Jesus was all out to affect the life of everybody He met positively, He offered His all including His own life for the love of mankind. Jesus didn’t need a resounding crowd to preach an outstanding message-all He needed was one man, every opportunity he had with just one person was always so glorious. He showed us the importance of one-on-one ministration. With and through one person you can reach the world- don’t overlook that one child by you, reach out to him, show him love (this may not be your biological child).
Nicodemus came to talk with Jesus at night, a time He should be resting after a hard day’s work. Jesus’ time of rest was interrupted and He allowed it, knowing that their conversation would bring about a great message of salvation to the world. He gave up His rest to minister to this one man a powerful message of salvation that gave rise tothe most common passage in the Bible, a passage that even those who don’t believe in Jesus can quote, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” John 3:16.
As I sat to write this message, a youth came to tell me she needed counsel which I didn’t quickly accept because I was busy, but the message in this write up struck me. I stopped writing, called her and we talked. By giving her attention my life too was powerfully impacted by our discussion. This young girl, I know is one of those God will use to positively impact her generation. I went back to writing only to be interrupted again by a mechanic we got for some repairs. I asked to see the item he bought for the repairs, only to find out he lied about the cost- he inflated the price; I bought the same item recently, Ialso found out he didn’t even buy a new one but used an old one. The common thing to do is to quarrel with him but I decided to ignore everything and get back to work; I was busyandhad a lot to get done.After all, he would get the repairs done, also knowing it is common with them (like we always say). But God helped me- I found myself talking about it and ministering to him about lying, its consequences and the blessings of obeying God…afterwards he was happy and thanked me- God cared about his soul. I still paid him the agreed amount. The word BUSY repeated itself in these two cases; my busy schedule would have made me miss this great opportunity to reach out to the man. We should be sensitive to know when God brings opportunities our way, these opportunities most times come through interruptions. Gloria Gaither says and I believe it, that God is in our interruptions- in fact the greatest encounters in life happen through interruptions. We can miss out of great opportunities if we are not sensitive to godly interruptions. The message God is speaking to me and you; is to care about everyone we come in contact with- the meat seller, pepper seller, driver, house- help, and bus conductor etc, even the cantankerous ones.
Nicodemus didn’t believe Jesus was the Son of God, but went to talk with Him and his life was transformed. Jesus concentrated on reaching a lost soul who purportedly taught people about God but didn’t truly know God. Nicodemus sought signs but Jesus sought his soul. Let’s look at Nicodemus’ interview with Jesus and be transformed too:
Nicodemus: Rabbi (Teacher), we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs [these wonders, these attesting
miracles] that You do unless God is with him.
Jesus: I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus: How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?
Jesus: What I am telling you so earnestly is this- Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.Men can only reproduce human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven; so don’t be surprised at my statement that you must be born again! Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it will go next, so it is with the Spirit.The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
Nicodemus: How can these things be possible?
Jesus: You, a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? I am telling you what I know and have seen-and yet you
won’t believe me. But if you don’t even believe me when I tell you about such things as these that happen here among men, how can you possibly believe if I tell you what is going on in heaven? For only I, the Messiah, have come to earth and will return to heaven again. And as Moses in the wilderness lifted up the bronze image of a serpent on a pole, even so I must be lifted up upon a pole (the cross), so that anyone who believes in Me will have eternal life. For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that anyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. There is no eternal doom awaiting those who trust Him to save them. But those who don’t trust Him have already been tried and condemned for not believing in the only Son of God. Their sentence is based on this fact: that the Light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the Light, for their deeds were evil. They hated the heavenly Light because they wanted to sin in the darkness. They stayed away from that Light for fear their sins would be exposed and they would be punished. But those doing right come gladly to the Light to let everyone see that they are doing what God wants them to.
After this encounter with Jesus, Nicodemus’ life never remained the same, he became a transformed man and of course this encounter is still transforming lives today. I hope it transforms yours too.
TEXT: John 3: 1-21.
