Twice Born, One Woman, Thank You Mom

by Kevin Burton

    Fellow Christians, you’ve heard some stupid things no doubt, as you have tried to witness to unbelievers.  Try this one on for size.

   Once while I was working as an English teacher in Mexico, I tried to witness to a supervisor. We were off the job, a few of us from the school, gathered for a reason I can’t recall.  

   He said to me, “I don’t remember having trouble getting into this world and I don’t think I’ll have trouble getting into the next world.”

   Now there is an instance of a statement being technically true but at the same time, miles and miles and miles off base. I mean, how to even wrestle that one down?

    I’m on this line of thinking because today is my birthday.  It’s the first time in my life that my mother won’t be singing Happy Birthday to me. She died May 4.

   What I wouldn’t give to hear that song from her today!

   But I stand today, twice born, born in the flesh and born again into spiritual life, through faith in Jesus Christ. My mother was a big presence in both.

   Toward the end of my high school days I spent summers in Kansas with my mother. As I watched her live from day to day it was obvious that something had happened to her – for her – she was not the same person she had been.

   Thankfully my mother wasn’t preachy about it, as she could be some years later. But it was through her influence that I gave my life to Jesus Christ.

   That second birth was more impactful than the first.

   OK, now circle back to my supervisor in Mexico, the guy I was trying to witness to. 

   He was brought into this world through no effort of his own, as we all are. And no, he will not have trouble slipping into the next world when God says his time on earth is up. We are powerless to stop either one.

   You must be born physically to take part in the life we know, life “under the sun” as Solomon puts it in the book of Ecclesiastes. But that is only the beginning of the story of life.

   Here’s how Jesus explained it in John 3: 1-6 (KJV):

  “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.”

  “Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’

      “Nicodemus saith unto him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?’

   “Jesus answered, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’”

   But the Bible teaches that in the spiritual realm there are two destinations, “the kingdom of God” for those who are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ and “outer darkness” as mentioned three times in the book of Matthew.

    In the parable of the wedding feast from Matthew 22, we see God’s invitation to us to enter spiritual life through faith in Christ, and man’s rejection of that invitation.

     “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.”

  “Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, ‘Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.’ But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.”

   “But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.’”

 “So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:”

      “And he saith unto him, ‘Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.’”

     “Then said the king to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 22: 2-13 KJV).

   There is unfortunately, weeping and gnashing of teeth going on right now, as you read this. That is the unavoidable consequence of rejecting Jesus Christ.

     I don’t remember on what day I was born again, and it’s just as well. But to me, “Happy birthday” doesn’t mean what it used to mean.