"well..... you Do not really know who He was, do you?"
(all these conversations are not targeted or intended to offend anyone. if it did, apologies)
Contents:
1)Pretext
2)Who is/was Jesus Christ?
3)What did Jesus looked like? What did He do?
4)What are we arguing with non-believers about?
5)Church as Christ's Body and why so many divisions?
6)Fundamental Questions to faith
7)Our filty Rags
8)Faith Through Grace
Pretext
Non-Believers:
I'm not here to tell you or argue with you about who Jesus was. Here is not an attempt to present an arguement to you. This is an invitation to invite you to know personally about Jesus, who He was and what He did for us =^^= you are on the right page (yes you are and read on).
Born Again Christians:
Again, I'm not here to attack any of christianity's divisions or to disapprove what other churches and our fellow brothers and sisters are doing. This too is an invitation to re-examine your Christian walk with God. We as Christians (some think we are exclusive) sometimes think we know God more than others. But is that always true?
Who is/was Jesus Christ?
A historical figure at most to some, a Son of God to many faithful, Jesus Christ probably created an impact to humanity like no one else did. What did He do to create such an impact? Certainly this is something you would have to find out about Him. He lived around 6BC to 30AD. He went around performing miracles of healing, teaching the Word of God (a Rabbi or teacher). He was crucified for "claiming" to be God, for this is a question some people resist:" How can God be human or take on a humane form?" But, was Jesus a lunatic? Was He mad or arrogant to dare to make such an audacious claim that He is GOD? Can someone who is described by others as a teacher who teaches good things and helping out others wherever He went yet at the same time be a mad man thinking He IS God?
What did Jesus looked like? What did He do?
Probably the only bible record about His looks are recorded in
Isaiah 53:2b (NIV)2: He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
To put into simple terms in today's context: Jesus looks are ordinary. If He were to appear in Orchard Road, probably He wouldn't even raise the attention or catch the eye of any onlookers. He is someone who will not even make someone desire Him. Yet, He was able to influence people wherever He went and although the Bible only records He had 12 disciples, He must have had more followers (because after His death, the disciples picked someone to replace Judas, and the person chosen was someone who had also followed Jesus for some time).
Perhaps what was striking about Jesus was His LOVE for people, regardless of whether you are the prostitute, the poor, the blind, or someone society would reject, He embraced them with Love and forgave them. Can you imagine having to accept someone you do not like as a friend? Can you bring yourself to love someone, regardless of whatever wrong He/She might have done to you? The most prominent thing He did was to die on the cross for you and me. Even ages before you were born, He died to atone for our sins. (By sin, it is not human's standards but just mean falling short of God's standards, for example, telling a lie, being angry and hating others) He gave us an invitation: that whoever believed in Him, He forgives us of our sins. And, He promises you the right to be God's child this minute.
What are we arguing with non-believers about?To put into simple terms in today's context: Jesus looks are ordinary. If He were to appear in Orchard Road, probably He wouldn't even raise the attention or catch the eye of any onlookers. He is someone who will not even make someone desire Him. Yet, He was able to influence people wherever He went and although the Bible only records He had 12 disciples, He must have had more followers (because after His death, the disciples picked someone to replace Judas, and the person chosen was someone who had also followed Jesus for some time).
Perhaps what was striking about Jesus was His LOVE for people, regardless of whether you are the prostitute, the poor, the blind, or someone society would reject, He embraced them with Love and forgave them. Can you imagine having to accept someone you do not like as a friend? Can you bring yourself to love someone, regardless of whatever wrong He/She might have done to you? The most prominent thing He did was to die on the cross for you and me. Even ages before you were born, He died to atone for our sins. (By sin, it is not human's standards but just mean falling short of God's standards, for example, telling a lie, being angry and hating others) He gave us an invitation: that whoever believed in Him, He forgives us of our sins. And, He promises you the right to be God's child this minute.
I almost want to apologise having to write this but probably if you meet someone who argues with you about Jesus, he is probably more interested in proving Christianity wrong than to learn more about Jesus. Enough said on this, would you put down all the arguements aside and want to know Him more? And Christians, don't think we are HOLY. Just being able to win the debate on questions about faith may make you feel "good" defending your faith and "doing" something for God. God did not tell you to do this, but told us to spread His gospel, and teaching people to abide by His teachings, while having love for one another, so that we may be recognised as the CrossBearers (everyone of us are). Are you the christian remembered by people as arguing with them how right you are and how wrong they are, or are you showing who Christ is through your daily actions? So what if you win all the debates and distant more people from GOD? What are we arguing about? Is there a need? There is such a thin line drawn between knowing whats right and being arrogant about it.
Church as Christ's Body and why so many divisions?
Probably this is where most non-believer's eye-brows are raised.. How come there are so many different churches with different teachings? Christians like to fight among themselves so much huh? Or even some deemed as "extreme" variations of the Christian faith?? Christ describes the whole church, WHOLE CHURCH as a body of Christ, not just Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, even if you were to consider Johovah Witnesses, or Mormons.. are they Christians? This Body of Christ, is headed by Jesus Christ Himself, and the church is the body who is IN Christ. How can this body function when we are sometimes fighting one another? To this I have no answer. Some say cults are cults because they do not believe Jesus as the Messiah, and that some reject the notion of Jesus being the Messiah or saviour. But, I ask you. If you regard and know Jesus, He wouldn't care if you are in any of the divisions above. He would probably just ask you: " Do you believe in Me? " Do you as a christian have Love for even those who are seen as believers of cults unlike yours?
Fundamental Questions to faith
I have come to doubt God at alot of times. Here is my testimony of how God led me to know Him even more each time I doubted Him. Alot of happenings challenged my previous concepts about who God and who Jesus was. For example, can I love others as He did? Can I love for example someone who did me wrong? God showed me His love is different. At least from what I thought it was. Whenever I doubt Him now, I'll go back to these fundamental questions:
1) What made me believe in God in the first place: For his love for me was even before I believed in Him, and I admit I'm a sinner, not only recognising, but believeing too in His promise that He forgives and washed our sins in His blood.
2) Do I know who Jesus Is?: the bible describes a heart wrenching part for people who thought they knew Jesus in the end of days in Matthew 7 (NIV): 21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' Do I really know who Jesus Is? Or am I only following "what I THINK He is?"
Our filty Rags
Alot of people think by "doing alot for God", we can earn our way into heaven. Immerse yourself in mission trip, serve others in Church, teach sunday school, pray for fellow brothers and sisters. BUT what is that true attitude behind all that ministry? Is it not a heart for God and that is yielded to God? Imagine meeting Jesus and he said :"I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' Who are you serving for? Yourself? For this is what the bible said about our good deeds and service we do (of course all these are good works and i'm not saying you should not do them): Isaiah 64:6 "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." At most, what we Do FOR God is like filty rags at best if we think we are righteous in doing so. What is mentioned here means that what we do for God is not the point BUT whether we habour the right attitudes and motives "doing" what we do for God.
Faith Through Grace
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
John 1:12
Jesus promised.. a salvation that's free.... WAAAHHH so good!! Where got free stuff in this world? Surely got strings attached. But that's the fact. Salvation is free. He gave people the freewill to choose Him. However, living the christian life is NOT. Jesus said to the rich man who ever asked him how to get to heaven. He replied: "give up all you have and follow me" Are we willing to surrender all we have, pick up our own cross and follow Jesus? What He promised is not a rosy picture smooth ahead of you but He promises to stay by you.So, you think you know Jesus?