When we imagine a reset in life, we can come up with lots of excuses.  Here’s the story of an interaction between one man and Jesus:

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:1-8 ESV)

Nicodemus is a Pharisee, a religious law expert.  He lives by the book, is religious authority and example to others.  So why does he come speak to Jesus like this?  One opinion is that he has sinister motives: he’s sucking up to someone famous by saying nice things.  Or worse, he is trying to draw Jesus into saying something wrong or illegal.

But another, more likely opinion notes that he comes to visit Jesus by night.  He’s truly intrigued, and is scared of the consequence if anyone realizes.  It seems like that’s how Jesus treats him, like anyone else who comes to him asking questions.

Jesus makes it clear that following his teachings won’t just be adding a new religious layer on top of Nicodemus already impressive religious portfolio.  It means a complete reset of his life, which is costly considering all he’s already invested.

Jesus uses the imagery of the ultimate reset – being reborn, when he says, “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

This is where we get the terminology of being “born again”.  Maybe you react to this word, or don’t like it, because it conjures up images of pushy evangelists.  But it’s great image, and Jesus’ image, so we shouldn’t be too quick to dismiss it.  He’s saying that following him means a new life, 100%.

Nicodemus, though, misses the point.  For one reason or another, he takes it quite literally.   He’s probably not that naïve to think Jesus means he needs to climb back in the womb – he’s probably just shocked and confused so he argues with it, and tries to argue with the imagery rather than the concept.

Question: What does “born again” evoke for you?  Do you embrace it, or challenge it?

Reminder: Coffee hours are this Wednesday Thursday night at 7:30pm at Starbucks in the Ajax Chapters Store.

Reminder: We are reading the Bible in sync as one community – so check out today’s reading here.

Reminder: The best way to grow spiritually this year is to join our Christianity 101 in the Cafe Course in Pickering starting January 22nd. Register for you and a friend today!

Read the Bible in Sync Today

Ryan Sim - January 16, 2014

Thursday - Act On It - Reset

Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Jesus is describing how he pushes the reset button in life. He uses imagery that sounds like baptism. Baptism is when someone is washed with water, to show on the outside what God is doing on the inside, washing away the sin from our hearts. When adults are baptized by becoming fully immersed, one can plainly see the imagery of them having died to sin, and then rising out of the waters to new life. We are baptizing our first RTC member this February. It will be her reset moment. Looking back on her life, she says this represents a new beginning. In the Christianity 101 course, we illustrate the life of faith with a line with markings at 0, 50 and 100. Whether we’ve run as far from God as possible, stayed close, or jumped around – what matters most is where you go from there. Will you move closer to God by following Jesus, or run away? The 50 point is when someone decides to do this intentionally, and although that moment is important and has a real impact, there are many moments to follow when the Holy Spirit transforms a Christian’s life. New decisions, directions and priorities all come with time and relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. In this series we’re going to look at a number of ways a “reset” life is different from before. Specifically: Reset: Goals Reset: Time Reset: Money Reset: Work Reset: Body & Food Reset: Sex & Marriage Reset: Family Reset: Compassion Reset: Nature Reset: Society Reset: Death Challenge: If you’d like to reset life, here are some steps to consider. Take our live Christianity 101 in the Cafe Course in Pickering starting next week to explore the first steps. Consider being baptized, to show on the outside the reset that has taken place inside. Just get in touch with Ryan if you’re interested! Reminder: Coffee hours are tonight at 7:30pm at Starbucks in the Ajax Chapters Store. See you there! Reminder: We are reading the Bible in sync as one community - so check out today's reading here. Reminder: The best way to grow spiritually this year is to join our Christianity 101 in the Cafe Course in Pickering starting January 22nd. Register for you and a friend today!

From Series: "Reset"

When our computers get bogged down and unmanageable, we know to hit a reset button to simply start over. Wouldn't a reset button be great in life? We know it would be complicated, with all our responsibilities and routines to consider, but imagine the freedom and refreshment of a new start in life! What would you do differently? What would you pay more attention to, and what would you ignore? How would you avoid getting bogged down and broken again? The great news is, in coming to earth as Jesus Christ, God has begun to "reset" our universe, our world, and even us. We're invited to start over with him, in what he calls his kingdom. We're invited to start a new life with a clean slate. What gets wiped clean, and lived differently, when God resets our lives? We'll explore how God resets these key areas of our lives: Reset: Goals Reset: Time Reset: Money Reset: Work Reset: Body & Food Reset: Sex & Marriage Reset: Family Reset: Compassion Reset: Nature Reset: Society Reset: Death Join us for the next several weeks, and invite God to reset your life.

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