Born Again From Above [English and Khmer]

Jonathan Heng Ministries

Born Again From Above [English and Khmer]

December 7, 2019

Khmer Interpretation by Joseph Try Kang
Coordinating Pastor: Melbert Fajarito

Nicodemus was a Jewish Rabbi, member of the Sanhedrin, and one of the richest men in Jerusalem. He is a type of many people, even religious ones, in our world today. They profess that Jesus is a good moral man, a great Teacher and Prophet, but not the Son of God.

Some people take pride in the country, the class or the family that they are born into. Others are religious or perform many good works, thinking that this would get them to heaven. In the natural, Nicodemus has these impressive attributes and qualities. Yet in John chapter 3, Jesus introduces a spiritual truth where an individual needs to be born again to see the kingdom of God. Jesus is not referring to natural birth, but new spiritual birth – to be born again of both water and Spirit. The “water” here is not water baptism, though water baptism is an important outward ordinance of the new covenant. Rather, the “water” here speaks of God’s Word. As Ephesians 5:26 says, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.” Also, the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and if we repent, put our faith in Christ and what He has done for us on the cross, our hearts and spirit experience a new birth.

Though Nicodemus is a knowledgeable and religious person, yet He needs a revelation of what it means to be born again. His eyes of spiritual understanding needs to be opened. In Mark 10:27, Jesus said, “ …With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” Thank God! There is evidence that later on, Nicodemus believed and accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour!

In our pluralistic world, the gospel of Jesus Christ may not be politically and culturally correct. Yet, we must proclaim the truth and light of the glorious good news! In John 14: 6, Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” There is only one Saviour. There is only one door of salvation! We must be born again! The encounter between Nicodemus and Jesus reflects one of the most important truths in the Word of God. Being born again is not a cliché. Jesus is not talking about a physical rebirth of entering again into our mother’s womb. He is talking about being born of water and of the Spirit, according to John 3:5. It is being born from above!

We want to invite you to be born again. We were born physically, when we came into this world. But we need to be born again of the water of the Word and of the Spirit – in order to enter the Kingdom of God!
We need to ask Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Saviour. As the Holy Spirit brings conviction,

Admit the fact that you are a sinner, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23); Be willing to repent from disobedience and rebellion against God, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3); Believe that Jesus is your only Saviour, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16); Confess and trust, and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:9-10).

Please pray this prayer and do mean it with all your heart:

"Dear Lord Jesus, I now recognize that I am a sinner and I am in need of salvation. I accept the sacrifice You paid for me on the cross of Calvary and I allow Your precious shed blood to cleanse me. I now surrender myself to You and invite You to be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart. Take full control of my life and help me live and serve You from this moment forward. I ask in the name of Jesus. Amen."

If you prayed this prayer in all sincerity, you are now a child of God. We encourage you to find fellowship in a Bible believing, Spirit filled church and obtain a copy of the Bible and that you read it diligently so that you will be the kind of Christian God wants you to be.

Come Into The Ark [English and Bahasa Indonesian]

June 22, 2024

Bahasa Indonesian Interpretation by Henok Hariyanto Hosting Pastor: Henok Hariyanto, Macedonia Ministry Jesus said that before He comes back to earth again, our world will be just like it was in the days of Noah. People are eating, drinking and partying. Many are consumed with pursuing money, power and sex. Now, there is nothing wrong with having the legitimate things in life, such as having food and sleep. But life is not just about fulfilling our physical needs. It is also to follow the Lord and seek His Kingdom. Today, we see all kinds of perversion and depravity. People are not only openly living sinful lifestyles, but want others to accept their behaviours. We are living in a day and age where evil is called good, and good is called evil. We have all kinds of blasphemers, mockers and scoffers of Jesus Christ. There is a spirit of violence that is persecuting those who believe God’s Word and walk in His way. The ark was a type of Christ. He calls us to come into the ark of His presence, protection, safety, shelter, refuge and rest. A storm is coming upon our world. It is a storm of judgment. Society will not get better and better, but rather worse and worse. We are a generation of vipers – sin has increased rampantly. Do we weep over lost souls? Do we warn people to flee from the wrath to come? We are close to the midnight hour, where the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, is coming soon! Are we ready to meet Him? Now is the day of salvation. Some of us are religious. We may even attend church regularly, have a form of godliness but denying its power. We do many good works, but are not resting in the cross and the blood of Jesus for our salvation. Today, we must make our calling and election sure! The door of the ark is still opened right now. But it won't be long before the door will be closed.

