How can I know Jesus? You may be asking that question right now.  People have been asking it for thousands of years.  At one point Jesus turned to his followers and asked them ‘Who do men say I am?’  They gave him a survey of popular opinions and then Jesus said, ‘OK, but who do you say I am?’

This is the most important question that any of us will ever answer.

The Bible tells us that there is a loving God who made everything that exists and that He wants to have a personal relationship with each of us.  But there is a problem.  Our actions – the selfish, cruel and neglectful things we have thought and done; the indifference and rejection we has shown toward God – have caused a separation between us and God.  We cannot erase these things and bridge the gap by piling up ‘good’ things.  They remain.

The good news the Bible has to tell is that God has overcome this separation when we could not.  Jesus said that he came to seek and save the lost, the separated.  He said that he would give his life as a ransom to rescue many.  And he said that he was God.  In Jesus, God himself was taking the punishment which our actions justly deserved and wiping them out when he died on the cross.

But that is not the end of the story.  Jesus rose again from the dead.  Now all those who are united to him by trusting in him are united to God – the separation is over.  He gives us a new start, a new life, and he fills us with his own Spirit so that we can walk in ongoing fellowship with him forever.

What do we have to do?

• Admit that we have messed up and need God to help us
• Ask Jesus to rescue us and put our trust in him
• Ask God to fill us with his Spirit
• Become a disciple, a follower of Jesus by walking daily with God, learning about him by reading the Bible, praying, joining with other Jesus-followers to support one another, and participating in his mission

So, Jesus is asking you, ‘Who do you say I am?’