith and leadership.
Believing in God and being His representative, this is what
each of us has to share. Be a teacher, be a disciple or be an ambassador- just bring the Word of God to your life.
I am, a
Renewed Christian
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