Receive Christ

Jesus loves you. He wants you to have purpose in life, forgiveness for your sin, and eternity with Him in heaven.

Although Jesus Christ ministered for only three years, his impact on history has been more than any other world leader. When secular historian, H. G. Wells, was asked what person has left the greatest legacy on history, he replied, “By this test Jesus stands first.”  

Neither Buddha, Muhammad, nor any other religious leader made claims for themselves like Jesus did for himself. Jesus claimed to be the visible expression of God, as well as the only way to heaven. He claimed the power to forgive sin, and stated he is the supreme authority in the universe. In fact he claimed attributes that exclusively belong to God. C. S. Lewis relates the impact of Jesus’ claims on his audience,

“Then comes the real shock. Among these Jews there suddenly turns up a man who goes about talking as if He was God. He claims to forgive sins. He says He always existed. He says He is coming to judge the world at the end of time.”

Jesus claimed that he would be killed by his enemies, but would rise from the dead three days later. He said he was the prophesied Messiah, and his death was a necessary sacrifice for our sins.

And indeed, Jesus was taken prisoner by his enemies and nailed to a Roman cross. By all rights, Christianity should have died out at the cross when Jesus was crucified and his disciples fled for their lives. But three days after his death, Jesus’ followers who had fled for their lives, suddenly began telling everyone that “He is risen!”
Would these disciples of Jesus have been willing to risk their lives if he wasn’t really risen? Paul said absolutely not, writing to the Corinthians,

 “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain… Why should we ourselves be continually risking our lives, facing death hour by hour? If there is no resurrection, ‘Let’s feast and get drunk, for tomorrow we die!’” (1 Corinthians 15:14, 32, NLT)

The faith of early Christians in their risen Lord soon overtook the mighty Roman empire. Christians everywhere worshipped Jesus as God.

Is Jesus Relevant Today?
In spite of Jesus’ claims, some skeptics have disregarded Jesus as a religious leader who has no relevance today. Former atheist Josh McDowell thought Jesus was just another religious leader who set up impossible rules to live by. As a young collegian, McDowell didn’t want any part of Christians or their Jesus.

Then, one day at a student union lunch table McDowell sat next to an attractive young coed with a radiant smile. Intrigued, he asked her why she was so happy. Her immediate reply was, “Jesus Christ!” 

Jesus Christ? McDowell bristled, firing back:
“Oh, for God’s sake, don’t give me that garbage. I’m fed up with religion; I’m fed up with the church; I’m fed up with the Bible.  Don’t give me that garbage about religion.”

But the attractive collegian was unfazed as she calmly informed him,

“Mister, I didn’t say religion, I said Jesus Christ.” 

The stunned McDowell decided to investigate Jesus for himself. He discovered that the New Testament accounts of Jesus Christ are extremely reliable. And he discovered that Jesus really is relevant to our lives.

Like McDowell, those who have read Jesus’ words and believed his message are convinced that he alone is the answer to life’s big questions:

• “Who am I?”
• “Why am I here?” 
• “Where am I going after I die?”

Many, however, are searching for meaning to life in other ways. Madonna attempted to answer the question of, "Why am I here?" by becoming a diva, confessing, "There were many years when I thought fame, fortune, and public approval would bring me happiness. But one day you wake up and realize they don't…I still felt something was missing. I wanted to know the meaning of true and lasting happiness and how I could go about finding it."

Pascal, the great French philosopher believed this inner void we all experience can only be filled by God. He states, "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which only Jesus Christ can fill." If Pascal is right, then we would expect Jesus to not only answer the question of our identity and meaning in this life, but also to give us hope for life after we die.

In order to understand how Jesus' words, life, and death can establish our identities, give us meaning in life, and provide hope for the future, we need to understand what he said about God, about us, and about himself.

Click to continue reading about how Jesus is relevant today.