Out of My Mind

Yesterday, I preached from one of my favorite chapters - John 3.  Jesus said, “You must be born again.”  He was talking about the need for a new birth, a spiritual.  Unless we have had that spiritual birth, we can’t see the kingdom of heaven.  I shared the gospel as we closed the service.  I felt a strong sense of God’s presence moving over his people.

The night before someone had called my cell phone and sung “Happy birthday.”  The only problem is that it wasn’t my birthday and they were singing to a guy named John.  Later that evening I felt the Lord tell me that the call was no accident.  I would be preaching the next morning from John about spiritual birth - about being born again.  I felt the Lord tell me it would be someone’s birthday that next morning.

Well it was.  I could tell many people were touched by the Lord.  One woman who has been coming to church for a while just fell into my arms and said, “Thanks.”  Jesus has changed her.  She is now born again.  Another woman was greatly touched by God’s Spirit coming into her life.

Last night at my home group, two of our newer members indicated they had prayed to receive Christ and invite Him into their hearts and lives.  Jesus was really moving. But the one comment that really got me came from a man who stopped me after church.  He came up to me and said, “Today is my birthday.”  I said,  “that is so cool.”  I was thinking this man had become a Christian several years before on this same date.  But as he kept talking, I realized he was saying something else.  I finally said, “Wait a minute.  Are you telling me that today is the day.  Your spiritual birthday was actually today!”  He nodded and said yes.  With tears in eyes, he told me that he didn’t have the courage to raise his hand, but he prayed to receive Christ.  And he had the courage to come and find me and tell me.  Praise God for new birth.  It is springing forth in our midst.  Our God is saving and changing lives.