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A Week Before The Resurrection

8 DAYS AFTER THE RESURRECTION-A DOUBTER

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“And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”

John 20:26

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Introduction

This account is from the eyes of Thomas, who separated himself from the other disciples after the betrayal by Judas in the garden. He did not see them again for eight (8) days after Jesus appeared to the others.  Thomas became disappointed and did not want to see anyone.  Doesn’t that sound like many of us when we are discouraged?  We stay away from those who could help encourage us.

The meaning of the cross, the resurrection, and the words of Jesus were just starting to come together for 10 of the original disciples, plus the women who proved to be more committed and braver than the men who watched the crucifixion from a distance (except James and John).   The disciples had seen Jesus on the third day after his death (1st Day of the week-Sunday).  Jesus began to build up their faith by appearing to them alive and teaching them from the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) about Himself.  These are the books of the Bible we call the Old Testament.  

“Then He (Jesus) said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’ And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.”

Luke 24:44-45

Their faith, indeed,  began to grow as they heard Jesus give them a Bible study on how it was fulfilled in Himself, but Thomas was not with them and missed this important revelation.  Choosing, perhaps, to reevaluate everything that had happened.  He, like the disciples earlier in the week, was terribly disappointed and depressed.  He had hoped Jesus would save Israel and himself.  The cross seemed to dash all hopes of any deliverance!

How often do we miss the blessing of Bible study due to our depression and desire to be alone?  May Thomas’ story teach us to believe and trust and not to doubt.

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A Doubter

Greetings.  I am Thomas, one of his original 12 disciples.  I was commissioned by Jesus to do mighty works for the kingdom of God, but I am confused and skeptical, just as you may be.  Allow me to tell you what I know.

I have not seen the other disciples since the night of the Preparation Day.  We had eaten the Passover supper and looked forward to a festive weekend.

But most of us were scattered like sheep without a Shepard when Jesus was taken at the garden and then sent to trial and was crucified.  I saw Peter on the other side of the hill weeping on that horrible day.  My own tears were bitter and soaked my garments as they took that precious innocent man I had come to love and nailed him like an animal to a cruel wooden cross.

I know that Jesus is dead!  I saw him beaten, scourged, and eventually expire on a Roman cross. He was a bloody mess after the all-day cruelty and beatings.  He died on the afternoon of the Preparation Day.  This is the day you Gentiles call Friday.  It is the day us Jews and some of the converts prepare for the Sabbath, a day of rest and worship.  I have always enjoyed the Sabbath, especially with Jesus, but this Sabbath was different.

We all retreated to a secret spot to literally rest from the exhausting events of the previous 24 hours, but our souls were not at rest.  The women had seen the body of Jesus and were resting according to the Sabbath commandment.  Their plan was to go to the tomb of Jesus at the rising of the sun on the First Day of the week to prepare his body for burial.

The Scribes and Pharisees wanted Jesus dead because they said He claimed to be God and that he could tear down the temple and build it again in three days.  Often Jesus would say things like this that made little sense to me. But, later, he would explain it to His followers, and we could see its true meaning.

Since the religious leaders didn’t want Jesus and the two thieves hanging on the cross during the Sabbath, they broke the legs of the thieves to hurry the death process.  When a man is hanging on the cross with broken legs, he is unable to push up against the nails in his feet and its platform to get a breath.  The diaphragm will collapse in such a way that they gasp for air and suffocate.

Such a disgusting and uncomfortable slow death! But since the Sabbath was only a few hours from starting, the three on the hill, called Golgotha, were fortunate and did not have to suffer for days… as have many others.  The Romans are so cruel! But I don’t blame them.  It was our own religious leaders that pushed and pushed until they finally got what they wanted…the scourging and death of Jesus.

