Issue: New Birth
3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again,[a] you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”[1] Jesus makes things pretty clear about how you see the Kingdom of God. You have to be born again. The new birth is a divine act upon men whereby God plants the gospel seed by proclamation of His Promise (the gospel message) and the application of the Holy Spirit. Jesus also made it clear that there is no other way to be saved. You have to come through Him. He is the gate. He is the ladder. He is the shepherd. He is the King. He is the only way, the only truth, the only light. Salvation comes by no other name. But salvation does come. It comes by the name of Jesus. He is the perfect lamb, our sacrifice, who bore our sins on the cross and suffered the wrath we deserve so that we might reap the reward He deserves. And this message of His finished foretold work and His resurrection guarantee that those who believe in Him will be saved.
- Minneapolis is a city full of religion. Coexist bumper stickers line cars on our blocks. Mosques and temples or religious worship centers also line our streets. Here are a couple of stats about the presence and impact of religious beliefs outside of Christianity in our area provided by Andrew Naselli from his blog about a tour he took with City Vision:[2]
- One of the largest concentrations of witches in the U.S. (Paganistan), numbering over 20,000.MN has a Muslim Congressman
- Largest Cambodian Buddhist temple in the U.S.
- Largest Hindu temple in the North America.
- World headquarters for Eckankar
- Anoka is known as the Halloween Capital of the World
- Largest Witch/New Age publishing company in the world located in the Twin Cities
- First State with a Hindu State Representative
- Mormon Temple located in Oakdale
- City containing over 125 Muslim mosques
- Eleven Muslim mosques, six Hindu temples, three Buddhist temples, one Sikh, and one Jain temple are now all located in former church buildings throughout the Twin Cities
- Two Witch covens meet in church buildings in the Twin Cities.
- Minneapolis is the future site for the new $48 million dollar, 300,000 sq. ft. Muslim Youth Center mosque. The first of its kind in the nation and the largest Muslim mosque in America.
Visit the blog and take note of how many other large churches (Christian) fill the list of items noted. Point being there is a lot of competition for the salvation, and ultimately the souls, of our people. I’ve received visits from Jehovah’s witnesses and Scientologists as well as literature from other religions right at my front doorstep. I’ve been changed by Jesus and have an awareness of the dangers that exist in the form of religions. I can warn and teach my children about the arguments they encounter. But these false religions exist in our neighborhoods and there are many who know no difference between the promises they offer and the promises guaranteed by Christ. That’s a good reason to pray and then act in faith to be a peaceful presence equipped with the gospel here.
I’ve got friends that are Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, atheist, agnostic, and spiritual. We have the ability to talk about our differences, but at the end of the day there are still HUGE differences in what we believe. We have shared meals and conversations. The gospel has been presented and heard to varying degrees, but nothing I can do can make someone experience new birth. That all rests in God’s hands. So we pray. And we preach. We love and listen. We pray some more. We continue to preach. And so it goes.
Please pray that God would break through the spiritual strongholds in our city to open eyes to see the beauty of the person Jesus Christ and His crucifixion. Please pray that children would hear the message and be born again. Pray for men and women who will love and live in peace, to the extent God calls us to, to come into the neighborhood and reach out to these families. Pray that the truth about faith in good works, not in the work of salvation by the cross, would be seen for what they are: insufficient. Pray God would keep us humble and fill us with love as we remember our personal need for salvation. Pray we don’t seek to save “bad” people thinking we are “good” people. Pray instead that we might be beggars pointing others to the place they too might find bread. Pray we would put our spiritual armor on each day as we live amidst the warfare. We need minds guarded by salvation, hearts guarded by Christ’s righteousness, feet shod with the gospel of peace, the defense of the shield of faith, and hands trained in handling the word of God. All of this is girded in God’s truth. Pray that God would get the glory of conversions that spread throughout our city and revivals that fill our churches and send brothers and sisters out into the same streets filled with bumper stickers and empty temples. Pray for courage and boldness. Pray for God’s name to be revered and His Kingdom to come in North Minneapolis the same way it is in Heaven.
Thank you for joining us in prayer.
In Christ,
Mike “Streezy” Strong