G’day and welcome to Partakers Christian Podcasts! Join us for uplifting Bible teaching, inspiring readings, heartfelt worship, powerful prayers, and fascinating church history. Whether you’re new to faith or growing deeper in your journey, we’re here to encourage and equip you. 🎧 Tune in, interact, and be inspired—wherever you are in the world.
Episodes
Thursday Oct 06, 2022
Thursday Oct 06, 2022
Sermon - 1 Peter 1:3-9
1 Peter 1:3-9 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Introduction
1. God the Joy Giver!
The Joy Giver!
a. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ v3
b. his great mercy he has given v3
c. resurrection of Jesus Christ v3
d. Jesus Christ is revealed v7
2. Living Out Joy!
a. New birth v3
b. Living hope v3
c. Inheritance v4
d. shielded by God’s power v5
e. Salvation – future v5
f. Rejoice v6
3. Faith!
a. Faith’s genuineness v7
b. Faith’s love v8
c. Faith’s belief v8
d. Faith’s joy v8
e. Faith’s outcome v9
Right Mouse click or tap here to save this as an audio mp3 file
Conclusion
So with all that said, let’s briefly recapitulate before we conclude.
Firstly we looked at a God who is to be praised; a God who is merciful in giving new life to those who respond personally to His call. As evidence of this new and living hope, He sent His Son who came to earth as a human, lived, died and was resurrected to new life. This Son ascended to be at His right hand once more. This Son, Jesus Christ will be coming back again one day. Meanwhile, all those who place their faith and hope in Jesus Christ, will be shielded, safeguarded and protected by God Himself. Indeed, their salvation is assured and safeguarded. But if they were to die, they would be still shielded and safeguarded by God, because their salvation was assured and they would be in His presence. God shields and safeguards His people.
Secondly we then looked at this new life or new hope in more detail. This new hope is living, dynamic and the believer has a glorious inheritance and salvation. This is given by God and God alone from his twin wellsprings of grace and mercy.
Then lastly we looked at Faith’s genuineness, Faith’s love, Faith’s belief, Faith’s joy and finally Faith’s outcome which is the salvation of the soul.
With that said, how are we to conclude tonight? How are we, in the 21st century, to respond and react to Peter in this section of his letter? For those of us who would call ourselves a Christian - a sojourner of Jesus Christ – you believe in Him and have placed your faith in Him for new hope, new life and salvation of your soul. I wonder what trials including alienation and persecution you have undergone in the past, are undergoing at the moment or will persevere through in the future. I don’t even know how I will suffer and grieve in the future.
I do know who has the answers to our trials and testing. It is my God and your God. Our God of love – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He knows the answers and I have to trust in Him. Are you currently undergoing any sort of trial - run to God! He will listen! He is your protector, your guard and your empowerer! Remember He lives within you! He loves you! He cares for you!
He is a personal God who has your best interests at heart! As Christians we worship and serve a God who knows intimately about personal suffering. Our God isn’t an inanimate and passive carving, to be placed on a shelf or a wall which is immune to the suffering of the world. No! Our God is a personal, dynamic and active God who knows the suffering we ourselves endure – because He Himself has suffered. He is an intimate, dynamic, responsive and living personal being who has shared in our sufferings through Jesus when He died on a cross 2000 years ago. This same Jesus who was resurrected and raised to new life and witnessed by our author - the Apostle Peter! WOW! The ineffable God made known to humanity in the man Jesus Christ.
As part of our new hope and new life as Christians, as sojourners of Jesus Christ, we await that glorious day in the future when He has come again. That day when Jesus Christ will take your face in his scarred hands, and wipe away your tears. Wipe away your tears – tears of pain released and tears of ineffable and inexplicable joy! WOW! You and I will know then, that it was all worth it – the sufferings and trials that we have endured in this life, in order to enter the new life to come. Amazing! WOW!
On that final day, when your faith is tested, will it be proven to be genuine? Let this faith of yours always seek to give praise, honour and glory to Jesus and Him alone. May it be a faith being worked out by you living a life which is worthy of Him alone – which is seen by those currently not in the faith. Your genuine faith being expressed with inexplicable joy to those outside.
As Christians it is an imperative that we go and show our new life, new hope, empowered and safeguarded by God’s power alone. Persecution may come and we will in some quarters even now be rejected. But we persevere. As Christians, we have good news for the world – it is up to us to go out living in the joy of salvation. We will be alienated by some, but also embraced by others. God is for us – who then shall we fear? God is a mission God – Peter clearly knows that – and because He is a mission God, we too are also on a mission. We have to take risks in order to continue this mission. History is filled with churches that failed to adapt and take the mission opportunities available to them. Will we be like that? I for one certainly do not hope so. We need to be reaching out, including those forgotten people – the people who cannot get out of their own homes for what ever reason. Helping those people who are already Christians and helping those who are not yet Christian, to find this living hope in God.
