Sometime back, I came across a short video clip of a well-known ‘TV-Preacher’ whom will remain nameless here, but you would certainly recognize him if you saw or heard him. He was looking directly in to the camera lens and talking to the untold numbers of people who were tuned in on this particular day. He then asked those who were willing if he could lead them in a very short prayer to ‘accept Christ’. It was not the length of his brief prayer or number of words that were uttered, that I found unsettling. It was what he told all those folks who joined in with him after he said ‘Amen’ ... that stunned me:

Looking  back into the camera, he said: "Congratulations... You’ve just been born again.”

Do what?

Now please hear me out on this – I’m not judging nor even questioning the use of television media to effectively reach people with ‘the gospel’. (Phil. 1:15-18) And only God Himself, knows what is going on in the hearts of countless people today that He may be dealing with and drawing to Him. God chooses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. (1 Cor. 1:27) God is also at liberty to speak through whomever He chooses to do so. Why He even spoke through a donkey one time to reach Balaam. (Numbers 22). I kid you not friends, I personally find great hope and encouragement in that fact. ;-)

Some may disagree with me here on this next statement, but it still needs to be said. Saying a ‘prayer’, no matter how short or long it might be, is not a bad thing. Peter himself had little time to cry out to Jesus when he was sinking in that water before Jesus pulled him out and put him back in the boat. (Matt. 14:29). Jesus 'saved' him, as He did the thief on the cross, after very short 'prayers'.  But there is more to the gospel than saying a short prayer.

But to suggest such a short and sincere prayer equates with one now being ‘born again’ ... is about as absurd as it would be to conclude that after a newly-wed husband and wife consummated their marriage with a simple act on their wedding night... would have just produced a newborn child right then.

If Jesus took the time to make the point that in order for any of us to see, enter, and experience the kingdom of God... would require being ‘born again’ and ‘becoming like a little child’, (John 3:3; Matt. 18:3), then I am going to ‘go with that theme’ here for a moment to hopefully help us gain better understanding as to what He is trying to communicate here.

I’ve used this illustration before and will take the liberty to do so again. In our natural world, in order for ‘birth’ to take place, there are a series of other ‘steps that need to happen prior to there being a ‘birth’. It’s all a part of His plan. A married man and a woman come together and in a single act, the man leaves or deposits a ‘seed’ within the woman. This is all by God’s design.(Gen. 2:24) One can only shake their head when we see how the enemy has corrupted and twisted God’s perfect order of things today.

And as most all of us know, (some even more painfully than others), this simple ‘act’ does not always guarantee that conception, let alone birth, takes place. The male’s ‘seed’ must unite with the woman’s egg in order to fertilize it. This usually occurs in her tube and once this merging takes place, the now fertilized egg (embryo) makes its way into the woman’s uterus where it attaches to the lining.

This attachment process is called implantation. However, just because conception occurs doesn't mean implantation will. Sometimes implantation doesn't happen, for a host of reasons. But if/when it does successfully, now we have an embryo that will continue to develop as the placenta begins to form; and this is where all the growth and nourishment will begin to take place. Those first 3-4 weeks are critical as so many pieces need to come together in order for the process to continue in a healthy manner.

Once again, this is all by God’s design and it is nothing short of miraculous. How anyone can believe this all just ‘came about on its own’ without a creator...certainly has much more faith than I do.

But friends...may I state the obvious here? As amazing and wonderful as this process of conception that leads to pregnancy is: - It. Is. Not. Birth.

I hope there is no need here to repeat that last statement. Now people can argue all day long (and many do) as to when ‘life’ begins and I will sidestep that one today. But it is a proven fact that within 5-6 weeks of this conception occurring, a fetal heartbeat can be detected. I should also mention that when someone dies in a hospital, and the attending doctor ‘calls it’ before stating ‘time of death’, is it usually when the heart is no longer beating, or able to beat ‘on its own’.

Moving right along here...

The nine months of pregnancy is broken down into three ‘trimesters’ as the fetus continues developing and growing. Again...as marvelous and magical as this time can be for an expecting woman/couple...’birth’ has yet to take place. Can we agree on this fact?

