Do you Dare to Really Know Jesus?

If you would consider to dare to know Jesus, I invite you to give Him some serious thought today.

Whether you’re a Christian or not, you probably claim to know Jesus, at least in broad strokes.

In fact, worldwide, no one person has influenced history more than Jesus. The way we even measure history has been using His birth since A.D. 532. While using “BC” (Before Christ) has become less politically correct, the era still changes approximately at His birth.

But which Jesus do you know?

There is only one historical Jesus in reality. But how He is painted, described, even taught can vary wildly.

And sadly, not every person who describes herself as a Christian even knows the real Jesus.

We live in a culture of busy. We don’t have the time to research everything that comes across our screens, so we take for granted (too often) that we can trust the source has done careful, objective research from objective, intelligent sources.

But it’s hard to be objective about Jesus.

He turns everything upside down and asks you to see things His way. His way is generally not the natural way we want to see things. So, meeting Jesus is something we each need to do personally.

No matter where you are, I would love to invite you to take a few minutes thinking about this Jesus fellow in a new way, as a historical person who really lived, was really crucified.

Maybe you’ve heard that Jesus never really existed. This is called the Jesus Myth.

But a significant majority of experts in ancient history, both atheists and believers, believe Jesus lived and died. We have quite a bit of scholarly evidence to attest to both.

And his body was never found by some people who really, really wanted Him to be dead and stay dead.

That His disciples (who didn’t know his body was missing) could have managed to get past armed guards and roll the stone away without being killed seems highly unlikely.

And the way their lives radically changed following the Resurrection certainly lends credence to their stories of seeing the risen Jesus.

Jesus claimed to be God.

“I and the Father are one” (John 10:30 ESV).

While some of those claims are subtle, His audience would have understood what he was saying.

”Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58)

Which is a reference to a passage in Exodus.

“God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel, “I am has sent me to you”’” (Exodus 3:14).

Jesus claimed to be the only way to the Father.

”Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6 ).

A pretty audacious claim. As Josh McDowell challenged, He was either a Liar, a Lunatic, or Lord.

Jay Payleitner in The Jesus Dare asks us to consider He was who he said He is. And let that transform us.

If you’ve never considered Jesus, The Jesus Dare is a great place to start as is the Gospel of John.

John is beautifully written and contains a clear picture of the true nature of Jesus.

If you’re not quite ready to dive into the Bible, The Jesus Dare is a good, quick read that clearly walks through who Jesus is and the core messages He preached. The book is designed to introduce seekers to the real Jesus, step by step with a few apologetics concepts thrown in.

Jay Payleitner writes with a sense of humor and a heart for people. He also manages to condense a lot of spiritual guidance and wisdom in a brief text. In some ways, this makes an excellent Christianity 101 for new believers as well as those who are curious about Christ.[1]

And if you’ve spent too much time listening to what other people say about Him, maybe it’s time to know Jesus for yourself.

I had spent too much time just knowing the Sunday school answers. I even had a decent handle on mainstream theology. But it was no good knowing the book without knowing the author.

It’s no good knowing the book if you don’t know the author when it comes to the Bible and Jesus. Will you dare to have a relationship with Him? Click To Tweet

Knowing Bible stories is not the same thing as surrendering my entire life to God and inviting Him into my life, heart, and mind to change me from the inside out.

When you take the risk of really knowing Jesus, you risk never being the same again.

And following Jesus is like taking the road less traveled, it will make all the difference.

Are you curious?

If you’ve never had a moment that everything went from black and white to color, the scales fell from your eyes, and you could see and know God’s love, you’re missing out on a great adventure.

I no longer struggle to fill the gaping void in my soul. Confident in my identity in Christ, I live the truth of how He has transformed me everyday.

Now, I have purpose and passion for people. Before I came to Christ, I was broken, angry, bitter, unable to love.

I couldn’t give away what I didn’t have. But now I am loved, cherished, forgiven, accepted. And can love others with the love of Christ.

Isn’t that worth daring to know Jesus?

References:

[1] You can also carry The Jesus Dare to offer to those who would dare to know Jesus! If you already know Jesus, I would recommend this book as one to carry in your purse or pocket to share with seeking people you encounter in daily life. It’s a great place to start for anyone curious about who Jesus is and what Christians believe.

Recommended Resources:

Jesus, You and the Essentials of Christianity by Frank Turek ( INSTRUCTOR Study Guide ), ( STUDENT Study Guide ), and (DVD)

Can All Religions Be True? mp3 by Frank Turek

Counter Culture Christian: Is the Bible True? by Frank Turek ( Mp3 ), ( Mp4 ), and (DVD)

How Can Jesus be the Only Way? Mp4 , Mp3 , and DVD by Frank Turek

Jennifer DeFrates is a former English and Social Studies teacher turned homeschool mom and Christian blogger at Heavennotharvard.com and theMamapologist.com. Jennifer is a 2x CIA graduate (the Cross-Examined Instructors Academy) and volunteers with Mama Bear Apologetics. She has a passion for discipleship through apologetics. Her action figure would come with coffee and a stack of books. She is also the reluctant ringleader of a small menagerie in rural Alabama.

Originally posted at: https://bit.ly/3CEunIu