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Do you remember what it felt like to realize that you had been born again through Jesus Christ? Maybe it took time to understand the transformation that had taken place in your life, or maybe it was an instantaneous feeling of peace. George Whitfield was a powerful preacher during the Great Awakening in the 18th century. His constant message from John Chapter 3 was, “you must be born again”. Year after year, he did not tire of preaching the truth that people must be made alive by God. Once, Whitfield was asked by a friend why he preached so continually that people must be born again, and his answer was, perhaps unsurprisingly, “Because – you must be born again.”
“But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
Romans 8:10-11 (ESV)
The world is filled with religions that tell us that we must be better men and women. We must fulfill the requirements of the 5 pillars of Islam, follow uncompromisingly the noble eightfold path, and escape Saṃsāra through our own efforts. The belief that someone needs to be “saved” at all is scoffed at by many unbelievers. Saved from what, and by whom? What attempts at self-salvation do you see around you?
For Christians, the demand to save ourselves is terrifying. We know there is nothing we can do. The only way out is to be given a completely new life. We must be born again, but how? Romans 6:4, like the passage above, declares, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” The Gospel reminds us that when Christ was buried in the grave, all who believe were likewise sealed in death’s tomb. Then, when Christ triumphed over even death, all who believe likewise are victoriously raised to new life. That, brothers and sisters, is our only hope – and it is a confident and blessed hope.
Look around you. See the lost. Pray for them.
Father, we pray the Gospel of grace over the lost in our lives and in our cities and countries. We remember how tiring and terrifying it was to feel responsible for our own salvation. We pray for them; we plead with you to open their eyes and enlighten their hearts to their need for a Savior, Jesus Christ. And Lord, we praise you for the great salvation that you have accomplished in Christ, the newness of life available through him to all who believe. Amen
This blog is a part of the Lausanne Global Prayer Focus. We invite you to journey with The Lausanne Movement in prayer throughout the month of May. This journey will be a personal one, and a collective one. It will be focused on the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, his good news for all people.
In week 1, we are focusing on The Message of the Gospel. 
Download a prayer guide for the week, or visit lausanne.org/pray to access the new content daily. You may also enter your email on this page to be sent a weekly email reminder with the new prayer content each week of May. Be sure to select “Prayer” as a Topic Interest.