understanding the symbolism in the shirt
The thought behind this shirt comes from John 3:3
In reply Jesus
declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he
is born again."
b orn again?
When a man named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish
council, came to see Jesus, he was startled to hear Jesus say that he had to
be born again, that this second birth was required for entrance into the
Kingdom of God. Jesus then explained that he had been born of the flesh but
now must be born of the Spirit.
- Jesus answered, "I tell you the
truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water
and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth
to spirit.
~John
3:5-6
This same requirement is true for everyone. To enter the
Kingdom of God, we must be born of His Spirit, so we must be “Twice Born”.
- Yet to all who received him, to
those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of
God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a
husband's will, but born of God.
-
~John 1:12-13
b orn of the
spirit by the word
Once we have entered the Kingdom of God we are compelled
to tell the world about this great salvation. God has made preparation so
everyone can go to heaven. The requirement is the same for all; you
must be born again.
Being born again comes through hearing and receiving
God’s Word, this is by receiving Jesus as our Lord and savior. We recognize
that He came, died, was buried, rose from the dead, and was seen by many
according to the scriptures, to give us life. Now we can have a relationship
with God. We can now become a part of God's family, not by any work that we
have done, but by believing that Jesus has done the work for us. This is to
be born again.
- But as many as received Him, to
them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who
believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
-
~John 1:12-13
- For you have been born again,
not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and
enduring word of God.
-
~1 Peter 1:23
tell
the world
Just as Jesus spoke the word to Nicodemus, so we must
share with those around us. The good news of the Gospel is that everyone can
be born again
- Praise be to the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth
into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept
in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until
the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last
time.
-
~1 Peter 1:3-5
enter into His kingdom;
being “Twice Born”
h ow to use
this shirt as an evangelism tool:
This shirt has been designed to give
all who wear it, the opportunity to talk about Jesus. You may have noticed that
there are no scripture references on it! People will rarely ask you about your
shirt if they see scriptural references because they are used to seeing
Christian T-shirts. While shirts with references on them mark you as a
believer, they rarely give you the opportunity to share your faith. People
see the scripture references and assume they know the ‘religious’ ideals
of the wearer. What we want to do is cause people to ask you about the shirt.
“I don't get your shirt?” “What does it mean?” “That's Cool”
Anytime someone begins the conversation
with you, the door is open to share the Gospel and the love of Jesus with them….
and remember, they asked you!
w hat to say
when you are asked about the shirt
Most Christians, when confronted with an opportunity to share
their faith often talk “religious” (they say what they think they should say
with lots of Christian Buzz words) and turn people off. Just be yourself!
After reading the above information, you should easily be able to explain how
sin is a major threat to each of us and that there is only one antidote for the
problem. Talk to them about Jesus and what He has done for us, making a way for
us to confess our sin and come to God for forgiveness.
This is your opportunity to explain the Gospel of Jesus and
then to inquire into their relationship, if any, with Him.
i f they are
open to further conversation
At this point, the person will say “yea, whatever” and walk
off, OR want to hear more. (Remember that God’s word
does not return void. Even if the person walks off, the Word of God was sewn
into that person's life… you did not fail!) If they want to know more:
Steps to Salvation
awareness of
our sinful nature
When we talk about salvation
we must bring people to an awareness of their need for salvation. The Bible is
very clear on this point. Everyone has missed the mark or fallen short of the
standard set by God. As a race we all fall short. This is not a close call, even
the best person misses the mark by a mile.
- ...
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
-
~Romans 3:23
But the good news is that God has made provision for us. He
has a free gift, the gift of eternal life for us. (See Romans 6:23)
b elief
in Jesus Christ
God chose to fulfill His standards for us. He knew that no
person could meet them and so all would fail. We would all be in a hopeless
state, with no place to turn. So God decided to send His Son, Jesus Christ, to
live as a man here on earth. Jesus lived as a man, but He met all of God's
requirements. He met God's standard perfectly.
But this still did not deal with the problem, we still fall
short of meeting God's standard. We cannot live like Jesus, even after His
example.
The answer, God's answer,
let the one who lived perfectly die in the place of all the rest. He let Jesus
die for mankind, since no one else was good enough to do so. (If a man were to
die it would be for his short comings, it would be just what he deserved).
So God has prepared for us a gift of salvation. God accepted
the death of Jesus as meeting His standard. Then He raised Jesus from the dead.
His gift of salvation is available to every one who will believe in Jesus Christ
and the work He has done for us. (See Romans 10:8-10 and John 1:12-13)
repentance
of sins
This gift from God is a
wonderful salvation, complete with everything we need to live a full life, now
and for the future. This includes forgiveness of our sins (areas where we have
not lived up to God's standard). This forgiveness comes as we admit to our sins
and ask God to forgive us. (See Luke 24:46-47 and Acts 13:38-39)
- If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
-
~1 John 1:9
r eceiving
Jesus as savior
So now we can receive Jesus as our Lord
and Savior. He now becomes the one who died for us so we can have good
relationship with God. We can now become a part of God's family, not by any work
that we have done, but by believing that Jesus has done the work for us.
- But as many as received Him, to
them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who
believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
-
~John 1:12-13
All scripture quotations, unless
otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV.
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan
Publishing House. All rights reserved.
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