Who is Jesus to you?

Matt 16:13When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

14And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.

15He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

There are many opinions even today on who Jesus is. And even though many good answers and theological views could be explained, the question is still today: But YOU, who do YOU say that I am. Who is Jesus to you? Do you know who he is? Not just theology. But who is he to you?

Jesus is interested in knowing what YOU think. What you believe. Jesus said to Peter, flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly father…..

I remember when I was 16 years old, I was attending a church where the debate came up: Is God three or One? Confused by this debate I prayed a simple prayer: God, are you one or are you three? A few days prior to this prayer, I had put some stickers inside my Bible saying things like: God is Love, Christ is the Answer. Jesus is the Way, etc etc. I put them on top of one another, cutting sentences and making up a whole new sentence.  Not on purpose, and I dint read it until this day. I had just prayed, God, are you one or three? I opened up my Bible and read from my stickers: Jesus is God. God is Jesus. Christ is the Answer. From that moment I knew there was only One God, and that he had revealed himself in Jesus Christ.

Who is Jesus to you? Has he revealed himself to you in a personal way?

DO NOT JUDGE

James 4:12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

One of the most common accusations against christians today is " You are so judgmental" As a matter of fact even between christians also it is a weapon used to avoid anyone daring to have any opinions that will "judge" someone.

The question is: What is really judging? Or when am I judging? I am judging when I am the one deciding the verdict. When I myself are making a judgement. If I am only repeating what the judge have said, I am not judging. I am only making the verdict known. I am only a voice. The media if you please.

When we are repeating what the Bible says, we are not judging. The Bible is. We only state what it says. If we say you MUST repent to get saved, we are not judging all who refuse to repent to Hell. The Bible is. So don't get mad at me. Get mad at the Bible. Get mad at God. He is the judge. Not me.

BUT when you, making judgement that can not be backed up by the Bible, saying things like you do NOT have to repent. You do NOT have to be baptized. You are standing on your own, and have become the judge. When you say it is NOT a sin to live in a way the Bible does condemn, you are the one judging. Setting yourself higher than God.

Yes, there are many judges today. Not only those who judge people to Hell that the Bible doesn't, but also those who judge people to Heaven that the Bible doesn't. Let us only repeat what the Bible says. Because we don't have the authority to judge anyway.

Acts 2:37Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

God can turn your situation around

Psalm 30:11Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;

At about 1.25am on 20 August 1989, a clear, moonlit night, more than 120 young people left Charing Cross pier on a tiny disco boat for an all-night birthday party along the Thames. Some time into the party the guests was singing along on a popular Pop song: Rock the Boat…. The song never finished before the boat tipped around and turned the party into a nightmare. One of the survivors said the image of people partying one moment and screaming out of horror the next, would be glued to his mind the rest of his life.

We read of another type of contrast in the Bible. Contrast of people going from despair to Joy from one moment to the other. In Samaria there was such a famine that people would eat dove dung. The very next moment it was so much food in Samaria it was overflowing. 

One moment you could see a blind man begging by the street, and dancing in the same street the very next moment. 

One moment people were mourning by the grave of Lazarus. The next moment they were rejoicing.
God can turn your situation around. From mourning to dancing. From tears to laughter. From Darkness to Light. From the power of Satan to the Power of God. All in a moment. Will you let him?

What do you want me to do for you?

Luk 18:41Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

Right in front of him stood the creator of the Universe. The King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords. It seemed like the whole earth stood still when the question was being asked. At that moment, he had the 100% attention of God. It was all about him. It was as time stopped, and God was saying; Right now it’s all about you. What do YOU want me to do for YOU?

It portraits something beautiful about our God. He cares about the individual. He has time for the individual. Its not just about the “world” or the “church”. Its not just about the multitude. We like reports like 5000 got the Holy Ghost, and 250000 in attendance. God stops and takes time for the One. He leaves the 99 and go after the one.

If Jesus stopped by you today and asked: What do you want me to do for you? Would you know the Answer? Would you respond as quickly?

He cares for you, and know exactly what it is that makes you so special, and what you need. Sometimes he knows even better than ourselves what we need. 

For many years ago, I knew there was coming a person to church that was an unbeliever. I prayed God give me a word for him. God gave me this word: What do you want me to do for you. Well, he didn't come anyway, and went to another church that day. When I talked to the Pastor of the church he visited, I asked him: What did you preach about? His reply was: What do you want me to do for you? I knew then that God really wanted to do something for him. The sad part of this story is that he didn't receive the invitation, and some years later committed suicide. 

When Jesus stopes by you, and askes you, do not hesitate. Do not turn around. Embrace the invitation, and let him heal and change you.