But, when the soldiers came to Jesus, they noticed He was already dead and did not break His legs but rather took a sword and pierced His side just to make sure.  Blood and water came forth.  I saw it even though I watched from a distance to protect myself from the same fate.   It was horrible!  It took the air out of me (so to speak) and made me wonder why I followed Jesus in the first place.  So, I know Jesus to be dead, even as the women when they went to His tomb that Friday afternoon to look at his body and to prepare spices to anoint Him early on the 1st Day of the week (Sunday morning).

It has been reported that Mary Magdalene, whom Jesus had cast out 7 demons, said she had seen Jesus at the tomb with two angels.  But I don’t know about her.  She did have demons, didn’t she?  Jesus cast out her demons, but maybe one was leftover and it is making her mad.  The whole city must be mad because it is also reported many people who were dead were resurrected and appeared to many!  I have not seen any, but I must admit I have not been going out much lately. I feel lost and with no purpose or direction.  I just want to sleep.

Then I heard that about eight days ago, on the day you Gentiles call Sunday, Cleopas and his friend were on their way to Emmaus and had an encounter with a spirit or something. It was reported to me by the other disciples that a stranger spent a good three hours giving a comparative study of the writings of the Tanakh, or the Old Testament as you call it.  As they walked down the dusty road towards Emmaus the stranger told them about how Jesus could be found all through scripture.  As they began to understand from the Tanakh about Jesus.  They could see why He had to die on the cross,.  It is reported they said, it made their “hearts burn within them.”

I do remember Jesus saying something about dying and being resurrected, but it was so far from my thinking that I put it out of my mind.

Cleopas (one of the two men on the road to Emmaus)  reported that when they reached their destination, they begged him to stay and tell them more of what he knew.  But, the stranger turned out to be Jesus himself!  They apparently recognized him as He broke bread and then He disappeared.  Can you imagine that?  He just disappeared!

They then raced the 7 or 8 miles back to Jerusalem with the news of what had just happened.   But the disciples were skeptical, as I am.

Now the other disciples are claiming Jesus showed up at their meeting and that He also gave them a comparative study from the Tanakh about Himself.  He then asked for something to eat and he ate some fish.

So that is what I know so far.  It is all only rumor and wishful thinking as far as I am concerned.  Tragic events like this can lead you to think weird things.

 I think I will walk over and see how my friends are doing. The last time I saw them, they were fearful and unbelieving as I am, but something has come over them this last week.  They swear they have seen Jesus.

As I walk in, I notice the doors are not shut and there is a certain confidence in the countenance of each one.  Peter rushes over to me and says,

“We have seen the Lord!”

My response is quick and to the point,

“Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

I am serious too!  His death has been difficult to both understand and accept.  My mind begins to fall back to those final moments before he died.  He said,

“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

What did He mean by this?  Is there more to this than forgiveness?

As I am thinking about this, I look up, and right there in front of me is Jesus!  But….Jesus…you….are… Am I seeing a spirit?  I don’t believe in ghosts!  Then I hear His voice and His words:

Thomas…. “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here,and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

I take my trembling finger and place it on the place where the nails were…both hands!  It is strange to feel a scar where I saw nails piercing his skin only a week or so ago.   I reach out and put my hand inside His robe and feel the warmth of His skin and the scar where the sword had been.  I then look up at His eyes, and I see the kindness and royalty of a wise and gentle king and savior.  He IS alive!  I fall at his feet and say in remorse and acknowledgment.

“My Lord and my God!”

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Conclusion

Jesus told Thomas these important words:

“Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 20: 29

How Important is the Resurrection in your life?  How important is studying the Old Testament to find Jesus?  Has your search for Jesus been confined to only a small portion of God’s word?

We will never have the experience (before Jesus returns) that Thomas had when he touched the risen and glorified body of Jesus.  But we can still find evidence which will result in faith to believe that Jesus is alive and is preparing a place for those who believe and love Him.  You see, faith is based on substance and evidence.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

If Christ was not raised, then the disciples are liars we have no hope and we are not saved from anything.  Those who have “fallen asleep” in Christ have perished.  And when we sleep in Christ, there is no resurrection for us.  If we only have a Christ that died and did not come back to life, He is just like every other person who claims to be God.  Follow the logic of Paul’s argument in the following portion of scripture:

“Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”  1 Corinthians 15:  12-19

Here is the logic:

If Resurrection is not possible, nor important, then Jesus has not been raised.

