GLC Believe

OW One Way: Biblical Foundations 1

Leader’s Guide: Session 3 of 4
Course Outline Summary Duration Tools to Use

I CONNECT 10 minutes

Opening Prayer An opening prayer of thanksgiving and seeking 2 minutes

guidance to be led by session leader

Introduction Short description and overview of the session 2 minutes Leader’s Guide

Icebreaker As in every succeeding session, we begin with a 6 minutes Leader’s Guide

breakout group and allow time for introduction
Materials (if necessary)
Go through “Quick charge” or “Draw the word”
activity

If conducting icebreaker is not feasible or

appropriate, consider asking questions that
lead to understanding of what the topic is all
about

II COMMUNICATE 60 minutes

Session Outline Biblical Foundations 1 Leader’s Guide

Overview
I. Born-again defined Student’s Handout

II. Why do we have to be born again? PPT

III. Jesus is the King of the kingdom

IV. What it means to be born-again

V. How to become born-again

III CATCH 10 minutes

Allow the class to ask questions. Leader’s Guide

Class goes through process questions. Student’s Handout

PPT

Group Facilitator (if

available)

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III CONCLUDE 5 minutes

Key Points Summary of session overview 3 minutes

Closing Prayer 2 minutes

TOTAL SESSION TIME 90 minutes

ONE WAY
Session 3
A New Spiritual Birth

CONNECT
Icebreaker: Quick change
With the teacher, a facilitator, or a participant as the referee, divide the class into two lines of equal
number. At the far end of the room are two chairs with pre-requested clothing (e.g. jacket with
zipper). Both lines are to send one member to the other end. That member is to wear the clothing
(the referee will decide if they have worn it properly), take it off, and run back so that the next
member may do the change. First team with all members to wear the clothing and run back wins.
After which, discuss how Jesus is the quick spiritual changer in our lives (by virtue of faith in Him).

Alternative: Draw the word

In a requested whiteboard or pieces of bond paper with pens, allow each member to draw objects or
images that they associate with the term “born-again”.

COMMUNICATE

Introduction
When you hear the word “born-again”, what is the first thing that comes into your mind? Many
people consider being “born again” a fad that developed in the 20 th century. In the Philippines today,
the term ‘born-again’ is misunderstood by a great majority of people. It has become a label that
discriminates and is the subject of ridicule by some. But what these people fail to understand is that
this is a term that Jesus Himself used and wants us to understand. Some people react negatively to
becoming “born again” because they think that they are joining a certain kind of religion. Being born
again is not a fad, nor joining into a certain kind of religion. There is so much more to it and we are
going to find that out in our study today.

I. “BORN-AGAIN” DEFINED

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 A SOVEREIGN ACT of God by his Spirit in which the believer is cleansed from SIN and given
SPIRITUAL BIRTH into God's household. It RENEWS the believer's intellect, sensibility, and will
to enable that person to enter the KINGDOM OF GOD and to do GOOD WORKS.1

(Teacher’s explanation: This definition will be explained further as we go along with our study.)

II. WHY DO WE HAVE TO BE BORN AGAIN?

(Being born-again is a necessity. The Bible is so clear that everyone must be born-again. We will look
at some of the reasons why a person must be born-again.)

A. To SPEND Eternal Life with God in Heaven

John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not
see life, for God's wrath remains on him.”

(We are going to spend eternity either with God in heaven or in hell with the devil. Hell is not a
place you want to be (more of this in the coming weeks). While heaven is the unparalleled best
and most wonderful place you want to be! God wants us to live with Him forever, but He
cannot take us into His holy presence unless our sin is removed and our relationship with Him
is restored. Our sin separates us from God. Some people are not so excited with the idea of
eternal life because their lives here on earth are filled with pain, sorrow, hunger, poverty,
hardships, disappointment, etc. Maybe they thought that eternal life will be just be an
extension of his miserable life here on earth. But the good news is that we will spend eternity
with God in heaven if we place our faith in Jesus Christ His son. We will live forever for all
eternity with God. Not only that we will be changed, but God has prepared a wonderful place
for us. In the believer’s eternal life in heaven there is no death, sickness, pain, suffering, evil, or
sin. When we don’t know Christ, we make choices as though this life is all we have. In reality,
this life is just the introduction to eternity. Receive this new life by faith in Jesus Christ and
begin to try to see all things that happen from an eternal perspective.)

B. To enter God’s KINGDOM

John 3:5 “Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he
is born of water and the Spirit.”

(Jesus was explaining the importance of a spiritual rebirth, saying that people can only enter
the kingdom by being spiritually reborn. We enter into the Kingdom of God when we become
believers of Jesus Christ. No one will enjoy the spiritual benefits of God’s kingdom unless he
will be born again.)