God is a tri-unity of Love... The Father loves the Son and the Spirit. The Son loves the Father and the Spirit. The Spirit loves the Father and the Son. We as a church are also to be a community of love. A love which mirrors that of the God of love... A love which looks not to its own interests but to the interests of others... Let's go love... Encourage others - not just your friends or those you like... Let's go encourage others enduring all sorts of tests and trials, just as Peter has done to this group of spiritual sojourners... God loves you... Let's reflect the God we claim to love, follow and obey...
Right Mouse click or tap here to save this as an audio mp3 file
Monday Jun 06, 2022
Monday Jun 06, 2022
Has your love gone cold?
That figure is the risen and ascended Jesus Christ! The one we Christians down through history have proclaimed as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! He was the greatest gift of all, freely given, in order to save the world! Salvation, as a gift of grace, imparted to all those who would accept Jesus Christ as saviour! And one group of people had taken Him up on that offer, a church we read about in Revelation 2:1-7
Sunday May 29, 2022
Sunday May 29, 2022
Food Sacrificed To Idols (1 Corinthians 8)
1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: we know that ‘We all possess knowledge.’ But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God.
4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: we know that ‘An idol is nothing at all in the world’ and that ‘There is no God but one.’ 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling-block to the weak. 10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall. (1 Corinthians 8)
Ancient Corinth was one of the largest, wealthiest and therefore most important cities of the ancient world. It had a large mixed population of Greeks, Romans and Jews. The streets of Corinth were lined with temples to all manner of gods. Not only Greek gods but also because Greece was now under the Roman empire, temples paying homage to Roman gods. This of course included those giving homage and worship to the Roman Emperor, who at the time this letter was written, was probably the Emperor Nero. More than that, some of the Greek gods were merged with Roman gods, in order to make new gods and therefore more temples were constructed.
In these temples, sacrifices were made to appease these gods and were acts of worship to and of them. For if the gods were not appeased then it was thought that all manner of things may happen to a person, internally and externally, for the gods would be angry and send their demons and spirits to inflict all manner of ill on a person. The meat from these sacrifices was then, in part, given to be eaten by the priests conducting the sacrifice, and the rest sold to the general public for consumption.
We see therefore, from a Christian perspective, Corinth was a city deeply immersed in idolatry and immorality. What of the Church there in the midst of such a place? Paul had helped start the Church about 6 years ago. You can read about that in Acts 18.
Right Mouse click or tap here to save this as an audio mp3 file and find out more!
Friday May 27, 2022
Friday May 27, 2022
Partakers Bible Thought
27 May 2022
1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. 6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour. (Romans 13:1-7)
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honour the emperor. (1 Peter 2:13-17)
All people all over the world live under a form of leadership or government. That government may be democratically elected, a monarchy or even an oppressive dictatorship. Whatever kind of government we find ourselves with, we have one. What is the relationship between the Christian and the Government to be?
Come and explore what the Bible has to say about the Christian and their relationship with Government. What functions of Government does the Bible offer? How and in what way are Christians to be responsible citizens? These and other questions we seek to answer! So come on it! Let’s discover together more about the relationship between the Christian and the Government, by listening to the podcast!
Click or Tap here to listen to or download this as an audio mp3 file
Thursday May 26, 2022
Thursday May 26, 2022
Partakers Bible Thought
Paul Under Attack for Change of Plans
26 May 2022
12 Now this is our boast: our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace. 13 For we do not write to you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, 14 as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.
15 Because I was confident of this, I wanted to visit you first so that you might benefit twice. 16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to let you send me on my way to Judea. 17 Was I fickle when I intended to do this? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say both ‘Yes, yes’ and ‘No, no’?
18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not ‘Yes’ and ‘No’. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us – by me, Silas and Timothy – was not ‘Yes’ and ‘No’, but in him it has always been ‘Yes’. 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (2 Corinthians 1:12-22)
Introduction
Part 1 – Paul Under Pressure
Part 2 – Rock Solid on the Rock
Part 3 – Yes in Christ
Part 4 – Signed, sealed and guaranteed
4a God the Holy Spirit
4b Work of the Holy Spirit
4c Controlled by the Holy Spirit
Conclusion
Let's ask ourselves these questions as we conclude:
- Have I been falsely accused, gossiped and rumour mongered about? If I have, how did I respond/react?
- When was the last time I told somebody else the good news concerning Jesus Christ?
- Will there be somebody in heaven that I can boast and glorify God about?
- Will there be somebody in heaven who will boast and glorify God about the work that I have done with them?
