Religion & Spirituality
We've all heard those famous words of Jesus again and again: "You must be born again." One of Israel's finest religious scholars came to Jesus by night, hoping to find insight about encountering God and overcoming sin. He never expected to hear these words. Jesus made it clear, that while our sin didn't prevent us from coming to God, we must experience a new birth to enter God's family. However, Jesus wasn't preaching salvation by obedience. He was proclaiming salvation as a gift. He goes on to say, "The Son of Man must be lifted up...". For God so loved the world, that He gave the world a gift - The Gift of Salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus. By trusting in Him, we experience a New Birth, and take on a brand new way of life. Our New Life is Eternal Life - Rich and Full of God's presence and power. With this new life comes new desires and passions... new "musts". The New Testament goes on to tell the story of how those that followed Jesus totally embraced this new and better pathway. We remember them for more than just their words, for they are known by their works. In this message, we talk about how we must come to Jesus in order to find salvation. We also realize that if we've found salvation, we must cling to Jesus and allow Him to change our lives. Jesus committed to us with His "must" - Have we done the same? Our actions speak louder than our words, and will ultimately reveal where our dedication is.