“Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” John 3:1-8(NKJV)
Even though Nicodemus was a priest of the Jews, well-versed with the Word of God; yet the Lord Jesus very clearly taught him about the Born again experience, which is very vital to start and have a spiritual life to see and enter into the Kingdom of God. So just having a Bible knowledge is not enough, but should experience a life change, and should experience the filling of the Holy Spirit, and live a spiritual lifestyle: this everyone should have gone through and gotten saved. As the Lord explains we enter into the Kingdom of God only through these experiences: otherwise we are only a passerby, not received anything, but losing everything majorly.
Experience 1
My testimony is that I was born in Christian family and my grandfather was a C.S.I. pastor, my father was violinist and in the choir and we never missed a service in the church or the activities happening there. Our family lived a very moral lifestyle as a Christian family should be. My aunt, father’s sister was the one went through born again experience and was transformed, saying this religious life we were going through is not enough. When I heard what she said, that our sins were not dealt with yet, so got to ask the Lord to show them to you; I prayed a sincere prayer to the Lord and the Lord showed my sins which were there, yet I was not noticing, but thinking I am sinless. I immediately repented and my aunt took me to FMPB retreat and I was saved. God filled me with this assurance that my sins were forgiven and a joy of salvation filled my heart. John 8:34-36(NKJV)
This was a life changing experience to me, and the Lord really took me to the spiritual level of understanding the Word, as my aunt was guiding and my perception about my life changed. Before that my prayers were only asking for material things, but now I asked for spiritual things like holiness, obedience and concerning things that is pleasing to the Lord. This is the born again experience when life came into me and with this I started the best journey that still continues. 1 Corinthians 15:20-24(NKJV)
“And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptised with water, but you shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”” Acts 1:1-8(NKJV)
Experience 2
My friend who was taking Confirmation with me in the C.S.I. Church took me to the meeting that was happening in her house, where her anointed pastor uncle laying hands on the people, and they were all filled by the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. So I was drawn to this new experience and knelt down in the prayer meeting and prayed a sincere prayer with tears to the Lord that I needed this anointing of His Spirit and when the pastor laid hand on my head the Holy Spirit power came upon me like flash of light, and when I came to know, I saw my knees were paining because I was jumping on my knees, and a new language came through my mouth; and I was so happy and blessed. One more time I spoke in tongues in another meeting, but only when hands were laid on me this happened. 2 Timothy 1:6-7(NKJV)
Later, I was not able to go to any meetings and I did not speak in tongues and that was an experience in the past of my life. This did not help me in any way, because I had no fellowship, the fire in me started quenching. Again I met my Aunt and she was talking about her experience of the power of the Holy Spirit anointing and I had to admit that I felt as if I was not even born again. But my Aunt was persistent to save my soul, led me again through many scriptures and I prepared my mind to receive the Holy Spirit anointing of speaking in tongues. So when she laid hands on me, again I spoke in tongues and glorified God. Acts 19:5-6(NKJV)
Later I practiced to speak in tongues and praying all the time. The devil was trying his best shorts to stop me from going through these wonderful experiences, but again and again the Lord by His Grace kept me go on and be on fire for His Kingdom purposes. All glory belongs to Him only. John 3:18-21(NKJV)