Serve one another in love

Jesus said in John 3:3-5 that a man must be born again to enter the kingdom of God.

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, 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, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

I have come to understand that this means that we all must turn back to God in true sorrowful repentance (changing one’s mind and turning away from sin), be baptized in full immersion of water after repentance and be filled with the God’s Holy Spirit. But where do we go from here?

After I was born again, I wanted to obey the great commission commandment that Jesus gave us in Matthew 28:18-20

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

I took this commission very seriously, but I wasn’t prepared for the amount of spiritual warfare I started experiencing, and I ran to Jesus for answers. He taught me many things and helped me understand that after we are born again, we all start out as babies in Christ. We then have to grow up into full spiritual maturity, and as part of growing up we have to overcome the wicked one. Just as Jesus went into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil immediately after His baptism, we too go into the wilderness after our baptism so that we can learn how to overcome the wicked one. Scripture tells us that Jesus went into the wilderness filled with the Holy Spirit, but He came out of the wilderness in the power of the Holy Spirit, and this is the exact pattern we must all follow. The Holy Spirit leads us into the wilderness to build relationship with God, to grow spiritually strong and to overcome the wicked one so that we too come out of the wilderness in the power of the Holy Spirit.

This learning and guidance have become so dear to my heart, because just as I was unaware of what lay ahead of me after my baptism, I have come to realize that many other people are also looking for answers, help and guidance after their baptism. Jesus is coming back really soon for a pure spotless bride who loves Him. His bride is pure, gentle and lovely, but she is also a battle-ready soldier enlisted in God’s army, ready for spiritual warfare. It is actually this warfare that we go through that helps us overcome sin, temptation and Satan. As we overcome, God purifies our hearts, leads us into all victory in Christ and He refines our character so that we look like our beloved Bridegroom – Jesus Christ.

I believe that God has revealed to me that the time has come for me to share what He has taught me. I will use these blog posts to share insights and learnings with others so that we can all grow together, overcome, see victory in our lives, mature spiritually and be united as one body in Jesus Christ. I pray these blogs will bless you and encourage you in Jesus precious name.