If Jesus has not been raised then preaching and teaching is in vain.

If Preaching and teaching is vain then faith is empty (It has no substance-nor basis).

If faith is empty then that means the disciples are false witnesses because they said they saw him alive.

If the Disciples are false witnesses then Christ is not risen.

If Christ does not rise then our faith in Christ is futile. All those who have died have perished.

Since there is no hope of a resurrection, we are of men, most pitiable.

Paul told us that he did not want us to be ignorant about the resurrection and those who have fallen asleep (died).  If we are ignorant about it, we will sorrow like everyone else that does not have hope.  But, the fact that Jesus died and was resurrected gives us the hope of one day coming back to life through the resurrection: Our hope is that Jesus is all that He claimed to be.  He claims to have the keys of the grave and death (Revelation 1:8). He claims to be the resurrection and the life and even though we die, we will live again. John 11:25

“ But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep (died), lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring (resurrect) with Him those who sleep in Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13, 14

Paul goes so far as to provide us with the clearest passage in the Bible about the day when all who have died in Christ will be resurrected.  It will happen this way: The Lord will descend from heaven.  It will be loud because there is a shout and a loud trumpet.  Also the sky will be lit up with the angels and the glory of the Jesus and the Father.

Those in the grave will hear his voice and will meet with those who are alive at the 2nd coming and meet them in the air.  This is the start of eternity with Jesus.  This picture described by Paul is the comfort us who are to be resurrected one day; we will all be reunited with those alive at His coming.  Not at any other time, but at His second coming:

“For this, we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

I Thessalonians 4:15-18

For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Matthew 16:27 (Note: our reward is when he comes)

Then the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. Matthew 25:31

So how important is the resurrection?  It is critical to our salvation:

 “… if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”  Romans 10:9

Why is the resurrection not discussed more?  It is the bedrock of the faith we follow regarding Jesus.

Many of the writers of the Bible believed in and put their hope in the resurrection.  Here is but a few:

Job:

“For I know that my Redeemer lives,

And He shall stand at last on the earth;

And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,

That in my flesh I shall see God,

Whom I shall see for myself,

And my eyes shall behold, and not another.

How my heart yearns within me! Job 19:25-27

Isaiah:

Your dead shall live;

Together with my dead body they shall arise.

Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust;

For your dew is like the dew of herbs,

And the earth shall cast out the dead. Isaiah 26:19

Daniel:

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Daniel 12:2

David:

 “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness” Psalm 17:15

Abraham:

Of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called:

Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead Hebrews 11:18

There is no precedence for the resurrection except for Jesus. No other person has raised themselves from the dead. Jesus said this about the resurrection:

Jesus said,

“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”  John 11:25

“And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:40

Until the Lord returns, the dead sleep and wait for the last day when Jesus will raise them up.  What a day that will be!

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,  who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Philippians 3: 20-21

Look again at the resurrection of Jesus and His body.  Here you will see what our bodies shall look like.  As the verse above , and many other,  tells us:  We “wait” for that glorious day when He returns and changes us.  It is not until that day that we can say,

 “Oh death, where is thy sting?  Oh grave, where is thy victory?” 1 Corinthians 15:55

We cannot say this at a funeral.  The context tells us, these words cannot be said, until our risen Savior returns and changes our bodies like to his risen body:

 “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 

 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? :1 Corinthians 15: 51-55

In conclusion, let us not doubt, as did Thomas, but believe the miracle of Christ’s resurrection.  Without it, your faith is futile. We are promised a blessing if we believe that Jesus was raised from the dead and that He can do the same for us!  He has promised to do that very thing when he returns.  Oh, what a day that will be!

