(Translated version, original article written in Chinese by Pastor Mickey Hsiao)

Worship

By singing praises and hymns, awake your soul, open your heart to the Lord, and prepare yourself to welcome the presence of God and receive the Word of God that will be given to you.

Thanksgiving

Petition with thanksgiving to God for a wonderful day and pray sincerely for a focused Scripture reading time! (Do not rush into reading the Bible without starting with prayers!) (e.g., you may start with a simple prayer like this: “Dear Lord, what will you be speaking to me today?)

Scripture Reading

Get the following items ready in advance: your devotional notebook, paper, pen, and/or electronic devotional articles so that you can easily write down the Bible verses, questions, and thoughts you have noticed! You are encouraged to open your Bible and vocally read out the scriptures (Try to practice this reading method daily or once a week)!

Scripture Reading: John Ch. 3 (ESV)

Meditation

Take a moment to quietly reflect on today’s Scriptures. Through such exercises, let God’s Word be gradually written into our hearts and be inscribed to our mind.

Devotional

Read the devotional articles prepared by CBCLWA (*Read the Bible first before reading any devotional materials.)

(vv. 1-15) The dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus is often used as an example of personal evangelism or preaching, and the same can be said for the dialogue between Jesus and the woman at the well in the next chapter. Jesus is always able to find a point of entry in the conversation to guide people to think about the most critical issues. We can learn from him and also apply this when such occasions arise in our own conversations. 

We learn from verse 10 that this Pharisee ruler is also a teacher, and were he alive today, he would probably be regarded as an intellectual amongst the upper class. That day, he came to see Jesus by night. He can already feel that Jesus was different because of the signs that Jesus had done; we can see this in how his words echo the Incarnation as mentioned in John 1, how the Word became flesh and the Word was God. Nicodemus said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Thereafter, step by step, Jesus directed Nicodemus’ attention from the kingdom of God to the concept of being born again, then going from rebirth to the kind of faith that brings eternal life! Jesus gave two examples during this: he used the example of the wind that certainly exists despite being invisible to the eye to let us understand the work of the Holy Spirit; and he used the example of Moses lifting up a snake in the wilderness to talk about what he would soon accomplish! 

Brothers and sisters, what is your understanding of being born again? Being born again is not about being reborn from your mother’s womb, but is rather a new spiritual life that is born from the Spirit. It is a way to enter the kingdom of God and obtain eternal life by believing in the salvation of the Son of Man, Jesus. In today’s Scripture passage, underline all the keywords relating to “rebirth” to help you gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be born again. 

(vv. 16-21) We now come to what is perhaps one of the most familiar verses in the Bible, that is, John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” After this, Jesus explains, one by one, what the objects of one’s faith, the content of salvation, and the consequences of unbelief are. 

Jesus is God Incarnate, descended down to earth. He performed miracles not to show off how powerful he was so that people would yield to him; rather, he did so to allow people to come before the presence of God and enter into God’s Kingdom by believing and accepting his true identity. From Jesus’ guidance to Nicodemus, we also learn how Jesus tailors his teaching according to his listeners’ aptitude, and how he guides people to know themselves based on the unique characteristics each individual possesses. 

When we have the opportunity to talk to people and start to build relationships with them, we can observe and eventually come to understand their three major “views” (that is, their views on ethical values, their views of the meaning of life, and their worldview) more deeply. Wouldn’t it be great if, in doing so, we can be more effective in guiding them to consider where their “faith” in these views are leading them? Or in the way we ask them how and why they can be so confident in their views? Meanwhile, keep in mind not to forget to seize the opportunity to show them where your “faith” (that is, showing them the Way that Jesus brings to the world) comes from; then perhaps one day, through their conversations with you, they may also find the answer of life. In addition, while sharing the gospel, there is another point worth reflecting on: do you really believe in what you preach? May the Lord Himself strengthen our faith. 

(vv.22-30) These are the last words of John the Baptist recorded in the Gospels, and is also his last proclamation and testimony for Jesus before he was put in prison. Through it we see: 

• Jesus is the Christ, whereas John was the one sent before him to prepare the way. 
• Jesus is the Bridegroom, whereas John is a groomsman, a friend beside the Groom. He holds only a supporting role, whereas the Bridegroom is the main role. 
• Jesus must increase, whereas John must decrease. 

John’s life was one that exalted Jesus, glorified Jesus and witnessed for Jesus. It’s particularly worth noting that the Bible says that John was filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb (Luke 1:15), yet did not say that he performed a single miracle. The most important manifestation of being filled with the Holy Spirit is exalting Jesus, bringing glory to Jesus’ name and witnessing for Jesus! Does this differ from your impression of what being filled with the Holy Spirit should be like? Let us, through the life of John, rethink what work the Holy Spirit will do through us! 

(vv. 31-36) Some people believe that these verses are the words of John the Baptist, while others believe them to have been added by the apostle John. In these verses, we can see the transcendence of Jesus. He is of heavenly, above all things, and all things are in his hands; whoever belongs to him, that is, us, simply by believing that Jesus was sent by God and believing in his words, we can have eternal life. 

The final verse says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” It doesn’t get any clearer than this. How fearsome is the wrath of God? Think about it: who scares you so much when they’re angry that you’d run away and hide from them? But when the Lord God is angered, it will surely be infinitely more terrifying. But thanks be to God, that through salvation in Jesus Christ, we can now all escape the wrath of God! 

Pray

Give thanks to God for His enabling us to read the Scriptures and for our response for living out the Word of God today! (e.g., You may start with a simple prayer like this: “Dear Lord, what/where are you going to lead me to today?”)