Now you have to admit -those 3-D sonograms are mind boggling given how much detail they reveal, and you’ve probably seen those amazing series of images that depict the development of a growing fetus. Sadly, the use of these terms have become highly charged in our day and I hope we can stay on track here for the sake of this Bible lesson. But most excited and expecting parents-to-be don’t refer to this miracle within them as their ‘fetus’. They call it their ‘baby’. - “Honey...I felt the ‘baby’ kick today for the first time”, or “my goodness this baby has decided to camp out on my bladder!”

In my daughter’s case, there were moments where she thought the ‘boys were wrestling in side of her’. : -) (She had twins in case you missed that news)

Being married to a labor/delivery nurse, I have seen on more than one occasion when she has visibly winced...when she hears a young expecting mother announce to the world with great excitement that she is ‘4 weeks pregnant’. You can only imagine her suppressed concerns when our oldest daughter informed us she was expecting twins. Why is that, you ask? Well, she just knows, having worked in this field for 20 years, of all that can ‘go wrong’; especially early on. And I will just leave it at that.

In Galatians 4:20, we read a very telling statement made by Paul. He was expressing serious concerns he had for the church there, or certain ‘believers’ and how some seemed to be drifting off course. He even suggested at one point that he ‘feared’ he may have ‘labored in vain’ among them. (4:11). But it is vs. 20 where he expresses having the most apprehension...’until Christ is formed in them’. You should read that in various translations. The point that I want to underscore here is this: development matters. The ‘maturing process’ is not a given, nor guaranteed it will continue. And maturing in Christ, is not an option.

What’s my point here today? Friends...whether we are talking about a 6-month old fetus, or a six year old child...when development stops...something is terribly wrong.

We are living in a time where that sense of urgency and importance for healthy development as God’s children has been lost. There is an interesting warning shared by Jesus when He spoke of all the turbulent times coming prior to His return. He said: “woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!” (Matt. 24:19). Trust me, I know what our default setting is regarding how one tends to interpret that statement but I can assure you there is a hidden and spiritual meaning to that as well.

Take a moment and listen to other statements we read through our Bibles that support where I am going with this today:

“As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby”. (1 Pet. 2:2)

“By now some of you should be teachers, but you need someone to teach you again...you still need milk and not solid food”. (Heb. 5:12). ... “Let us move on to perfection”. (Heb. 6:1)

“Since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.” (Heb. 4:1)

“You shall be perfect (complete/mature) as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48)

“Count it all joy concerning these trials you face...so that you may be perfect and complete”. (James 1:2-4)

“I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ....you are still carnal (minded)” (1 Cor. 3:1-3). “This better not be the case when I come to see you soon”-implied- 2 Cor. 12:20-21). You might also read Romans 8:5-13.

“He who endures to the end shall be saved.” – Jesus (Matt. 24:13)

“Therefore having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Cor. 7:1). “Without it, no one will see the Lord”. (Heb. 12:14)

Going a bit longer than usual today, but I need to. If/when the maturing process in your walk has slowed down, or even ceased, something is not right and you need to see a ‘doctor’ immediately. Simply beginning the process of ‘new birth’ does not mean you have been ‘born again’. Conception, is not birth, nor is ‘pregnancy’ and the various stages of that pregnancy. When birth finally happens...it will be evident to all in the room. And even then, one has just begun the process of maturing in Christ.

Leaving that newborn babe on some park bench, or even a church pew, thinking it will grow on its own is foolishness. As an infant needs the ongoing care by its mother, so do we need to be abiding in Christ. IF all you want to do is make this about are you ‘saved or not’ after you ‘say some prayer’ is to be concerned about the wrong thing. This ‘one and done’ mentality (repeat this prayer after me) is leading multitudes down that wide path that leads to destruction. (Matt. 7:13-14)

And if the most pressing issues on the forefront of your mind these days...is who is going to win the next Super Bowl...or presidential election for that matter...you better arouse yourself from your slumber. (Matt. 25:1-6). You might finish up by reading Eph. 5:8-17. See you tomorrow.