Seems calling ourselves BORN AGAIN is like another religious sect.
When I read through the scriptures, What Jesus preached wasn't anything to do with a sect. Today while introducing myself sometimes I have to emphasize that I am a born again Christian yet saying I am "A CHRISTIAN" should actually be enough (My life is Christ Jesus should actually reflect him in all I do, Paul declared It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God... - Galatians 2:20 ) (This probably means the word born again determines the depth of your Christianity but from my simple understanding, to be born again is to have access through Christ Jesus).
The first place the disciples were called Christians was at a place called Antioch (Acts 11:19-26) These guys walked with Jesus, they could testify, his effect upon their lives was evident even though some denied him or they got scattered, the influence of the king spread through these few people. They saw him, touched him, experienced him at a deeper level, they were bond servants of the Lord, they spoke about what they believed not only what they heard about. They did not even have to introduce themselves as Christians because they were Christians, it was in their DNA and it is what they lived by.
Being a Christian makes me a Kingdom Citizen. Nicodemus was told by Jesus that he wouldn't enter the Kingdom of God unless he was born again(John 3:1-21) (This calls for a spiritual birth - spiritual renewal). When Jesus was baptized, the words that came out of his mouth were REPENT for the KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND (Mathew 3:2). Why do we focus so much on religion yet this is what Jesus actually dispelled so much and tried to focus the pharisees and many other people to an eternal kingdom of which he was and is the King.
I am also reminded that some people thought the Kingdom of God would come by observation (Luke 17:20) but he told them that the kingdom of God was within them or in their midst (Luke 17:21), you can not say look or see here it is or there it comes. When you invite the KING (Jesus) into your heart, you have invited the whole Kingdom with the King within you.
There are so many camps coming up in this day and era and it is like in the days when some where saying am for Paul, am for Apollos (1 Cor 3:4), people will do whatever it takes to defend their faith or religion or leader etc if we are to have one religion let it be that of the Kingdom of God, where we are all citizens, and we are sent out as ambassadors to disciple nations.
Religion is creeping up even more and events of the bible are just repeating themselves. Whatever we revere must have reference to God and not the other way round. Follow Christ, Be his disciple and disciple others with reference to him and not to yourself.
Read
Matthew 15:1-20
Mathew 23:1-3
Mathew 23:23
1 Corinthians 3:4
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