Click or tap here to download and save this podcast as a mp3 file
Wednesday May 18, 2022
Wednesday May 18, 2022
Partakers Bible Thought
18 May 2022
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. (Isaiah 59:17)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full Armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full Armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. (Ephesians 6:10-20)
To help His people resist satan and to fight spiritual warfare, God has designed spiritual Armor for Christians to wear during our constant battle with sin & temptation. That’s what Paul talks about in Ephesians 6! This Armor is what God wears according to Isaiah 59:17, when He goes out to battle!
Today we explore the Christian in Spiritual Armor, answering questions including: What is “Spiritual Armor?” How is it used by God to help the Christian believer? How is the Spiritual Armor “worn” by the Christian?
Listen or download the mp3 podcast to find out more about the Christian and your Spiritual Armor!
Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file
~
Tuesday May 10, 2022
Tuesday May 10, 2022
Acts 20 - Guided by God to serve…
1. Overview
Acts 20 breaks down into 3 sections.
- v1-6 - Paul in Macedonia and Greece
- v7-12 - Paul in Troas
- v13-39 - In this section, Paul says goodbye to the Ephesian leaders.
2. Guidance - How are Christians guided by God?
- Controlled by the Holy Spirit
- Convictions and Conscience
- Counsel and Circumstances
- Lessons from the past
3. Service
Paul’s Service - How did he serve
- Spiritual Gifts
- Words
Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file
Wednesday May 04, 2022
Wednesday May 04, 2022
Adulterous Woman
Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery.
They put her in front of the crowd. "Teacher," they said to Jesus, "this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?"
They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, "All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!"
Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman.
Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?" "No, Lord," she said. And Jesus said, "Neither do I. Go and sin no more." John 8:1-11
Jesus, as all Rabbis and teachers did, was at the temple teaching and talking with people. It was also part of the role of the rabbi/teachers to ascertain what to do in certain difficult moral and legal situations. As part of this role, the Pharisees dragged in an unknown woman charged with adultery. Likewise with the Samaritan woman, we don't know this woman's name either! The Pharisees were laying a trap for Jesus. If Jesus said to stone the woman, then the Romans could arrest Jesus, for it was Roman law that any death must be conducted by them and not by others. If Jesus says to release the woman, then the Pharisees would say that Jesus is contravening Scripture and the Law of Moses. So what does Jesus do? He writes in the dirt (John 8v6).
We don't know what He wrote, but from the Greek word for write, we understand that He was seemingly writing a report and that when in he says in John 8:7 "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.", He is in fact saying "If any one of you is without this sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
So if any of the Pharisees had not committed adultery, whether in the mind or the actual physical act, then they could have stoned her. As it was, they left one by one, the oldest first (John 8v9). He must have also been indignant at the way the Pharisees who were hypocrites were quick to condemn others, so maybe Jesus was reminding them of Jeremiah 17:13 - "O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water."
So instead of passing judgement on the woman and also by eluding the trap of the Pharisees, Jesus passed judgement on the judges. Jesus having forgiven the woman of her sin, then charges her to leave her life of sin (John 8 v11). This reminds us that with the forgiveness of sin, comes a responsibility to live a life worthy of Jesus and to pursue righteousness. Jesus showed His compassion and forgiveness on the outcasts of their society. Jesus showed mercy and forgiveness and loved them.
There is no room in Christianity for actions and attitudes that defy Jesus' ever-reaching and all-encompassing forgiveness and love. His Gospel, as he always shows, is for all people everywhere, regardless of gender, race, age, culture or social status. Again, I ask, who do you say Jesus is? But further, what are you going to do with this Jesus and let Him do to you?
Right mouse click or tap here to save/download this as a MP3 audio file
Tuesday May 03, 2022
Tuesday May 03, 2022
Woman at the Well
G' day welcome to Partakers and back to this little series, Jesus and you, looking at some people that met Jesus and how he changed their life and perceptions. Today we see somebody who accepted Jesus for who he was - a surprise to his disciples!
Jesus, on his way back to Galillee, came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Please give me a drink." He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, "You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?" Jesus replied, "If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water." (John 4:4-10)
Jesus went via Samaria as it was the shortest route back to Galilee. It was hot. Jesus was thirsty and wanted a drink. His disciples had gone into town to get food. So he asks a Samaritan woman to fetch him some water from the well. That he asked a Samaritan would have been bad enough, but to also talk to a woman!
The woman
We don't know the name of this woman, but by looking at this conversation between Jesus and her, we discover several things about her: That she was a Samaritan. There was equal animosity between Jews and Samaritans, hence the end of John 4:9: "(For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)" This could equally be translated as "for Jews do not ask any favours of the Samaritans". The Samaritans were a mixed race people of both Jewish and Assyrian descent from the time of the division of Israel into two parts and the annexation of the Northern kingdom by Assyria.
