Who is Jesus?

"Who do you say that I am?"- Matthew 16:15

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, He said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

36 "Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him." - John 9:35-36

People want to know. People need to decide.

What do you say about Jesus? Who is He to you?

The haunting question that everyone has to deal with in this life is: "Who is Jesus?" Is He just another man? Is He a liar? Is He a lunatic - who went off on some crazy delusion and got a bunch of people to follow Him? Or is He Lord - the Son of God who came from heaven, modeled a Godly life for us, trained twelve men to establish His Kingdom (Church) and then managed to get Himself crucified to pay for the sins of all who would repent and believe in Him?

If you say that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, how well do you know Him? How well can you give a detailed answer to someone who asks you about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ?

If you talk to a Muslim, they can tell you all about Mohammed. Talk to a Buddhist and they know all about who is jesus . Talk to a Jehovah's Witness or Mormon and they can tell you about their respective leader. But how many Christians know the life and teachings of Jesus and can speak confidently about His life to others?

Our ignorance of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ shows in the behavior of our Christians. The divorce of Christian marriages equals that of the world. Where is our faith in Jesus? Christians watch sit-coms that promote sexual immorality and R-rated movies and pretend that it doesn't affect them. Would Jesus watch that kind of "entertainment"? We wonder why so many Christian girls are dressing like immoral women and why so many teens are getting pregnant. What does Jesus say about the sanctity of sex being between a husband and wife? Forty percent of Christian men have a problem with pornography. Where's Jesus' influence in their lives? My wife questioned a woman years ago who went to church, but was sleeping with men she wasn't married to and bragging about it. Where is Christ in her life?

What about the work place and the community? How many people cheat their employer or deliver less than their best work, yet they call themselves Christians? What about the corruption that some business engage in, cheating customers, lying to bosses, co-workers or customers, etc. Yet they are in church every SONday, smiling, carrying their Bible and thanking the minister for that "great sermon". How does that reflect Christ?

Our nation's number one problem is that we have gotten away from following the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The only solution is to study everything about Jesus and let Him change us to be the kind of people who look and act like Christians. I have talked with many ministers and Christians and we all agree. The funny thing is that they don't see that it is their congregation that needs to be Getting To Know Jesus. They somehow apply it to other churches, but not their own.

Do you really know Jesus? If you really do, then why aren't you teaching others so they can come to know Him also? Do really know Jesus? I will suggest that if you do, then you know His love for you and others. If you really love Jesus, you are going to want others to know about Him the way you do so they will live like Christians instead of worldly people.

Getting To Know Jesus is a Bible study series of every event in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ that is designed to turn people back to being true followers of Jesus. Let's work ogether and get started turning this nation back to Christ by turning our homes, churches, communities and cities back to Christ. Let's stop this problem and build the solution into the lives of those around us (and our own lives as well).

Glen Copple is an ordained minister who has over 25 years of preaching and teaching experience in ministering to non-denominational churches. In 1983, he earned a Master of Arts in Ministry from Pacific Christian College (now Hope International University) in Fullerton, CA, and has had ministries in Kansas, Missouri, and California.

In previous ministries, Pastor Glen taught through the Life of Christ and developed the structure for "Getting to Know Jesus." He knew that God led him to put his years of ministry and Bible study to work to share with you, your family and friends in this non-denominational study of Jesus Christ, his life and teachings.