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Personal Journey With Jesus, Reasons to Believe

The Clockmaker

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A Bike Ride Out of Atheism

Back in the mid-’70s, I was an evolutionist bicycle rider. I was fulfilling a dream trip by riding cross-country from LA back to Nashville. As I rode along in the open deserts of Arizona, I had plenty of time to think and observe the beautiful scenery.

One day, as I peddled across the high desert towards Flagstaff from the Grand Canyon, I could feel the strength in my legs and my circulatory system working in harmony with all parts of my being. I felt strong and happy. My eyes could see the far-off snow-capped mountains outside Flagstaff (San Francisco Peaks). The blue sky was incredible, and the feel of the cool high desert air on my skin and in my lungs led me to ponder the complexity of life. I began to extrapolate my thoughts.

I reasoned that if I had never seen a clock before but studied it, I would discover a few things. This study would take a while, but initially, I would see that the hands of the clock corresponded to the daily cycle of the sun.

I would discover quickly that the parts of the clock were precise…working together to move the hands exactly to measure time. Ah! Here is its purpose. All that I learned would tell me there must be a CLOCKMAKER. I didn’t know who or where he lived, but I knew he was out there somewhere. I had never met him, but somebody probably had. So, if I wanted to know more, I would (theoretically) start some research and learn as much as possible about the CLOCKMAKER. While the clock and its workings are interesting, it is the punctilious CLOCKMAKER, the originator of this instrument, that is more fascinating.

My extrapolated thought process continued. Our bodies, how we were born, how we are sustained and have the ability to pro-create is far more complicated than a simple clock. I reasoned, there must be a punctilious PERSON MAKER! When I came to that conclusion, I said the first meaningful prayer in my life, “God, if you are out there, please reveal yourself to me.” Well, He did in a way I had not anticipated. The prayer was forgotten as my trip progressed. It was not until many months later that I remembered it.

When I returned from my trip, Julie (the mother of our children-may, she rest in peace) was attending evangelistic-type Bible studies. She seemed different. Calmer. I made fun of her so much that she finally threw a dare at me. She said,

“take my notes and prove me wrong.”

This appealed to my scientific, history-loving, college-educated mind, so I took her up on it. She was crafty to draw me in like that. I knew what she was up to, but I believed I could easily find the errors in the Bible and discount Jesus and the whole world of religion in a few sentences. After all, I was educated. She only had a high-school diploma. But, I would learn that wisdom doesn’t require a Ph.D. behind your name.

To make a long story short, I studied Jesus and the entire Bible for months like I would study a book about the CLOCKMAKER I had never seen. In the early and mid-70s, there was not the madness of the internet, so I researched the church’s history and the Bible’s prophecies at the downtown library in Nashville. Wow! What a journey. My research revealed I knew very little about the Bible, Jesus, and the journey of the Jews.

My conclusions?

Jesus was all He, the prophets, and his disciples claimed Him to be!

Author

Jesus was the prophetic Messiah on a mission to save the world from eternal death and offer us eternal life. He is also part of the Godhead and is, therefore, our Creator God (See John Chapter 1: 1-14. Colossians 1: 15-18, Hebrews 1: 1-2).

I would not have known if I had kicked the clock away with no interest in how it worked. What I learned changed my life and direction eternally, as it has millions of others. I discovered there is a spiritual side to us and not just physical. Jesus said,

The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

John 6:63

Needless to say, Julie was happy and amazed at my transformation as I was amazed at her change! In my efforts to prove her wrong, I found her God!

My point is this…the physical world we see had a beginning and a Creator. None of us were there. While we can’t see the Creator (like I couldn’t see the clockmaker), God put within us all His Spirit to tap into and give us the desire to know Him. Yes, we can know the great Creator.

“…let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 9:24

We can know about Him through the prophets. creation, and Jesus in the Bible. Even without the Bible, creation is the evidence of His design that gives us faith in Him. In fact, the Bible’s definition of faith is based on evidence and substance:

“Now faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things not seen.”

