Starting Over - How Do You Get a New Life?
by Mark Parsec(373)
Blogz
Have you ever noticed how people try to take old things and make them new?
We have New Zealand, New Caledonia, and New Brunswick… Then there are the states of New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico and New York. There are even new cities… There is New City - New York, New City Township - North Dakota, New City - Illinois… And we have all heard about New York City and New Orleans
It kind of makes you wonder what ever happened to the Old places, doesn’t it? Hey, what ever happened to Old Zealand, Old Caledonia or Old York? Speaking of New York, the Dutch called it New Amsterdam until the British got a hold of it… then it became New York, but even before the Dutch had it, the Indians called it something else.
We have some friends that have been struggling financially. They could not afford to buy some gifts for Christmas, so they took some old furniture that they had acquired; refurnished it and SHAZAM… they had “new” furniture and beautiful gifts for loved ones.
It’s kind of nifty when you can take something old and make it into something new, isn’t it? Taking old things and turning them into something new is something that the church has been doing for a long, long time.
Have you ever walked into church and seen a new person sitting in your spot?
Well, that person is not exactly “new”. It’s not like they just came off the assembly line or something… One minute you are looking at an empty seat and the next second there’s a flash of light and SHAZAM! You have a brand spanking new adult person sitting there. Right? Nope! It doesn’t work that way.
They might be new to the church, they might even be new to you, but the person has a history. They’ve been around for a while. The only true new person is a baby.
I think every person, at some time in their life, has wished that they could start all over again, that they could be a new person. Unfortunately, it is not as easy as changing names or being refurnished. You cannot take someone like Osama Bin Laden, call him George, and have a new person. Nor can you take someone like a serial killer, dress him up in a new suit and expect him to become a new person.
No, if a person is to become a new person something extraordinary has to happen. The transformation has to be so tremendous, so significant, so powerful, that it changes the way the person thinks, feels and behaves. It can even change the way they look!
The Bible calls this kind of change, repentance from the Greek word metanoia. Now, many people think of repentance as guilt, shame and remorse. But, metanoia is much more significant than that. It is actually the transformation that should occur in a person because of those feelings, which produces new thoughts, feelings and behavior.
But, is it really possible for a person to have this kind of transformative experience? The Bible says it is.
John 3:1-7 (NKJV) - The New Birth
1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
What Jesus was teaching here is that if a person wanted to discover a life transforming experience he needed to be “born again.” Like many people, Nicodemus thought of change only in the physical sense when he said, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
Jesus’ response to Nicodemus is key to understanding how to find the New Life that results from being born again. Jesus taught that a person must be “born of the Spirit”. In other words, the new life is an inside job that can only be produced when the Spirit of God gets inside of a person. “ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
If there is anything to be learned from this, it is that if somebody wants to truly start a new life, it cannot be done by muscle power, brainpower or sheer determination. They will fail you every time.
If someone wants to experience a lasting transformation that leads to new life then there has to be a spiritual change.
A popular Biblical expression for this idea comes from Zechariah 4:6, where we are told, “ Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.”
But, even if a person wanted a spiritual transformation that leads to new life, how would they find it? The Apostle Paul addresses this question in 2 Corinthians 5:17 when he tells us, “ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (NKJV).
I like the way the New Living Translation puts it: “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (NLT).
If we want to be created into a new person, if we want the old life to be over and behind us, if we want to have new life, then we must belong to Christ. This is how spiritual transformation occurs in our life.
But, how does a person “belong” to Christ? I think some people make this more confusing than it needs to be. The key to belonging to Christ is to be “in” Christ. But, what does that mean? Well, some people are in to football. Some people are in to music. Some people are in to money. When you meet one of these people, it quickly becomes obvious exactly what they are in to. It is all they talk about.
Similarly, when we are in to Christ then we soon find ourselves not just talking about Him, but to Him. We think about Him throughout the day and invite Him in to our homes, in to our jobs, in to our places of play, in to our thoughts and feelings and behavior… into our lives. If we do this, we soon discover that we are not just in to Christ, but that He has gotten in to us!
Jesus himself put it to us this way in Revelation 3:20 when he said, “ Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
Maybe you have been in to some things that just don’t seem to be working for you anymore. Maybe you want to start a new life but you don’t know how. Jesus is knocking! He is knocking on the door to your heart. If you open the door and let Him in it will change your life.
Is He Knocking on your heart?
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Article submitted Sunday, January 03, 2010 & read 699 times.
Leave Your Comments:
» left by John Wilder from Indiana (208 days 15 hours ago.)
Nicely done. It is also nicely timed. People are looking to do better in the new year and the best thing that they can do is to seal their salvation and their eternal life by being adopted by Christ.Respond to this comment
» left by Mark Parsec from Recovery (208 days 7 hours ago.)
Hi John,
Thank you for your comments. Hope you have a blessed year.
Mark
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» left by Linda DeWitt (208 days 5 hours ago.)
Good article Marc. Thanks for sharing.Respond to this comment
» left by Mark Parsec from Recovery (207 days 7 hours ago.)
Hi Linda,
You're welcome. Good to hear from you. Miss you and Dale. Hope you had a great New Year.
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» left by mogama (208 days 3 hours ago.)
I like how you explained being "in Christ" as being "in to Christ". Very well written article that even one who has never shadowed a church house can understand. May your article lead many to new birth through Jesus. ~mogama~Respond to this comment
» left by Mark Parsec from Recovery (207 days 7 hours ago.)
Hi Mogama,
Thank you for your comments. If only one person finds hope in this article it will have been worth the effort.
God bless you,
Mark
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» left by ABO Fortune from Independence, MO (194 days 13 hours ago.)
Hi Marc, My husband and I both lost our jobs last year and had to completely start over. It ended up being a blessing for us in the long run but you have to be open to what God has in store for you. Thank you for writing this article!Respond to this comment
» left by Mark Parsec from Blogz (193 days 10 hours ago.)
Congratulations! When God closes one door He opens another. I'm glad to hear that you were receptive to His directions for your life.
Thanks for the comments!
Mark
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