Knowing Jesus

I saw a video recently of an interviewer asking people off the street if they knew famous personalities. Each one answered yes, but when asked if they knew this person personally they said no. When asked why, some of the answers included, “We’ve never been introduced”, “I’d like to but I haven’t had the opportunity” or “I’ve just never met her”.

The interviewer then asked them if they knew Jesus Christ. Most of them answered yes. But when asked if they had a personal relationship with him they all answered “No”. When they were asked why, the reasons varied. Some said “I can’t, he’s dead”, some answered “No, I’ve had enough religion” and others were just stumped and said “How can you have a personal relationship with someone who’s not here?”

What would you say to these questions?

My answer is "Yes, I know Jesus Christ and He knows me. It's the best friendship I've ever had!"

What is this relationship all about? It's about a God who loves you and me so much that he provided a way for us to relate to him on a "best friend" level.

The Bible tells us that every human being is a sinner. But if we’re honest with ourselves, we don’t need the Bible to tell us that. We can all think of at least one thing we’ve done wrong in our life.

God, being perfect, holy and righteous, can not and will not have relationship with sinners. But because he created us and loves us, he provided us with a way to become free of our sin so that He could have a personal relationship with us.

This is where Jesus comes in. Jesus did die. He was killed by the religious leaders of the time because he claimed to be God. When Jesus was killed on that cross, it was as God, and he chose to take every sin ever committed upon himself in order to pay the price for those sins – the price being death.

But Jesus is not dead! It’s very clear in the Bible and other historical documents that Jesus did not stay in the grave. Jesus was raised from death into life. He lives even now. No, he’s not in human form on this earth, but he’s promised to return and he’s promised that His Spirit will live with those who believe in Him. He has promised that any one of us can have a personal relationship with Him and that relationship is forever.

Having a personal relationship with Jesus means accepting His gift of paying for your sins and asking Him to be your lifetime guide and leader of your life. Then you are free from those sins and you can have a personal, one-on-one relationship with a God who really, really loves you.

This relationship with Jesus is so real and so personal that it has had a huge impact on my life. If you’d like to read more about my journey with Jesus, click on the Spiritual Journey link below.

It’s easy for anyone to have this kind of one-on-one personal relationship with God. The bible says, “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” After this, the relationship begins – and oh, what a wonderful relationship it is!

So what should you do with this information? Here are a few options:

1) Maybe this is the first time you’ve really ever heard about Jesus and you wonder, “How can I say that I believe in him without knowing more?” If this is the case, I encourage you to learn more! Find a Bible, preferably a New Living Translation or an NIV (New International Version) because they are easy to understand. Look in the index and find the page number for Matthew. The sections of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all tell the story of Jesus. If you don’t know how to find a Bible, contact me with the link below and I will help you.

2) Maybe you’ve heard a lot of this before, but you never understood that Jesus is real and personal. Then I encourage you to pray this prayer: “Dear God, I never understood that you loved me so much and wanted a relationship with me. I want to tell you that I believe that Jesus is God and that he died for my sins and is now alive in heaven. I ask that you would free me from my sins and have a personal relationship with me. Thank you!”

Now, you begin your journey of knowing Jesus! How do you do that? Here are some important steps that will help you get to know Jesus better.
~ Begin reading God’s word – the Bible. Read the gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to learn more about Jesus. Then read more of the New Testament to learn how Jesus will relate to you and help you in your life.
~ Tell someone about your decision to accept Jesus as your Lord. If you don’t know who to tell, begin with telling me with the contact link below.
~ Find a church that teaches the Bible as God's words, God's guidance and God's answers for your life that can be your support and family in your journey of getting to know Jesus.

3) Maybe you know a lot about the Bible. Maybe you have attended a church for years, but you have realized that you don’t have the “personal” side of relationship to God. Then I encourage you to pray a prayer like this” “Heavenly Father, I don’t think I have ever told you that I believe in Jesus and that I want the relationship that you offer. I do believe that Jesus is Lord and that he died for my sins and that He was raised from the dead and is alive. I want him to be my lifetime guide and I ask you now to help me begin this journey of knowing Jesus. Thank you!”

If you prayed this prayer, let me know of your decision. I would love to encourage you.

If this is all overwhelming and you need help in knowing what to do, feel free to email me and tell where you’re at. I’ll do my best to help you find the wonderful relationship I’ve found. Remember, God loves you so much that he sent His son to die so that He could have relationship with YOU!