Christian gestation

In my last post I talked a bit about what it means to be born again. I talked about the types of Christian commitments I made as a kid, and how my final commitment was more of a surrender than a statement. I asked, "If we are so much at the mercy of God, yet are not accepted into his Kingdom without that rebirth, then what on earth can we do about it?"

The scriptures indicate, as does Christian experience, that true spiritual rebirth is entirely dependent on the grace and sovereign will of God. Yet it seems that human beings quite consciously make decisions to be involved in that process, at many levels. Today I would like to explore this paradox, and try to answer that question; What can I do to be born again?


The scriptures

The Apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Galatians, makes a statement that, though short, reveals some more detail about the nature of Christian rebirth. Frustrated at the way his disciples are being persauded by false teachers, Paul is concerned "that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you" (Gal 4:10).

He says (Gal 4:19);

"My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!"

Again;

"...for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you..."

This statement seemed quite odd to me when I first read it. The idea of the second birth seems to be clearly rooted in Jesus’ own divine conception by the Holy Spirit. The born again Christian is begotten of God. That means, rather than being the product of a biological union conceived of father and mother, we are conceived spiritually, as Christ, by the Holy Ghost. But in this scripture Paul talks as though the Holy Ghost is not the only parent of the born again. As a mother carries and bears the seed of the father, so Paul talks of himself as the mother of these Galatians, bearing “the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.”

This seems unusual, because as Jesus said to Nicodemus (John 3:8), “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” Paul seems to be in the know, or at least hopes he is, that the wind of the Spirit is blowing in the direction of the Galatians. The Virgin Mary held to the words of the Angel Gabriel that the child in her womb was conceived of the Holy Spirit. Paul speaks as if he has a similar prophetic conviction that God was most certainly at work among the Galatians.

But then, this is not so strange. Rather than creating tension with other scriptures, Paul’s self-reference as mother to the "children" of Galatia fits perfectly with the most common analogy for the relationship between Christ and his church – that of bride and groom. If the church is those who have already been born again, then this makes total sense of Paul's gestation analogy.

When Christ died on the cross, as a rib was taken from Adam's side to make Eve, blood poured from Christ's side to make a redeemed, forgiven and called out church – Jesus’ disciples. Seven weeks later the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost and 3000 people were saved. Those people joined in fellowship with the disciples at Jerusalem and, as the Book of Acts puts it, were devoted to their teaching. As the disciples taught and pastored those people, their conversion and hope was made sure. So well were they converted that they endured persecution and hardship and ministered dynamically throughout the Roman Empire, forming the most powerful and enduring institutional movement the world has ever seen. Just as these early Christians were devoted to the teaching of the apostles, so Paul admonishes the Galatians to “become like me” (Gal 4:12) “...until Christ is formed in you."

In Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians we find a similar image. Paul talks of Epaphras, who “is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured” (Col 4:12). This analogy, of extreme physical exertion by one person for the spiritual development and growth of another, also echoes resoundingly the gestation image. What seems clear is that for Christ to be fully formed in us, for us to complete the gestation and be successfully born again, a lot of work on the part of the church is typically required.

What, then, are the implications of this? As a seeker of genuine spiritual rebirth, what can one do to ensure the work of the spirit in us? What can we do to avoid miscarriage or stillbirth? How transferable is the gestation analogy to Christian conversion?


My story

When I look at my own conversion I can certainly see parallels. What's more, I think that useful principles for the seeker and for the evangelist can be drawn from the analogy. I certainly had my fair share of Pauls and Epaphrases around me sharing in the labours of my second birth – my father and mother for one, my best friend from school Jeromy (without me even knowing it), and the new friends that I made when I entered university.

If spiritual rebirth involves a point of conception as well as a point of birth, then I would point to the preaching of Dave Mann and worship leading of Craig Jones at Eltham Easter Camp 1998. There God's word, to use Jesus’ cultivator analogy (Mark 4:1-20), fell on freshly tilled soil. There were a few thorns around – “the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things,” but despite that, the impact of that camp left an eternal echo in my soul. When I picked up the Bible and read the Book of Ecclesiastes some time later it was because my heart had been so softened by that camp. I made a Christian commitment when I got home from the camp, but it took another year and 20 days until the seed of faith became mature enough to graduate from the pot to the garden! The whole time my father and mother were doing what they could to teach, encourage and pray for me, as were my friends. But obviously I made for a difficult labour - it wasn't until I was at university, surrounded by teaching, encouraging, praying friends, that I finally understood what it was to be born of God, and I was “made alive with Christ,” to use Paul's terminology (Eph 2:5).

Just before I entered university I read the Book of Ecclesiastes and was shocked at the inherent meaninglessness of a life without God. As a result, when I got to Massey, though my main priority was to get boozed and have heaps of fun during O-Week, I was quite interested to find out whether there were any Christians around and what they might be up to.