KINGDOM OF GOD - God’s rule, reign, authority and blessing upon people’s lives and
circumstances

1
Hoch, Carl B., Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Baker Books; 1996
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 Colossians 1:13 “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us
into the kingdom of the Son he loves”

(Being born-again is to have spiritual transformation which takes a person out of the
kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God. When we were unbelievers, we were
under sin and Satan’s control and dominion. God drew us out of Satan’s kingdom unto
Himself. When we placed our faith in Christ, we were instantly delivered. So Christ’s
death on our behalf paid the price to redeem us. On that basis, God forgave our sins
and delivered us from the power of darkness, and made us subjects of Christ’s
kingdom. The kingdom is the sphere or realm of God’s authority and blessing which is
now invisible but will be fully manifested on earth when Jesus returns and establish His
rule on earth. We now enjoy the many blessings and benefits of God’s kingdom.
The task of the church is to make the invisible kingdom visible through faithful
Christian living and witness-bearing.)

III. Jesus is the KING of the Kingdom.

Isaiah 9:7 “Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on
David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and
righteousness from that time on and forever...”

Matthew 28:18 “Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me.”

Revelation 19:16 “On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.”

(Jesus as the king of the kingdom must be acknowledged in repentance, faith, and new
obedience. Jesus died, rose, ascended, and is now enthroned in heaven as ruler over all things,
King of kings and Lord of lords. The kingdom of God is the kingship of Christ. We are to seek
the Kingdom of God and it means making Jesus the Lord and King of our lives right now and in
the coming age. While we are still on earth, He must have dominion and control in every area
of our lives (our work, play, plans, relationships, etc.) Is the kingdom only one of your many
concerns, or is it central to all you do? Is entering the Kingdom an urgent matter of life and
death that directs your life? Are you holding back any areas of your life from Jesus’ control?)

IV. WHAT IT MEANS TO BE BORN-AGAIN

John 3:3-6 “In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God
unless he is born again. " "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely
he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "I tell you
the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh
gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”

A. Experiencing a new SPIRITUAL birth

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 (Many people today just like Nicodemus do not understand the spiritual significance of
being born again. Definitely, it is not a physical rebirth as can be shown in Nicodemus
answer. It is something spiritual in nature. Nicodemus saw only the literal meaning and
questioned its absurdity. But with all his learning he should have understood that God can
and will give spiritual rebirth. Human beings (the flesh) can produce only more human
beings; this answers Nicodemus’s question in verse 4. Only God, the divine Spirit, can give
the believer spiritual life.)

B. Becoming a new CREATION in Christ

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has
gone, the new has come!”

(When we become believers of Jesus Christ, we become a new creation in Christ. It involves
a whole reversal of the persons’ natural tendencies. It is not merely an amplification of
present traits. Although regeneration (born-again) involves something totally new to us, it
does not result in anything foreign to human nature. Rather, the new birth is the
restoration of human nature to what it originally was intended to be and what it in fact
was before sin entered the human race at the time of the fall. It is simultaneously the
beginning of a new life and a return of the original life and activity. God renews and
restores the person’s whole being by implanting in him a new principle of desire, purpose,
and action.)

1. We were DEAD because of sin.

Isaiah 59:2 “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have
hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord.”

Ephesians 2:1-2 “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which
you used to live… “

(Sin came in through the disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve. We were
then separated from our holy God. Sin offends our holy God and separates us from
Him. Because God is holy, He cannot ignore, excuse, or tolerate sin as though it didn’t
matter. God loves the sinner but hates sin. Sin cuts people off from Him, forming a
barrier to isolate God from the people He loves. No wonder our sins make God angry
and forces Him to look the other way. Men are sinners and we deserved the penalty of
sin. Death (physical and spiritual) is the penalty of sin. People who die with their life of
sin unforgiven separate themselves eternally from God. The regeneration of our nature
is absolutely necessary to regain the fellowship and relationship we have with God.
That is why we need Jesus our Savior.)

2. We receive a new LIFE.

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 John 5:24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent
me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”

(Since we are dead in sin, we need a new life from God. Regeneration or being born-
again is the impartation of a new and divine life; a new creation; the production of a
new thing. It is not the old nature altered, reformed, or reinvigorated, but a new birth
from above. By nature man is dead in sin, the new birth imparts to him new life—the
life of God, so that henceforth he is as those that are alive from the dead; he has
passed out of death into life.)

3. We are CLEANSED from the effects of Sin.

John 3:5 “Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God
unless he is born of water and the Spirit.”

(Jesus’ phrase “born of water” speaks of the cleansing of sin’s effect upon the person.
The water may also represent the cleansing action of God’s Holy Spirit in the person’s
life. In our sinful nature, we are accustomed to do evil and we cannot please God. Our
minds are darkened so that we cannot apprehend spiritual truth; we need a renewing
of the mind. Our heart is deceitful, and does not welcome God; we need to be pure in
heart to see God. There is no thought of God before the eyes of the natural man; we
need a change in nature that we may be counted among those who “thought upon his
name.” No education or culture can bring about such a needed change. God alone can
do it. God is pictured as symbolically cleansing persons from sin’s pollution (by water)
and bestowing a “new heart” by putting his Spirit within them. Being born-again is to
be cleansed from the effects of sin in a person’s life and to experience this new life in
the Spirit.)

4. We have a new RESPONSE to Sin.

1 John 3:9 “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's
seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.”

