With Christ I have been crucified, yet I am living no longer, but living in me is Christ. Now that which I am now living in flesh, I am living in faith that is of the Son of God, who loves me, and gave Himself up for me.
Galatians 2:20 Concordant New Testament
Imagine for a moment that you are a brand-new Christian searching for a relationship with Jesus. Somewhere in your heart you feel that desire to know Him. Where do you go? Who do you talk to? Like so many before you, you could turn to your local church for answers to any questions that you may have about Jesus. But what about questions about a relationship with Christ? Is the any mainstream church even equipped to answer your questions? So, knowing that the church more than likely does nothing for you as far as relational Jesus, where else do you turn? Can you ask someone you know as a Christian about this idea that we can somehow have a deeply personal relationship with Jesus? What would their response be? A relationship with Jesus? Is that even possible? Welcome to the new Christianity of those seeking to know more about Christ. And why wouldn't we? Jesus is the central figure of the Christianity we believe in. The prophets proclaimed His birth, and His ministry has inspired millions. Then, He gave Himself up on a Roman cross that our sins would be forgiven {2 Corinthians 5:21}. This is the Jesus you've been searching for. The Jesus who has loved you from the beginning. We read of the relationship which Jesus shared with His disciples. How these men, chosen by Christ, lived, struggled and traveled with Him during the years of His ministry. Jesus and His disciples not only were friends, but they also shared their lives together. As Jesus taught, His disciples took in what He proclaimed. But we also know that these twelve men shared almost every hour with Jesus. They saw a side of Jesus which very few, including those of today's world, have never seen. This is the Jesus you are longing to know on a more personal level.
To whom God wills to make known what are the glorious riches of this secret among the nations, which is: Christ among you, the expectation of glory.
Colossians 1: 27 Concordant New Testament
To be fair, I was once among those who have searched for a more personal relationship with Christ Jesus. A dear friend of mine traveled that path before me as he wondered to himself, "How do I have a relationship with a dead guy?" How indeed. For all which we have been taught about Jesus leads us to trust and believe that Jesus is not somewhere which we can find a relationship with Him. No, Jesus is now sitting beside the Father in heaven. Or is He? A good friend of mine challenged me this week to write a post about how a new Christian could come to know Jesus as I have. To know Jesus not only as that dead guy who died to forgive my sins, but the living Christ Jesus who lives in me. The apostle Paul had that knowing of Christ Jesus who was in him. Paul proclaims this realization in Galatians {Galatians 2:20}. I had no idea of this knowledge when I set out to find Jesus. My foray into the local church had not produced the answers I was looking for. Jesus was still that dead guy who died for me. Still hungry to know Him, a friend introduced me to some radical scriptures which tossed everything I thought I knew about Jesus on its ear. It turns out that Jesus isn't just some dead guy I can hold up as evidence of my faith in Him. As Paul proclaimed, Jesus is alive in me. So, what would I say to a new believer who is seeking a more personal relationship with Jesus? What took you so long? Seriously, even though I hate throwing scriptures at others in the hopes that they might somehow "get it," this is different. It is through these scriptures I have come to know by heart that others can be introduced to the Jesus I have come to know on a more personal level. I would start by presenting Paul's own testimony of Christ which he recognized in himself. I would also present Paul's testimony on the death of sin which he gives us in Romans {Romans 6:6-11}. It is through these scriptures and the freedom in Christ Jesus which I have discovered that I would begin my conversation with a someone seeking a more personal relationship with Jesus.
~Scott~
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