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aring a plan you ll be delivering a command from the king suggestions memorize the mandate commit the great commission matthew 28 18 20 to memory when you challenge someone have the word of god ready on your lips not just a good idea in your head pray through it pray through the great commission and other scripture asking god to make you a generational leader the eternity conversation take the person you are discipling out for coffee and ask what do you want your life to look like in 50 years use their answer to pivot to a kingdom vision that outlasts their career application for disciple makers for us the wigtake involves shaking off our hesitancy to call people to something greater we often fear seeming demanding so we settle for low bar invitations but those you are discipling crave a cause worth dying for to be clear we are not asking you to sell a slick version of your own personal vision we are pointing them to jesus vision the one that holds all authority biblical vision casting means looking someone in the eye and saying jesus commanded us to go and make disciples i can help you do that if you re all in let s get after it it involves the solemn charge to prioritize the kingdom above comfort it is not about controlling people but about confidently connecting them to the destiny jesus has already commanded when you cast vision with this kind of authority you aren t imposing your will you are clarifying god s an authoritative vision is a heavy weight to carry if we try to shoulder it alone we will crumble next week we look at our total dependence on the father ingredient 5 prayer and the hand of god all 12 ingredients for spiritual generations and podcasts type your email subscribe author chuck deb posted on july 10 2026 categories by chuck tags bible christianity discipleship faith generations god jesus leave a comment on ingredient 4 authoritative vision casting kingdom kernel 54 born into god s kingdom entering the kingdom of god through a spiritual birth kingdom kernel collection rather listen click here jesus answered and said to him truly truly i say to you unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of god nicodemus said to him how can a man be born when he is old he cannot enter a second time into his mother s womb and be born can he jesus answered truly truly i say to you unless one is born of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of god john 3 3 5 introduction when jesus sat down with nicodemus under the cover of night he completely upended the religious leader s paradigm by introducing a radical concept spiritual rebirth in this kernel we are investigating what it actually means to be born again we are going to explore the nuances between seeing and entering the kingdom of god and unpack the vital distinction jesus makes between being born of water and being born of the spirit key words and phrases born again in jesus expression being born again refers to salvation from sin and inheriting eternal life it is the shedding of the old self and being entirely regenerated into the new 2 corinthians 5 17 titus 3 5 jesus makes a stark distinction between natural birth and spiritual birth both are required to see and enter the kingdom of god the apostle peter is the only other new testament writer to explicitly use this exact phrase 1 peter 1 3 23 however both paul and the writer of hebrews refer to the concept of spiritual infancy often using it to lovingly correct believers for a lack of spiritual maturity and a continued reliance on milk rather than solid food 1 corinthians 3 1 2 hebrews 5 12 13 see the kingdom of god see uses the greek word horaō strong s g3708 meaning to see with the eyes to perceive to know or to become acquainted with by experience in this specific context becoming acquainted with by experience is the best fit without spiritual rebirth a person cannot even perceive or experience the reality of god s kingdom enter into the kingdom of god this phrase is synonymous with salvation being saved and eternal life the best example of these terms being used interchangeably is the story of the rich young ruler he asks jesus how to inherit eternal life jesus tells his disciples how hard it is for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of god and the disciples respond by asking then who can be saved matthew 19 16 30 mark 10 17 31 luke 18 18 30 born of water this is frequently misinterpreted as a reference to water baptism however if we follow the logic of jesus discourse he is clearly referring to the amniotic fluid involved in natural physical birth natural birth water comes from the flesh is initiated by human choice and results in temporary physical life in the natural world spiritual birth spirit comes from the spirit of god is initiated by his divine power and results in eternal life within the kingdom of god born of the spirit the only way to truly enter the kingdom of god is to repent and believe in the gospel that jesus preached mark 1 15 john 14 6 through faith and the unmerited grace of god a person is born again washed regenerated and officially ushered into the kingdom by the power of the holy spirit titus 3 5 messianic model focus on jesus example once again jesus is the ultimate model for us to follow but in this specific instance there is a profound theological twist for jesus the order of birth was actually reversed out of divine necessity jesus was born of the spirit first matthew 1 18 20 luke 1 35 and then subsequently born of water taking on human flesh john 1 14 though he was fully god he was also fully human experiencing the exact same physical limitations of time space and energy that we do matthew 4 2 john 4 6 hebrews 2 14 because of this we clearly see his reliance on the holy spirit throughout his life the spirit descended on him at his baptism matthew 3 16 led him into the wilderness matthew 4 1 and empowered his entire earthly ministry just as the prophets foretold luke 4 14 18 key theological implications man has proposed countless ways to achieve salvation in fact it is often said in our culture that all roads lead to heaven to a certain extent i wholeheartedly agree everyone will eventually get to heaven to stand before god and be judged hebrews 9 27 getting there isn t the issue the real issue is how long you will stay only one thing can keep a person from being cast into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels matthew 25 41 that singular requirement is to be born again to repent believe in god s act of redemption through jesus christ and enter into his kingdom the gospel is incredibly good news for those who embrace his love but it is devastating news for those perishing in unbelief contemporary spiritual significance what was true for nicodemus in the first century is still absolutely true for us today being born again to enter the kingdom of god is a foundational principle not just a religious method a principle is an eternal truth that stands the test of time culture and circumstance guiding reality regardless of the shifting sands of human opinion while the phrase born again may be metaphorical the requirement is an unbending spiritual law you simply must be born again to enter the kingdom the transformative power of being born again there are three profoundly transformative realities that occur when we are born again first we are radically and irrevocably changed into new creatures we are justified meaning our standing with god is