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Last weekend, I had a chance to watch an old Billy Graham’s evangelistic crusade event from a TV broadcast. It is great to watch Rev. Graham’s heart-felt preaching in front of a huge crowd. In his preaching, one of the story illustrations impresses me very much and it prompts me to do a soul searching myself. I don’t remember all the details but the main idea goes like this (sorry if I misspoke some of the details, or you already knew the story):

A couple has planned for watching a Broadway show “My Fair Lady” at NYC for a long time. Finally one day, they got the life-time opportunity to go to NYC to watch the show. Due to its popularity of the show, tickets were not available for them to purchase from the ticket office. Under this dismay condition unwilling to admit to their friends and families that they didn’t get to see the show, they came up a “great” idea. They purchased a booklet in front of the theatre which has detail storylines and actors of the show. They also thought it is necessary to have additional proof in order to convince their friends and families. In searching for the proof, they saw there were torn “half-stub” tickets left on the ground – which were used by others to enter the theatre and were trashed by the ticketing clerk. They were quite happy to pick two of the half-stubs up. After thoroughly studied the booklet they purchased, they could recite clearly what was the show and who was the main character, etc. Back to home, they started to detail the storylines of the show to their friends and families. Aided with the half-stub tickets, their friends and families were totally convinced that this couple has seen the show…. 🙁

My dear brothers and sisters, this is a sad story with a solemn message if we view it from Christian belief perspective. Analogously, we can consider the couple as persons who have no “born again (born from the above)” experience from the Spirit, according to Rev. Graham. Their life experience would be imitating Christian belief only – he or she could recite Bible scriptures, attend all church services and programs, still, has no real life experience with and hope from the Lord. This is a soul-searching question worth to ask ourselves.

In the Gospel of John chapter 3, the same “born again” question was asked by Nicodemus, a member of Jewish ruling council, to Jesus. That conversation was very fascinating and enlightening. As Jesus indicated, “…no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again (or born from the above)” (John 3:3). It is evident that Nicodemus couldn’t comprehend Jesus’ teaching at that time. “How can this be” was a question repeatedly raised by Nicodemus. But, my dear brothers and sisters, we should be very clear in our mind that we were born from the above and we have the eternal hope that He promised us:

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

神愛世人，甚至將他的獨生子賜給他們，叫一切信他的，不至滅亡，反得永生‧因為 神差他的兒子降世，不是要定世人的罪，﹝或作審判世人下同﹞乃是要叫世人因他得救‧信他的人，不被定罪‧不信的人，罪已經定了，因為他不信神獨生子的名‧ (John 3:16-18)