Why is this such a difficult question to ask when the answer is the most important thing in anyone’s life? I have to admit that there will be friends and acquaintances who read this post whom I have never asked that question, and I do not know how they would answer. There are some whom I have not asked, yet I know that they do not know Christ. Some will know of Him, but have not come into relationship with the one who longs to be their savior. Still others will call themselves Christians, but have not actually taken the time to know Him. A few will actually know Jesus well, because they abide in the Word. If I have never asked you, please forgive me.
Do you know Jesus? It is a difficult thing to ask for many reasons. The first is that I don’t want people to think I’m crazy. To someone who does not know Jesus, that question is paramount to asking if they know my imaginary friend. In 1 Corinthians 1:18, we are told, “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.” So the people who desperately need to know Jesus are likely to think that I am a fool asking a foolish question. Still, I must find a way to have this conversation more often, because I am saved and I do know it is the very power of God. I don’t want anyone to miss out on the life and peace that are in Jesus Christ.
Magician, Penn Jillette, is a self professed atheist who has said this about Christians, “How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate someone to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?” Those are excellent questions. I’ll add a couple more of my own. How many people might not meet Jesus because I was too scared to make the introduction? Why are we as Christians not better equipped to share the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? John 3:16-21, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” John 14:6, “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
Perhaps many Christians do not share about Jesus because they do not live in actual relationship with Him. It is difficult to ask someone else if they know Jesus if you don’t really know Him yourself. Receiving Jesus as your savior is supposed to be the beginning of a transformational journey, but for too many it is more of a transactional moment that does not lead to the life that Christ died to give us. Knowing Jesus requires abiding in the Word and too few of us do that. In the Word is where Christ is fully revealed. Obedience to the Word is where our abundant life is fully revealed and how we show that we know and love Jesus. Matthew 7:21-22, “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.”
Before we ask someone else if they know Jesus, we need to ask ourselves, “Do I know Jesus?”. How well do I know Him? Is there room to know Him more? (The answer to this is always, “yes”!) Do I know Him well enough that I am excited to share the Good News about Him with others? Am I compelled to share who He is?
I am to the point in my life that I am compelled, because Jesus is as real to me as any physical person in my life. Relationship with Him has bridged the divide between me and God and brought me into relationship with Him. I am not talking about religion. I am talking about relationship with a very real, very personal and loving God, who reveals Himself in the tiniest details of my life. It is a relationship that informs every decision, thought, attitude, word and action in my life. It is a relationship that has transformed me, as my mind has been renewed in the Word, and by the Word.
Relationship with Jesus is what frees us from the bondage of sin. Sometimes people are in that bondage because they hold on to their sin for the purpose of living in it. Others hold on to it because they are not fully convinced that God can forgive it. It’s somehow too big or too bad to be redeemed, even by what Jesus did at the cross. When we hold on to the guilt, shame and condemnation, we are still in bondage to the sin, even if it’s commission was forty years ago. Jesus carried every sin that ever was or will be committed and He removed them as far as east is from west. When we receive Christ and live in Christ, sin is not just covered, it is gone! We don’t have to work for this amazing gift, just believe in Jesus and receive what he did and step into relationship with Him. It really is that simple. Thankfully, it does not stop there. God wants to give us so much more. He wants to do so much more for us. This is why the Gospel is called the Good News! Relationship with Jesus is about redemption, freedom, love, peace, joy and strength!
The fullness of God is in Jesus. There is more love in Jesus than we can fathom. Ephesians 3:11-20, “This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. So please don’t lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored. When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”
Do you know Jesus? Is he real to you? I had to ask, because he is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I don’t want anyone to miss out on the love, joy, peace and strength that are found only in Him. Most importantly, I want you to share eternal life with me, in His presence.
If you don’t know Jesus, it’s really simple. Romans 10:9-10, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” There is no special prayer, just talk to God, confess your sins and receive who Jesus is and what He did. Begin to read the Word. (Read Romans 8) Once you ask Jesus into your life, you have His Spirit in you, who bears witness to the truth and begins to lead you into all truth, if you will follow. John 16:13, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.” Ask God to help you and He will. Seek Him and you will find Him. Matthew 7:7-8, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Regardless of where you are in your relationship with Jesus, the way to grow is the same. Read the Word daily. It is God’s Word. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” Plug into a local church and surround yourself with other Christians. Ask questions. Find someone to talk to who can help disciple you.
A great online resource is my friend, Tracy, over at www.happyhealthyandprosperous.com She is an incredible curator of resources! If you have just begun your life in Jesus, start here.
