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Twice Born

 

 

 

 

 

 

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."

born 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

born 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”

 

how 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!

what 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.

if 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)

belief 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

receiving 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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