(Our life without Christ is characterized by sinful living. Sin has control over us and we
commit sin. Since we have a new spiritual life, our old life of sin died. While we are still
alive in this world, there is always a tension between our new life in Christ and our
former life of sin and our evil way of living. When we are born-again we have a new
perspective and response to sin in our lives. True believers do not make a practice of
sinning, nor do they become indifferent to God’s moral law. All believers still sin, but
they are working to gain victory over sin. True believers do not make a practice of
sinning, because God’s new life has been born into them. Our old sinful life has died.
We are no longer to live in our old sinful nature.)

5. We have a new WAY of living.

Ephesians 4:22-24 “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put
off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in

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 the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness.”

(When a person dies to the old life and belongs to Christ, a new life begins. God is at
the center of a Christian’s life. God supplies the power for the Christian’s daily living by
the indwelling Holy Spirit. Believers find that their whole way of looking at the world
changes when they come to Christ. When we are born again, the Holy Spirit lives in us
and gives us a new life. Being born again is more than a fresh start; it is a rebirth,
receiving a new life and a new way of living based on Christ’s death for us. When this
happens, God forgives us and totally accepts us; the Holy Spirit gives us a new mind
and heart, lives in us, and begins helping us to become like Christ. Our perspective
changes too because we have a mind that is renewed day by day by the Holy Spirit. So
we must begin to think and act differently.)

C. It is a SUPERNATURAL occurrence.
John 3:6 “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”

(It is God’s Spirit, not our effort that makes us children of God. It is not something that can
be accomplished by human endeavor. This is entirely the work of God the Holy Spirit. It
raises the believers from spiritual death to new life in Christ. Humans hope that they
somehow inherit goodness from parents, or earn it by good behavior, church background,
or correct associations. But without God’s help and complete transformation there is no
possibility that genuine good on a large scale will emerge from humankind. With
supernatural help, humans can be transformed and restored to their original goodness.
God only has the ability to transformed human beings.)

D. It is the Holy Spirit’s WORK.

John 3:8 “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell
where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Titus 3:5 “…He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit”

(Being born again or regeneration is especially the work of the Holy Spirit. Although
salvation was planned and originated by God the Father and accomplished by the Son, it is
the Holy Spirit who applies it to the life of the believer. Jesus explained that we cannot
control the work of the Holy Spirit. He works in ways we cannot predict or understand. Just
as you did not control your physical birth, so you cannot control your spiritual birth. It is a
gift from God through the Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit, like the wind, has free movement and,
like reviving breath, has power. Jesus used this illustration to show that the reality of the
Spirit living in a person is evidenced by the effect of the Spirit on that person’s life. People
can control neither the wind nor the movement of God’s Spirit. What we do know are the
effects of the wind and of the Spirit.)

E. It is the starting-point for spiritual GROWTH.

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 1 Peter 2:2 “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow
up in your salvation”

(Regeneration or being born-again, having a new birth, is the starting-point of spiritual

growth. The regenerated man needs nurturing and training. As newly born babies, we
need to grow in the faith. Our discipleship journey begins towards Christ-likeness when we
become born-again. Once we become born-again, we embark on life-long process towards
spiritual growth and maturity.)

V. HOW TO BECOME BORN-AGAIN

Acts 2:36-37 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified,
both Lord and Christ." When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and
the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

(When the people heard the Gospel, they asked the disciples what they should do in order to be saved
or to be born-again for that matter. Just like them, we have that same question in our hearts and
minds. Actually we already know the answer. Repentance and faith is necessary to be born-again.)

Repentance and Faith are necessary to be born-again.

Acts 20:21 “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance
and have faith in our Lord Jesus.”

(We have already studied what repentance and faith is. Repentance is the unbeliever’s turning
away from sin, and faith is his turning toward Christ. We need to repent and have faith in
Jesus in order for us to be born-again. Maybe, like Nicodemus we had not seen that there is a
deeper meaning to being ‘born again’ than how we have understood it before. Jesus wants us
to understand that we are incapable of doing anything to save ourselves, more so become
born-again. We need to be reborn spiritually to receive all the spiritual blessings that God has
given to all who believe in Jesus Christ. We need to repent and put our faith in Jesus in order
for us to be born-again.)

CATCH
1. What was your understanding of being born again in the past? What is your understanding of
it now?

2. What changes would you expect in the life of one who has been born again? Do you consider
yourself to be born-again? Why or why not?

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LIFE APPLICATION

To show your repentance, faith and commitment, you can say this prayer.

PRAYER:
“Dear Father in Heaven, I admit that I am a sinner. I thank you for providing a solution for my
sin problem – Your Son Jesus Christ who died on the cross for me. Today, I put my trust in Him
to save me from eternal death. I would like to open my heart now and invite You Jesus to
come into my life. I want you to be my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and for
Your gift of eternal life. In faith, I am now born-again. Thank You for all the spiritual blessings
that I will receive as being born-again. Help me by your Spirit, to live a life consistent with my
new spiritual birth. In Jesus name, Amen.”

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