Come Into The Ark [English and Hiligaynon / Ilonggo]

March 3, 2024

Hiligaynon / Ilonggo Interpretation by Mark Winston Gabutero Hosting Pastor: Johann Bernajo, Promisecity Church Victorias City Jesus said that before He comes back to earth again, our world will be just like it was in the days of Noah. People are eating, drinking and partying. Many are consumed with pursuing money, power and sex. Now, there is nothing wrong with having the legitimate things in life, such as having food and sleep. But life is not just about fulfilling our physical needs. It is also to follow the Lord and seek His Kingdom. Today, we see all kinds of perversion and depravity. People are not only openly living sinful lifestyles, but want others to accept their behaviours. We are living in a day and age where evil is called good, and good is called evil. We have all kinds of blasphemers, mockers and scoffers of Jesus Christ. There is a spirit of violence that is persecuting those who believe God’s Word and walk in His way. The ark was a type of Christ. He calls us to come into the ark of His presence, protection, safety, shelter, refuge and rest. A storm is coming upon our world. It is a storm of judgment. Society will not get better and better, but rather worse and worse. We are a generation of vipers – sin has increased rampantly. Do we weep over lost souls? Do we warn people to flee from the wrath to come? We are close to the midnight hour, where the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, is coming soon! Are we ready to meet Him? Now is the day of salvation. Some of us are religious. We may even attend church regularly, have a form of godliness but denying its power. We do many good works, but are not resting in the cross and the blood of Jesus for our salvation. Today, we must make our calling and election sure! The door of the ark is still opened right now. But it won't be long before the door will be closed.

Arrested, Charged And Convicted As Prisoners Of Jesus Christ

March 3, 2024

Hosting Pastor: Bishop Mike Berdin, Charismatic Revival Center Fellowship The Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, unveils the power of the New Covenant. He was given the mission to preach and proclaim the gospel to the world. Yet, until his conversion, Paul who was known as Saul at that time, was a hater of the church. He persecuted the followers of Christ, arrested and thrown them into prison. He stood by, approved and consented to the stoning of Stephen unto death. But on the road to Damascus, he had a dramatic encounter with Jesus Christ. He was blinded physically, but his eyes were opened spiritually. Suddenly, he saw a light from heaven. Often, it is persecution and not prosperity that results in lives being transformed. We like to have palace-like experiences in our Christian life. Yet, there are also pits and prisons in this journey of faith. It is opposition that has been a catalyst to spread the gospel. We want the hand of the Lord upon the church, to win the lost and make disciples. Yet, we must be prepared for trials and adversities in order to experience revivals and reap the harvest of souls. In the natural, none of us want to be a prisoner. Yet, we see that the very man who sought to destroy the Church and imprison its disciples, later became imprisoned himself. From a persecutor of the church, Paul became a great proclaimer and promoter of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Today, as was in the early church, the world still hates and persecutes Christians. It is not just the ungodly who are hostile to us. Often, there is also intimidation from parts of the religious world. Some religious leaders are outrightly false, others are backsliden and apostate. Paul, before his conversion, was zealous toward God, so he thought, until his encounter with Christ that dramatically changed his life. We can choose to be a prisoner of the world, a prisoner of false religion, or a prisoner of Jesus Christ. We may or may not be put in a literal prison, but we will face unjust accusation, ill-treatment and opposition at times. Paul’s life is to pursue, apprehend and attain Christlikeness. He wants to apprehend Christ and also, to be apprehended by Christ. In the natural, to apprehend means to catch, to capture, to arrest. It is to be handcuffed and chained to Jesus, to be a prisoner of His love. As a prisoner of the Lord, Paul bore scar marks on his body as the result of persecutions he has endured. He was in prison frequently, received lashes, beaten with rods and stoned. When the world looks at us Christians, what brand do we represent? No, I’m not talking about the name of our church, our denomination or our ministry. I’m talking about whether we are faithful and fruitful to the call of God, whether we are standing for truth and righteousness, whether we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, whether we are anointed and preaching the cross of Jesus Christ who saves, heals, baptizes in the Holy Spirit and is coming again! Unlike brands of physical goods and services, we do not seek to be popular. Instead, we are often mocked, hated and persecuted by people of this world and even those from false religious institutions. The world wants to silence our voice, but we will not retreat. We are to be bold as a lion. Yet, we are also sheep in the midst of wolves. As we put our faith in Christ and Him crucified, His power will work exceeding abundantly in us. God can work mightily through us as individuals as well as corporately as the church. We have our unique gifts and callings and yet united and interdependent with other members in the body of Christ. Presently, we are living in the church age, or the age of grace. At the second coming of Christ, we will enter into the Kingdom age. We the redeemed, glorified saints of God, will live forever, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Until then, we are wanted! We are arrested, charged and convicted as prisoners of our Lord Jesus Christ! Let us proclaim the mystery of the cross, the revelation of the New Covenant, the gospel of grace!