EvidenceSample

Evidence: Who is Jesus?

In our scripture reading (Read Mark 8:27-29) we find that Jesus means different things to different people. Even in His time, He was considered to be someone other than who He was. That still holds true today. Regardless of the evidence, some consider Him a myth; some consider Him just a man; while others consider Him the Messiah.

For Grace, her journey to faith began when she experienced the Lord in a dramatic, personal way. Though there weren’t angels in the sky or spiritual dreams in the night, she still heard Him speak to her, Spirit to spirit, during a desperate time. That sense of His presence prompted her to pursue the truth. Such an honest search could only end one way, which was with a personal confession like Peter’s confession: “You are the Christ.”

I would like each one of us to take a moment to remember what drew us to Christ, and what brought us to the moment of a genuine confession of faith. Was it the witness of a believer? The example of someone long admired? A faith upbringing that was embraced?

Or was the discovery made by actively and intentionally looking for the truth of His existence and purpose?

In this reading plan, we are going to look at the evidence for Christ. After all, we live in a world of doubters and deniers, seekers and skeptics. Though sharing our personal testimony is powerful, we also need to be equipped to answer the difficult questions that will be asked; here is a sampling of them:

”Who was Jesus?”

“Did Jesus really exist?”

“Aren’t the Gospels contradictory?”

“Why do you believe in someone you have never met?”

“What has Jesus done for you?”

These questions are not just general questions that we can disregard: these are questions with eternal consequences. (Read Matthew 10:32-33)

So, the question to us is this: Are we ready? Are we ready to share the reason we believe with confidence? Do we really know the evidence ourselves? If you are like me, I sense that we are at a time in history where our knowledge of the faith we profess must be sharpened and deepened. Let us use this reading plan to begin that journey. (Read 1 Peter 3:15a)

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, we come to You today and ask for You to use this study to equip us so that we can speak boldly and confidently in the marketplace of ideas regarding the evidence of the existence, purpose and mission of Your Son, Jesus. We proclaim Him today as the Christ, and we believe that the more we learn and know, the greater the impact we will have on those around us for Your glory.

In Jesus name, amen.