now one of righteousness and blamelessness and we are spiritually seated with him in the heavenly places 2 corinthians 5 17 21 ephesians 1 4 ephesians 2 6 7 this rebirth is the immediate beginning of the eternal life jesus described in his high priestly prayer this is eternal life that they may know you the only true god and jesus christ whom you have sent john 17 3 second every truly born again believer is endowed sealed and empowered by the holy spirit while we won t be perfect we are continually sanctified bearing the fruit of the spirit and demonstrating clear evidence of our kingdom citizenship ephesians 1 13 galatians 5 22 23 2 corinthians 3 18 finally being born again means we get to look forward to the day when we will meet our god face to face and be completely glorified it is the ultimate culmination of the christian life a time to embrace our eternal reward and reign with our king forever as his co regents philippians 3 20 2 timothy 2 12 revelation 3 21 conclusion being born again is not a 1970s colloquialism invented by hippies during the jesus movement they were simply reading their bibles and discovering that the radical life change they were experiencing was actually coined by jesus himself it represents the total conversion and regeneration of the soul a profound transformation where god imparts brand new life into the one who believes it is not merely improving one s moral standing or adopting better habits it is the complete remaking of a person from within by the power of the holy spirit this new birth awakens us to spiritual realities sets us free from the dominion of sin and officially initiates our participation in the mission of the kingdom thus the invitation jesus gave to nicodemus in the dark still stands in the light for every generation unless you are born of water and the spirit you cannot enter the kingdom of god disciple maker s short story where wind and water meet the sun hung low over the fijian inlet painting the sky in gradients of copper and violet maya sat on the weathered dock her feet dangling above water so clear she could count the starfish twenty feet below salt crystals dried on her shoulders residue from the afternoon dive beside her kiera twisted her hair into a rope wringing out the last of the ocean i still can t believe we saw that turtle kiera said her voice carrying the breathlessness of someone still processing wonder the way it just floated there like gravity didn t exist maya smiled but didn t answer immediately she was watching the younger woman s profile the way kiera s jaw tightened slightly a tell maya had learned to recognize over their two years of meeting weekly something was lodged beneath the surface what s on your mind maya asked kiera s hands stilled she looked down at the dock planks weathered gray by years of salt and sun it s stupid doubt that a pause then on the flight from auckland i sat next to this guy mid thirties business casual reading some thriller novel we started talking just small stuff at first weather travel plans she pulled her knees to her chest then he asked what i did and i told him about working with the youth group at church his whole demeanor shifted maya waited he said he was a christian too went to church on holidays believed in being a good person all that so i asked him about his relationship with jesus and kiera exhaled sharply through her nose he laughed not a mean laugh exactly but dismissive then he asked if i was one of those born again christians the way he said it like i was part of some fringe cult the sun dropped another inch bleeding red into the horizon line what did you say maya asked i froze i managed something about jesus being important to me but it came out defensive shaky he just nodded and went back to his book kiera s voice dropped i ve been replaying it for three days all the things i should have said the clarity i didn t have maya drew her feet up onto the dock cross legged can i tell you what i m hearing please you encountered someone who claimed the name of christ but dismissed the transformation that name requires and instead of feeling angry or superior you re wrestling with your own inadequacy maya tilted her head that s not weakness kiera that s spiritual sensitivity kiera looked up eyes red rimmed but dry doesn t feel very sensitive feels like i failed do you remember what we studied last month john chapter three nicodemus right a religious expert a teacher of israel comes to jesus under cover of darkness and jesus doesn t ease him into revelation he speaks paradox unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of god maya ran her finger along a crack in the dock wood nicodemus responds exactly like your seatmate might have how can a man be born when he is old he cannot enter a second time into his mother s womb can he a fish broke the water s surface concentric rings spreading outward jesus is deliberate in his language maya continued he distinguishes between seeing and entering the kingdom seeing comes first a spiritual awakening an ability to perceive what was always there but invisible then entering actually passing through taking up residence being transformed by kingdom citizenship kiera picked at a splinter the guy on the plane claimed to see it to be part of it did he or did he claim association with religious culture maya s tone held no judgment only precision jesus tells nicodemus that birth requires both water and spirit the water represents natural birth the physical process we all undergo no controversy there but the spirit that s where the scandal begins the sun touched the horizon now and the temperature dropped perceptibly kiera pulled her towel around her shoulders natural birth happens to us maya said we don t choose our parents our dna our entry into the world it s utterly passive from our perspective but we see the effects a baby exists where none existed before jesus says spiritual birth follows similar logic the spirit moves like wind you hear its sound see its effects but can t control its direction or origin being born of the spirit isn t about deciding to be better or signing up for religious membership it s about being radically irrevocably remade so when the guy said he believed in being a good person he was describing improvement modification like repainting a house maya leaned forward jesus is talking about demolition and reconstruction the old self doesn t get renovated it dies paul calls it being a new creation the former things pass away everything becomes new it s violent in its completeness a wave broke against the inlet s rocks the sound like exhaled breath kiera was quiet for a long moment then so being born again isn t about joining a subculture or saying the right words no it s about surrender to a process you can t orchestrate nicodemus couldn t understand because he was still operating in the economy of human achievement what must i do to earn this but jesus was describing receptivity spiritual birth happens to you though you must receive it willingly the spirit convicts opens blind eyes makes the dead alive that s why jesus could tell nicodemus a master teacher you must be born again it wasn t negotiable based on prior merit the sun was halfway below the horizon now the sky s colors deepening your seatmate might attend church maya continued he might be moral kind even religiously informed but if he hasn t been born of the spirit if he hasn t experienced that fundamental death and resurrection he can t see the kingdom much ...