Jesus will return soon, and if you didn't know He wants you to trust Him so you can be safe and sound. Those were His Words to me this morning, “safe and sound” —He longs for us to be safely encamped with Him. He wants to rapture us out of the earth before the tribulation.
His heart is that not one should perish, and so He has been giving us revelation to be prepared for His return.
That said He is leading us right back to the basic principle of being born again. We need to know that being born of the Spirit is essential to seeing and understanding the Kingdom of God.
Nicodemus, a religious ruler—approached Jesus with questions because he could see Jesus had power and that Jesus wasn't like them.
John 3:22 Who came to Jesus at night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know and are certain that You have come from God [as] a Teacher; for no one can do these signs (these wonder works, these miracles—and produce the proofs) that You do unless God is with him. AMPC
Jesus answered Nicodemus with truth, He said a man has to be born again to see the Kingdom of God. To experience the Kingdom he must be born of the Spirit.
John 3:3 Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God. AMPC
What Jesus meant was that Nicodemus was acting religious and was without true knowledge of the things of God. Nicodemus couldn't see the Kingdom of God because He was self-reliant. He wasn't born again because he depended on himself not God.
Many today are in this same circumstance because they haven't understood that being a Christian takes total reliance on God, to surrender to Him.
Many have self labeled themselves —Christian due to a lack of knowing any better which then makes them self-dependent. They see themselves as a Christian, but God does not.
That is why Jesus said many on that day will say Lord, Lord, we did this in your name and that in your name. Because really they didn't believe in Jesus but in themselves.
When you call yourself a Christian but you really are not a Christian, as did Nicodemus —you are actually just religious. You are self reliant, self opinionated—relying on yourself and not on Jesus. Living by your opinion makes you your god, and it results in you disregarding His command.
Thus on that day when you stand before Jesus and say Lord, Lord! What you are actually going to be saying is—that you thought your opinion was right, you thought you were a Christian, you thought you were following Jesus.
Many are saying that today. They think they will stand before Him and be right with Him, but they don't acknowledge Jesus now. Many do not have ears to hear —and for some that is because they don't want to hear.
The Word is very convicting —and just the beginning of hearing the Word turns many away. Not liking to be told what to do, makes one like a religious ruler with one's own rules. As a self made ruler we cant fit into the Kingdom heaven.
If you want to be born of the Spirit and see the Kingdom of God —you can't live by how you feel or your own understanding. On the contrary you have to decide to believe every Word Jesus said. You have to decide the Word is your opinion. You have to decide you will think only what Jesus thinks and feel how He feels, and live like He lives.
Then you will see the Kingdom of God. Then is when you made that decision to serve Christ. Then is when you are born of the Spirit.
Unless a man is born again, born of the Spirit, He cannot see or experience the Kingdom of God.
Jesus told me when I asked Him, that being born again is believing. Put aside what you think and what you feel, and simply believe.
He said that is why there is so much debate in interpreting the Gospel. Many think they know of spiritual things but really as Nicodemus did, they only can speculate. Without that personal relationship without submitting to God you can't understand the things of heaven. You can't see in that spiritual realm, you can't have spiritual knowledge, but you will only have man's natural wisdom.
That is why many will not believe you when you tell them the things of the Spirit because they can't see it, because they haven't submitted to Jesus. Without submission to God you cannot be born from above, you cannot be born again without submitting to God.
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated. AMPC
Thus you can be born of the Spirit or you can be religious. A religious man only has natural human understanding and will live in the world without God. A spiritual man, one who has submitted to God is born of the Spirit and has the mind of Christ. He knows the things of God.
If you want to be born of the Spirit, just ask Him to come and be your God, submit to Him and your life will change. You were once blind and now see!
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me. AMPC