1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2He 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.”
3Jesus answered him, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can’t see God’s Kingdom.”
4Nicodemus 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?”
5Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and Spirit, he can’t enter into God’s Kingdom. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’ 8The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9Nicodemus answered him, “How can these things be?”
10Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and don’t understand these things? 11Most certainly I tell you, we speak that which we know and testify of that which we have seen, and you don’t receive our witness. 12If I told you earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven. 14As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. 18He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only born Son of God. 19This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil. 20For everyone who does evil hates the light and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. 21But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”
22After these things, Jesus came with his disciples into the land of Judea. He stayed there with them and baptized. 23John also was baptizing in Enon near Salim, because there was much water there. They came and were baptized; 24for John was not yet thrown into prison. 25Therefore a dispute arose on the part of John’s disciples with some Jews about purification. 26They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, he baptizes, and everyone is coming to him.”
27John answered, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. 28You yourselves testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before him.’ 29He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore my joy is made full. 30He must increase, but I must decrease.
31“He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32What he has seen and heard, of that he testifies; and no one receives his witness. 33He who has received his witness has set his seal to this, that God is true. 34For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for God gives the Spirit without measure. 35The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. 36One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one who disobeys the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
You Will Receive Power
Pentecost Flames on the Believers
The nightmare was over. The crucifixion had seemed so final, but Jesus had done just what He said He would do. Against all expectations, He rose from the dead on the third day. In the wake of all of that, He was speaking to them about what was to come. They asked Him if He was setting up His kingdom. Jesus told them that the Father would determine when that would come about. Then Jesus gave them their marching orders. It came with a promise of empowerment by the Holy Spirit, followed by battle plans.
We forget that Jesus Himself takes up residence within us when we become believers. We have the very Spirit of God living within us. As Jesus spoke of this promise of the Holy Spirit, He coupled it with receiving power. This was His promise to empower and sustain each of us. The Holy Spirit will empower us to get through any circumstance that comes our way. It is through His power and His might that we are able to affect the world around us. That is our mission at present. His Spirit empowers us and enables us to walk in newness of life. It empowers us to share the gospel with others with bold confidence. It empowers us to be the salt and the light to a dying world. If you are a believer, you have received that power. Now act on it! Act on it in Jerusalem, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. And where is that? That is anywhere He has you today!
As believers, we enjoy quite a few gifts and inheritances. The first gift you received was the love of God. It is a universal gift to all of mankind when “God so loved the world”. (John 3:16) Scripture is clear that we love Him because He first loved us. When we respond to His love by putting our faith in Him, we immediately receive a down payment, a deposit, a pledge on the inheritance that is ours as believers. Paul tells the church in Ephesus, “13 In him you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.”(Ephesians 1:13-14) The first step of your redemption is coming by faith to Christ. The second step is growing in your Christlikeness. This is only done through the deposit of the Holy Spirit within you. He is the source and the enabler who makes the Fruit of the Spirit a possibility in your life. Now, walk in Him!