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It was a conversation I wish I could have been a part of. I’m referring to when Nicodemus went to Jesus at night. It’s recorded in John 3:1-5 . “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 have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered and said to 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? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. This which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”   The gospel of John shows us the journey of faith Nicodemus would take after this conversation. In John 7:44-52 , Nicodemus seems to be standing up for Jesus as the other Pharisees and chief priests spoke against Him. In John 19:39 after the death of Jesus, it was Nicodemus “…Who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and ales, about a hundred pounds weight.” We don’t have the rest of the story regarding Nicodemus, but I hope he obeyed the gospel.   What we do know is what Jesus taught him. One must be born again if they are to see the kingdom of God. What exactly did Jesus mean and what did this look like in the first century? The book of Acts is a great book to see exactly how people were born again. See my blog “Salvation Stories.” Another great place is in the book of 1 Peter . The apostle spoke about the saints who had been born again. Notice the following passages: 1 Peter 1:3 : “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” 1 Peter 1:23 : “… For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God…” What is that God has done so that we might be born again? What is it that we must do to be born again? Peter gives us the answers. Notice what God has done. “…Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you.” 1 Peter 1:18-20 . God sent His Son Jesus to earth. Jesus lived a sinless life, 1 Peter 2:21-25 . He bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might be redeemed. God raised Jesus up from the dead. Notice what we are to do. The apostle reminds the scattered Christians what they had already done to be born again. They heard the good news of Jesus preached to them , 1 Peter 1:12 . Through the preaching of the gospel, they heard of the grace of God that had been foretold by the prophets about the Messiah. The word of the Lord had been preached to them, 1 Peter 1: 23-25 . They heard about the life of Jesus and what He did for the sake of the world. They loved and believed in Jesus, 1 Peter 1:8 . They had never seen Jesus, but they could still believe in Him because of the word of the Lord preached. They repented of their sins, 1 Peter 2:11 . When one hears the gospel, they will also hear about repentance. Repentance (turning away from our sins) is necessary to be saved. The apostle continued to urge them to turn away from their sins. They were baptized to be saved, 1 Peter 3:21 . “Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you – not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience -through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is how they were born again. We too must hear, believe, and obey the gospel. Notice in 1 Peter 1:22 where Peter says, “Since you have in obedience to the truth, purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart…” They had obeyed. The gospel can be preached. The gospel can be heard. The gospel can be believed. The gospel can be obeyed. Peter shows us how people in the first century were born again. Have we been born again?

As you likely know, it's election week. I want to preface the message of this post by noting that I’m writing this before the election. Therefore, I don’t know who wins. I think this is important to point out because I want to emphasize that this message is not contingent on who wins the election. These are universal truths taught in Scripture that we need to keep in mind this week, regardless of the outcome of a presidential vote. God is Our Supreme Ruler “But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’”  — Acts 5:29 Our loyalty is first to God and all that He commands. At times, decisions made in this country, and many others, do not align with the commands of God. We, as Christians, must remain strong in these situations and abide first by the laws and commands of God over those of men. However, the Bible also makes it clear that we are to... Submit to Our Government Second to the laws of God, where they do not conflict, the laws of men are to be followed. We are to subject ourselves to the government. The God-inspired writers in our Bible make this very clear. Here are a few excerpts from Scripture that discuss this very point: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment... For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.”  — Romans 13:1-7 “Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good... Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.”  — 1 Peter 2:13-17 “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work.”  — Titus 3:1 Notice that this is not conditional upon which party wins the seat of authority. We live in a country where democracy allows for a vote of the people to choose who is in power. Whether the candidate you voted for is declared the winner or not, these scriptural truths apply to you all the same. These are the terms set forth in this country for all who live within it, Christians and others alike. Therefore, whoever is chosen by the vote of this election will be our president. This doesn’t mean I have to agree with everything they do, but I am called to submit to them with respect. Let’s Pray for Our New President “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”  — 1 Timothy 2:1-2 We should pray for our new president. Pray that they find within themselves the ability to lead this country in a way that best serves the people as well as God. Regardless of the winner, our president is a created child of God with a God-given free choice to pursue their own will or God’s. That is a decision that every person has to make daily. Our president is no different. So let’s remember that, as humans, we have all fallen short of the glory of God and should be praying daily that each one of us has our hearts open to God’s will and His desires for our lives. Today, I will be praying for the president and those surrounding them. I pray that their path might be directed in any way that aligns with God’s will. I hope you will join me in that prayer. Be Respectful . In the 1 Peter 2 passage I mentioned earlier, Peter instructs the brethren to: “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the [president].”  — 1 Peter 2:17 The text says “emperor,” but Peter’s writing would apply to any leader in an authoritative role, such as that of an emperor. We should honor our president and elected officials in the same way that we “love the brotherhood.” As Christians, we are called to honor and respect everyone. Peter also says: “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.”  — 1 Peter 2:16 One direct application of this verse is that, although we might have freedom of speech in this country, we cannot use that freedom to violate God’s law by speaking evil of our president. Remember our first point: we are subject first to God’s law. We are to “honor everyone.” Keep this in mind as we engage in conversations in the days and weeks to come. We Have Nothing to Fear At times like this, fear is a common topic. People fear for the future of our country, for those who live here, and for Christians and what our fate may be under any given leader’s influence. But again, Scripture speaks to this issue. “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  — John 16:33 While we are here in this world, we will face difficulties. As years pass, we will cycle through times of greater or lesser difficulty, but we will never rise above them while still alive. The world can be a tough and challenging place. When we remember that the leaders of our nation are imperfect people, who will falter and fail like anyone else, it’s no surprise that no nation can run perfectly or smoothly forever. Problems and challenges are inevitable in a nation governed by people. But we must remember that our true residency is in a nation not governed by human hands. Christ came and overcame all the challenges of this world, establishing a kingdom that cannot be affected by the choices of worldly leaders. As Christians, we are citizens of an incorruptible spiritual kingdom, and because of this, we should not be troubled by the failings of earthly nations. We will find ourselves forever distressed if our focus is on worldly failings and pitfalls. So let's stay focused on God. On days when I fear for the future of myself, my family, and those around me due to the direction and decisions of our nation’s leaders, I am reminded of what Jesus said to the church of Smyrna in the book of Revelation: “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”  — Revelation 2:10 Jesus did not tell those Christians they would no longer suffer. In fact, He acknowledged that they would, but He urged them not to fear it. Because, in reality, the suffering could not harm them. They were protected—not physically, but spiritually. It is in death that we receive our crown of salvation. The only thing that can take that from us is our own unfaithfulness. So, if we remain faithful, regardless of who is president and what decisions they make, we have nothing to fear. “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?”  — Psalm 56:3-4 In the coming days, pray for our president. Pray that decisions are made that will minimize trouble and tribulation in our nation and in our world. Pray that decisions will be made that will honor God. But if those things do not come to pass, remember that, thanks to your faith, you do not have to fear what will come to pass.

In C.S. Lewis’ book, Mere Christianity , he addresses a common question that people may have about Christianity: if Christianity is true and the God described in the Bible is real, why is He not more “obvious”? That is to say, why has He not made Himself more evident to us? There are several possible responses to this question, but look at what Lewis says:   “Why is God landing in this enemy-occupied world in disguise and starting a sort of secret society to undermine the devil? Why is He not landing in force, invading it? Is it that He is not strong enough? Well, Christians think He is going to land in force; we do not know when. But we can guess why He is delaying. He wants to give us the chance of joining His side freely…But I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realise what it will be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the world. When the author walks on to the stage, the play is over. God is going to invade, all right: but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else…comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will be God without disguise…That will not be the time for choosing: it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realized it before or not. Now, today this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last for ever. We must take it or leave it.”   In this quote, Lewis almost directly echoes and expounds on 2 Peter 3:9-13 , where Peter explains what the Day of the Lord will look like: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”   There are many lessons to learn from this passage, but as it relates to our initial question, think about this: God has revealed enough of Himself for us to believe in Him in four primary ways: Nature ( Psalm 19:1 ), Our minds ( Ecclesiastes 3:11 ), Direct revelation ( 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ), and His Son ( Hebrews 1:1-4 ). Each one of these could take up quite a bit of time, but the point is this: God has made Himself abundantly evident for the time and circumstances He created us to inhabit. In the times of the patriarchs and prophets, God communicated with His people in a certain way. In the New Testament, He sent His Son Jesus. After Jesus ascended, He poured out His Spirit on the apostles, who spread it to early Christians as the Bible was recorded, and now we have His inspired Word. To put it more concretely: God has communicated Himself to us quite explicitly throughout history. The only next step, as Lewis puts it, is for the Author of Life to “walk on to the stage” in all His glory, so to speak. That, as Peter describes it, will be the end of the world.   While it can be intimidating and overwhelming to think about the Day of the Lord, it helps us quickly put life into perspective. We make decisions every day about whether or not we are going to choose God. Whether we are going to choose right now or eternity. Whether we are ready for God Himself to “land in force.”   As Christians, I hope we want that to happen. “Lord come quickly,” as we often say. However, until He does, we must make sure we live with God’s revealed will for us in mind, and put it into practice every day. Remember, that Day will not be a time to decide, but the time when God makes clear to us what we already decided for ourselves…