As we’ve been slowly reading through John’s gospel over the past few weeks, I’ve been struck by how often the question of Jesus’ identity comes up. I shouldn’t be surprised; I know that toward the end he says that his whole purpose for writing is “that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God” (John 20:31). Sometimes, though, we just have to slow down enough to catch themes that flow through an author’s writing.
As we finish up our Sent! series in Acts and look ahead toward a new series, Why Easter?, the question of Jesus’ identity should be at the front and center of our minds … not so much for our sakes as for the sake of the people around us. Believe it or not, I think a lot of people wonder just who Jesus is. They’ve heard of him. They may have a positive view of him. But as to who he really is – as to the claims he made about himself – well, they really don’t know.
Take the young woman I met recently: she believes in Jesus; believes he’s the Son of God; believes he died to save us from our sins, and was resurrected. But God? That’s just some ethereal force; an idea; a cosmic energy.
Here’s the thing, though: the Jesus she says she believes in doesn’t allow for that view of God! Jesus spoke of God in personal terms: Father. He talked to God. He listened to God. He obeyed God.
You can’t have a living, breathing, personal Son of God with out a living, personal Father God!
And that’s where we come in. We have to help people meet not just the real Jesus, but the real God.
In April we’ll be seeking to answer the question, Why Easter? Our calendars may be centered on Christmas and the birth of Christ, but our eternities hinge on the resurrection. So be here each week in April, and bring a friend who likes Jesus but isn’t so sure about this resurrection thing. And let’s pray for some resurrection in our community.
Pastor Randy
As we finish up our Sent! series in Acts and look ahead toward a new series, Why Easter?, the question of Jesus’ identity should be at the front and center of our minds … not so much for our sakes as for the sake of the people around us. Believe it or not, I think a lot of people wonder just who Jesus is. They’ve heard of him. They may have a positive view of him. But as to who he really is – as to the claims he made about himself – well, they really don’t know.
Take the young woman I met recently: she believes in Jesus; believes he’s the Son of God; believes he died to save us from our sins, and was resurrected. But God? That’s just some ethereal force; an idea; a cosmic energy.
Here’s the thing, though: the Jesus she says she believes in doesn’t allow for that view of God! Jesus spoke of God in personal terms: Father. He talked to God. He listened to God. He obeyed God.
You can’t have a living, breathing, personal Son of God with out a living, personal Father God!
And that’s where we come in. We have to help people meet not just the real Jesus, but the real God.
In April we’ll be seeking to answer the question, Why Easter? Our calendars may be centered on Christmas and the birth of Christ, but our eternities hinge on the resurrection. So be here each week in April, and bring a friend who likes Jesus but isn’t so sure about this resurrection thing. And let’s pray for some resurrection in our community.
Pastor Randy