Hebrews 11:1.

We can have reasons to believe. It doesn’t have to be blind.

The Bible, written by over 40 different authors with the same God experience, is deeper and more accurate than INTERPRETIVE science because there is a God bigger than His creation. Not in size but in complexity. The inspired writers (2 Peter 1:21) moved by God’s Spirit, point our eyes to the heavens to see the power of the unseen Creator.

“For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been CLEARLY SEEN, being understood from what has been made, so that people are WITHOUT EXCUSE.

Romans 1:20

(It would have been silly for me not to believe there was a clock-maker because the evidence was right there in front of me. The same thought holds true for God-the, Creator.)

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

Psalm 19:1

(We can learn about God in His creation which is the work of His hands)

“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon, and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”

Psalm 8:3-4

Let all the earth fear the Lord;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
 For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast. Psalm 33: 8-9

(We are so small when we look at the universe. It is because we are created. He is the Creator.)

How foolish can you be?
  He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay!
Should the created thing say of the one who made it,
  “He didn’t make me”?
Does a jar ever say,
 “The potter who made me is stupid”? Isiah 29: 16 NLT

One last point. As Moses writes in Genesis, God did all this in 6 literal days (evenings and mornings). This is outside the realm of science and their calculations based on things as they know them and their assumption that …

…all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

2 Peter 3:4

Creation from nothing is only possible from an eternal Creator. Our week of 7 days testifies to creation week. Why not a 10-day or 5-day week?

If you are having trouble with belief, I recommend you get to know the CLOCKMAKER.

At a certain point in my studies and discovery, I prayed the second meaningful prayer in my life:

“Lord, I don’t know what you will do with me. I have made so many mistakes and sinned so much. Would you forgive me? Please put me to work. I don’t want to be a pew warmer.”

He answered this prayer immediately.

I was baptized and began a journey of ministry. What a ride it has been! Julie was very happy. But the enemy of souls does not give up easily, nor does the flesh.

These last 48 years have been a battle, but God is faithful never to leave me nor forsake me despite the war raging around me. Battles have been won and some lost, but I am thankful for the strength of the CLOCKMAKER …” because the one who is in (me) is greater than the one who is in the world.; 1 John 4: 4

So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being, I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.  What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7: 21-25

If you are having trouble with belief, I recommend you get to know the CLOCKMAKER.

Born Again, Faith

NICODEMUS-BEARING FRUIT

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“In the interview with Nicodemus, Jesus unfolded the plan of salvation and His mission to the world. In none of His subsequent discourses did He explain so fully, step by step, the work necessary to be done in the hearts of all who would inherit the kingdom of heaven. At the very beginning of His ministry, He opened the truth to a member of the Sanhedrin, to the mind that was most receptive, and to an appointed teacher of the people. But the leaders of Israel did not welcome the light. Nicodemus hid the truth in his heart, and for three years, there was little apparent fruit.” Desire of Ages, p. 176

Godly Patience

Let not there be discouragement when a friend, family member, or acquaintance shows little fruit from constant prayer requests and/or the planting of God’s word. The growth from a seed to a plant takes time. Sunshine, food, and water nourish the little seedling to grow. Weeds may grow up to try to choke out the plant. Weeds should be carefully removed from near the plant, but God does not allow sinful man to do this work. The plant must grow at the rate and wisdom of God’s leading.

If tempted to judge others in your congregation based on their fruit and rate of growth, keep in mind two things:

1.) God is tending the garden He plants of receptive and willing people. Each person is at a different point in their Jesus Journey, so the plant of believers should only provide to others the things God has given us: Sunshine, food, and water to each person. Be careful not to hang heavy burdens on a small plant. When it is a strong mature plant, it will be ready for its intended purpose.