2 Kings 17 tells us that Assyria repopulated this area. She was an outcast, that's why she was fetching water at the hottest part of the day! This was probably due to her sexual immorality having had 5 husbands and currently in a 6th relationship (John 4:18). We also know that she was waiting for the Messiah (John 4:25)
Jesus
What does this tell about Jesus? It reveals his genuine humanity. He was tired, drained, hot, thirsty and hungry - normal human feelings and reactions. It also shows that Jesus contravened tradition in that he spoke to a woman who was a Samaritan and a sinner. Respectable Jewish men never did that sort of thing! By asking for a drink of water; he was putting himself in this woman's debt and showing his humility. It also reveals his divine nature! He knew the woman's life of sinfulness (John 4:17) and again, when he offered her the water of eternal life (John 4:14) and he was able to spiritually satisfy her(John 4:14)! Jesus, Loved the woman, an outcast from her community, and gave her the most revealing and explicit statement we have in the Gospels as to who He really was (John 4:26).
In showing love for the woman, he transcended cultural barriers. Ordinary Jewish men would never ask a woman, let alone a Samaritan woman, for a drink! Hence the disciples reaction in John 4:27! But Jesus is no ordinary man, his love is for all, whether they be rich, learned, male, female, wanted and unwanted! This encounter between Jesus and the woman, shows us that Jesus' offer of salvation is for all people, and not just the Jews. The woman, did however, misunderstand one thing - the living water Jesus offered as she probably thought he meant running water or water from a river! But the living water Jesus offered was spiritual water to cleanse her from sin and give eternal life.
Elsewhere in the Old Testament, God is described as "a fountain of living water" (Jeremiah 2:13; Jeremiah 17:13). When the disciples returned, the woman left her water jar and went back to the town to tell other people about Jesus (John 4:29-30). We read of the many people coming to faith because of the Samaritan woman's story (John 4:39-42) knowing Jesus as the saviour of the world (John 4:42).
As Jesus' ministry continues, we know that He spoke to people regardless of their social status, education, nationality or gender. Again, I ask, who do you say Jesus is? But further, what are you going to do with this Jesus and let Him do to you?
Right mouse click or tap here to save/download this as a MP3 audio file
Monday May 02, 2022
Monday May 02, 2022
2. Jesus and Nicodemus
John 3:1-17 (New Living Translation) There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. "Rabbi," he said, "we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you."
Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God."
"What do you mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?"
Jesus replied, "I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit."
"How are these things possible?" Nicodemus asked. Jesus replied, "You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don't understand these things? I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won't believe our testimony. But if you don't believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.
"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
This man, Nicodemus, wants to know more about Jesus and investigate him personally, instead of following the majority of the other Jewish leaders. Who was this man, we know as Nicodemus? He was a member of the Sanhedrin, which was the Jewish ruling council. Nicodemus was a leading teacher and learned scholar. From other sources we know he may well have been from a family of wealthy landowners. We do know that later he protested against Jesus' condemnation without a trial (John 7:50-52) and that he took gifts to anoint Jesus' body (John 19:39-40) Nicodemus was probably one of the many people looking for a kingdom of God based around a political Messiah; hence admitting that due to his miraculous signs, Jesus must have been from God. These people wanted a Messiah who was a political leader - somebody who would lead Israel to be a shining light for the whole world to come to Jerusalem and worship the one true living God.
However, Jesus corrects Nicodemus and says that it is not through a new Israel, a political kingdom that God's kingdom will be seen, but by being "born again". Three times in this conversation, Jesus repeats about being "born again". What does "born again" mean? The phrase "born again" is not a physical rebirth and nor is it merely a turning over a new leaf. It also is not baptism because Jesus has not instituted baptism yet! However, "born again" is the new covenant, which Nicodemus should have known about it (Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36), and that it is being born with water and spirit - cleansed of sin and indwelt with the Holy Spirit! It is being born from above, which is looking to the one who has come down from heaven. For the phrase "born again" can also be translated "born from above". To be born again, means to be looking to Jesus and trusting in him in all situations, just as the ancient Israelites were saved by looking at the bronze snake (Numbers 21v8)
Finally, for now, to be born again, is on an individual basis, rather than collective basis, just as physical birth is. Nobody knows the date and time of their own birth unless they are told by somebody! Jesus seemed astonished that the teacher didn't already know that! Nicodemus, we know, was a highly educated and learned teacher! Nicodemus, left with more to think about regarding this Jesus. Again, I ask, who do you say Jesus is? But further, what are you going to do with this Jesus and let Him do to you?