ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

Tuesday February 28, 2017

“Born of the will of God”

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  – John 1:12

Born Again – The Doctrine of Regeneration

Pictures of regeneration

1.  Birth. Becoming a Christian, receiving Christ, begins according to John 1:12, by being born of the will of God. Later in the same gospel, Jesus says that it is the indispensable requirement for seeing and entering the kingdom of God (John 3:3, 5). It is a current which runs through 1 John - Christians are defined as those who are born of God (1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4).

But the idea of birth is not exclusive to John’s writings. James speaks of God bringing us forth by the word of truth, to be a kind of first fruits of his creatures (James 1:18). He uses a medical term for the end of a pregnancy. 1 Peter speaks twice about believers being the recipients of the new birth (1 Peter 1:3, 23). Elsewhere the same kind of language is employed – Christians maybe newborn infants they are to grow to full maturity (Colossians 1:28; Ephesians 4:13 – 16). Those with a pastoral responsibility travail over their spiritual children (Galatians 4:19 – my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you).

Challenge:

Rejoice, O Christian! For we have been born of God. It was not our own doing. Just as a child must be brought into this world by another, we have been brought into God’s family by his grace and his power. Praise him for this wonderful gift. We could not have come into his family on our own. It is God who initiated the birth. It is God who gets the glory for the result.

This Day in Christian History:

February 28, 1807 – Robert Morrison sailed from Britain to China as the first Protestant missionary with the London Missionary Society. At his death, there were only three native Christians in the entire Chinese Empire. But he opened the door. Today there are millions.

Memory Verse:

Pea tali ‘e Sīsū, ‘o ne folofola kiate ia, Ko au ē, ko au ē, ‘oku ou tala atu, ‘Ilonga ‘a ia ‘e ‘ikai fanau‘i fo‘ou mei ‘olunga, ‘e ‘ikai te ne lava ke mamata ki he Pule‘anga ‘o e ‘Otua. – Sione 3:3

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” – John 3:3

Bible Reading Plan: (52 weeks; 5 days a week)

Week 9 – Numbers 1-2; Psalm 64; Hebrews 11