“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. … Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:3,5). With only a few words Jesus taught Nicodemus, a Jewish teacher of the Law, the truth about the only way to enter God’s kingdom, to receive God’s gift of eternal life: “You must be born again!” Few in the church would dispute this is what Jesus said, yet many, if not most, believe WE play a part in our own spiritual birth; in fact, that it can’t and won’t happen until WE decide this is what we want. Because this is what many in the church have learned, the church in many places attempts to devise all sorts of methods of persuasion and enticement, seeking to lure people away from the world to put their trust in Jesus Christ. And sometimes it seems to work … for a while. People desperate for hope and change start “going to church” and they “get baptized” and they ask God to take away their problems and maybe even make them a “better person.” But after a while they become bored or frustrated with the church, religion, the Bible and those who might challenge them to grow, to mature, to turn from sin in order to live in obedience to God’s commands. It turns out something was missing: They were never born again! They had no understanding of God’s kingdom or what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Such is the state of millions who claimed to be “Christians” at one time, but who now have nothing to do with Christ or His Church, perhaps even turning to other religions or other “gods.” And millions more continue down the wide road that leads to destruction, deceiving themselves and others by claiming to be “Christians,” while their lives display the truth: they are still DEAD in their sin and in bondage to their sinful nature. The only hope … the only cure … the only God-given instrument to bring new life is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the work of His Spirit in the hearts of those whom He has chosen. Regeneration is GOD’s work, and is the key to your true identity!! Have YOU been born again?? You CAN know!!