2.) The tares and wheat will grow together in the church until the harvest. It is not our place to weed the garden or to harvest. Weeding may have the intended results of damaging the wheat. It is not our place to generalize and pronounce judgments on a church as a whole because of tares. We should only water and ensure we do not block the Son for everyone because we do not know who is wheat and who are tares. God looks on the heart…we can’t see a person’s heart. It is a natural spiritual result that weeds will often dry up on their own if they reject the water and bread of life. But we should never stop offering both. People can change.

He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares, you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest,  Matthew 13: 28-30b

“…Jesus was acquainted with the soil into which He cast the seed. The words spoken at night to one listener in the lonely mountain were not lost. For a time, Nicodemus did not publicly acknowledge Christ, but he watched His life and pondered His teachings. In the Sanhedrin council, he repeatedly thwarted the schemes of the priests to destroy Him. When at last Jesus was lifted up on the cross, Nicodemus remembered the teaching upon Olivet:

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

John 3:14

The light from that secret interview illumined the cross upon Calvary, and Nicodemus saw in Jesus the world’s Redeemer.”  Desire of Ages, p. 176

“After the Lord’s ascension, when the disciples were scattered by persecution, Nicodemus came boldly to the front. He employed his wealth in sustaining the infant church that the Jews had expected to be blotted out at the death of Christ. In the time of peril, he, who had been so cautious and questioning, was firm as a rock, encouraging the faith of the disciples and furnishing means to carry forward the work of the gospel. He was scorned and persecuted by those who had paid him reverence in other days. He became poor in this world’s goods, yet he faltered not in the faith which had its beginning in that night conference with Jesus.” Desire of Ages, p. 177

After the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, Nicodemus came forth boldly. He had received the Son, water, and bread of life. His faith in Jesus grew to be as firm as a rock. His rebirth occurred that night with Jesus when he realized his great need to change from dry religiosity to a productive follower of Jesus. The emphatic words of Jesus stayed with him:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”…
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 

John 3: 3,5

Fruit

Nicodemus’ support came in the form of the wealth that others lacked. When persecution came, he encouraged the disciples in their work. It is likely that the fruit bore by Nicodemus fed the little church of believers. The church became stronger and moved faster under the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that is the most powerful fruit that is given as a gift to that one who has been reborn. It was the power that led to the growth of the church of believers. These seedlings of God’s word would bear much fruit and spread this seed of life throughout the world. Fruit would come forth to feed those who would “take and eat.”

Unity always results when a church is filled with people who have been reborn and accept the mission of Jesus to…

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Mark 16:15

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly, there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Acts 2: 1-2

Conclusion

The body of Christ, His church, can learn from that powerful conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. It starts with a startling fact from Jesus: If we have not been reborn, we will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. But, the power of the Holy Spirit to do this work is encouraged by the receptive heart moved and convicted by looking and learning of Jesus.

The wind is heard among the branches of the trees, rustling the leaves and flowers, yet it is invisible, and no man knows whence it comes or whither it goes. So with the work of the Holy Spirit upon the heart. It can no more be explained than can the movements of the wind. A person may not be able to tell the exact time or place or to trace all the circumstances in the process of conversion, but this does not prove him to be unconverted. By an agency as unseen as the wind, Christ is constantly working upon the heart. Little by little, perhaps unconsciously to the receiver, impressions are made that tend to draw the soul to Christ. These may be received through meditating upon Him, through reading the Scriptures, or through hearing the word from the living preacher. Suddenly, as the Spirit comes with a more direct appeal, the soul gladly surrenders itself to Jesus. By many, this is called sudden conversion; but it is the result of long wooing by the Spirit of God—a patient, protracted process. Desire of Ages, p. 172

After conversion, the heart is changed to love like Jesus and compelled to tell the world of Him.

 The Christian’s life is not a modification or improvement of the old but a transformation of nature. There is a death to self and sin, and a new life altogether. This change can be brought about only by the effectual working of the Holy Spirit. Desire of Ages, p. 172

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking, and envying each other.

Galatians 5: 24-26