John 3:5-7
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 and the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying you must be born again.”
Acts2:38-39
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
Our first son was born after a very long and difficult labor process that ended with a caesarian section. Without going into too much detail, let me just say that the process was both frightening and exhilarating at the same time. While my wife bore the brunt of the pain and trauma, I was there when the doctor pulled our son out into the world.
The first thing I remember noticing was that we had a boy; but almost simultaneously I noticed that something was wrong with his head! Evidently because labor had been so long, his head had been pulled all out of shape - way out of shape! Neither my wife nor my son like for me to say it this way – but the back of his head was so elongated that it looked like she had given birth to something resembling a pterodactyl!
I was panic-stricken and studied the doctor’s and nurse’s faces for signs of concern – which I didn’t find. I finally got up the courage to ask one of them, “Uh, what about his, uh, head?” to which the nurse reassuringly said, “Oh, don’t worry about that – it will return to normal shape in no time.” And, thankfully, that’s exactly what happened over the next few hours.
Everyone has a birth story! Every mother, of course, remembers the whole process in great detail. And every father who had the blessing of being present at birth can remember the moment of the child’s first breath – usually a squeaky cry!
But what about spiritual birth? What does it mean to be born of the Spirit?
Regarding spiritual birth, Jesus said, “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 and the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” John 3:5
Peter further explained the process of spiritual birth in the first sermon recorded in the book of Acts: Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38
We are born again, spiritually speaking, when we recognize our own sin and then open our hearts to faith in Jesus Christ and receive his forgiveness. At that moment we also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit who comes to dwell in our hearts by faith. Baptism, then, is an outward symbol of our spiritual re-birth!
What about the church? What role does the Holy Spirit play in the birth of the church?
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. Acts 2:1
FBCG was born in 1894 when 7 Swedish immigrants who lived in Geneva decided that traveling to Batavia (where there was a Swedish speaking Baptist church in those days) by horse and buggy took too long. They decided to form the “First Swedish Baptist Church of Geneva” with no idea what their newborn church would become over 117 years later! But because those 7 faithful men and women had given their hearts to Christ and sought to honor him, God blessed them with his Holy Spirit and a new church was not only born but has continued to grow and thrive for over a century!
We have said throughout this series that the Holy Spirit is like the wind. Just as we cannot see the wind, but rather only the impact of the wind – so also we cannot see the Holy Spirit but only the result of the Spirit’s activity. The whole book of Acts is a testimony to the power of the wind of the Holy Spirit that created the first church of Jesus Christ. In the same way, I believe that the power and work of the Holy Spirit can and must be seen in and through FBCG – in our local region and even around the world.
This means that, as people who have experienced spiritual re-birth in Christ; as people called to be this church in this day, we have inherited both a legacy and a responsibility! We have inherited a legacy of faithfulness and we have a responsibility to allow the Holy Spirit to continue his work in and through us as his church!
Thank God for those 7 Swedish immigrants who listened to the Spirit long ago – and ask him to make FBCG all he wants us to be!
Pastor Brian Coffey
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