Very early on I met Mike, a rowdy Christian guy who went on to become one of my best mates. Before he’d even moved into the hostel Mike had been to a Christian camp for university students, run by Massey University Christian Fellowship (MUCF). Now MUCF is a group run by students to reach and help other students with an interest in the Christian faith. It has a long history as part of a wider international student Christian movement that has included the likes of CT Studd and John Stott. Massey has been a particularly fruitful ground for Christian student ministry. In the 1970s and 1980s Massey students were particularly impacted by and involved with the events of the Charismatic Movement. A decade and a half later, MUCF still had a strong sense of seriousness about mission, and charismatic but challenging spirituality.

Mike became a regular at “CF”, as did two other Christian friends I made in my hostel – Steve and Matt. Soon MUCF was on my case – they’d heard I was open to Christianity. Next thing Gavin and James were on my doorstep giving me freshly cooked baking for free, and inviting me to their hostel bible study group. Soon enough I was roped in – I was going along to bible studies and actually starting to learn some things about the Christian faith.

But at the same time I was learning some things about just how much fun life at uni could be, and how good it was to have finally left home and be free to do whatever I wanted. And if I was honest, what I really wanted at that stage, what was more attractive than anything, was to be able to go and get boozed whenever I wanted, and to kiss and take whom whoever I wanted. I knew Christianity demanded a more sober lifestyle, and a more sensitive and respectful attitude to relationships. So I stopped going to the bible studies, and tried to avoid these new Christian friends, and smoke dope with the stoners instead!


Successful labour

Thankfully my friends didn’t give up on me. My family were praying from home, Jeromy was praying from Wellington, and Mike, Steve, Matt, Gavin, James & Marion at Massey were all teaching and encouraging me, and praying for me. Like Paul with the Galatians, this great team of saints were enduring the pains of childbirth to see Christ formed in me. And it was painful. I can remember raising all the problems I had with Christianity to Steve and making him feel like throwing it in as well. And the closer I got to true conversion the more I pulled away from everyone. Once I realised the hugeness of what Christian commitment actually meant (Luke 9:23-26; Gal 2:20) I ran in the opposite direction before running to Jesus and his church.

Finally, on the night of Monday May 3, 1999, after a weekend of drunken & hallucinogenic debauchery, followed by a surprise visit from my father, I realised I couldn’t run from God any longer. My doubts weren’t good enough excuses anymore. The person of Jesus and his work in my life was just too real for me to deny him. He made too much sense. The depth of life he offered made the mundanity of living for the mob or my whimsical dreams seem abhorrent. I couldn’t deny Christ and then just live a normal life as if nothing had happened. Christian or depression-ridden junkie were the only options – the choice was easy.

And so that Monday night I went back to the bible study group. Gavin and James had decided that this would be a night of sharing testimonies –stories of how people came to faith. It got round to me and I had to tell the guys I didn’t have a testimony to share, but I did have a confession to make. As I began to talk about how I’d been running from God, and that I wanted to finally accept him, I totally broke down. I was completely red, tears in my eyes, face in my hands – I killed the night! But there my friends prayed for me as I accepted Jesus Christ as Lord, and asked him to change my life.

And this is why I see that final decision, that true spiritual rebirth, as a surrender rather than a statement. I could see Jesus in all his brilliance. I could sense his transforming love at work. I knew there was no other source of authority that could compete with him, and no other power as able to help me make sense of life. How could I dismiss all that I’d seen in this Christianity as mere fable and superstition? This Jesus was truly the bread of life – spiritually, intellectually, emotionally – and I was starving!

Yet the whole process of Christ revealing himself to me involved individuals making choices every day. I had to at least be willing to take an interest in the Christians, and to let them talk to me about Jesus. They had be willing to be bold enough to talk about their faith with a skeptic on the edge looking in. Salvation is the sovereign work of God, but the seeker can do something by simply being willing to be open to people God is working through. The Christian does his bit by being willing to share his faith, and willing to help, admonish or challenge someone who’s on the edge.


TSCF & Catalyst

I would like to close this post by making a plug for Tertiary Students Christian Fellowship, the national body of the movement that touched my life so dramatically at university. TSCF has 34 different groups on campuses throughout the country. If you are a student you will find a link for your own campus on the “Your Campus” page of the TSCF website. If you are interested in supporting financially a movement with a significant kingdom impact then visit the “Support Us” page.

I would like to particularly promote the work of Mark Grace in Palmerston North, where he has been serving for over seven years. As any Massey Christian student will tell you, Mark puts in a lot of energy and a lot of hard work. On top of the campus ministries he has more recently been developing the Catalyst network. Catalyst is “Tertiary Student Christian Fellowship’s ministry to graduates in the marketplace, post-graduate students and academics.” And the big news is that next month is the first Catalyst Conference, from June 26-28 at Forest Lakes Camp, Otaki. If you want to think seriously about your profession and/or career through the lens of the Kingdom of God, but need a bit of help, then this conference is for you.

Find out more:
Tertiary Student Christian Fellowship
Catalyst Conference