We can’t process, anymore.
Skip to the outcome.
What happens at the end, right?
Just show me the results.
If you want to shortcut the gospel, start with Jesus.
You want to give the Gospel? Give Jesus first.
Just go directly to the Cross of Christ. And take a good, long soul-connecting gaze upon Him Who offers His life … for yours.
See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flowed mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Start with Jesus.
Want to witness simply?
Invite people to the Cross.
Look to Jesus! He’s my Friend. He’ll be your Savior.
Start at the end of the Gospel, then work backwards. It works just as powerfully.
“Ye men of Israel, hear these words … Jesus of Nazareth” Right out of the gate. Boom. There’s the Solution! Let me introduce you …
We should speak more of Jesus than we speak of our own opinions. For opinions can become quickly repulsive. Christ only becomes more attractive however, with further consideration.
Are we witnessing?
There’s one key to witnessing: introducing.
We introduce others to the One we know so well.
(We should know Him first.)
Then our witness of Him will be organic, overflowing, pure, powerful, personal yet selfless.
Who is this individual named Jesus?
Let’s plan a solid introduction, shall we?
If you were given the task of introducing a “great name”, would you not take a couple moments to scribble down an outline?
Jesus’ name is 983 times mentioned in Scripture. The title “Christ” 559 is times. All through the Bible, we see Jesus.
Matthew 1:1 begins, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”
Mark 1:1 begins, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”
John 1:17 clarifies, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
Now, Moses is not bad. The law is not bad. The law simply explained, please do not kill. Do not steal. Do not do dumb things. Say no to adultery. Be content. Honor God. Honor your parents. Don’t be a total idiot, please.
The heart of protection … motivating God as He gave those simple laws is a not a bad heart. The law is not evil. Because the source of the law is God’s heart of love. He was trying to say, “I love you enough to protect you from natural self-destruction.” Understood?
So, what could be better?
Jesus Christ came filled with grace and truth. Grace is God’s help. Truth includes a clear explanation of why a law makes sense.
Example: a Parent says: “Clean your room.”
Kid says, “Why?”
Loving parent, “Here, I will help you, and explain ‘why’ while we clean your room together.”
Through Jesus now we have the help of God to actually obey these basic rules, and also a better understanding of the heart-motive of the God, Who gave us the rules for our benefit. It’s still not OK to kill. God’s opinion on the rules has not changed.
We now have the help and the truth. His name is Jesus.
“We’ll, I don’t like the law.” Nobody loves laws. Except for maybe David in the Psalms. But you can love the Law-Giver. You can love your powerful Protector.
•••
A brief introduction to Jesus:
He is all the outcomes.
If you’re looking for results, you found Him.
[There is an American mindset that cannot handle a pitch of 4-points and a poem. Just skip to the results! Fine, have it your way.]
We will start with the finish line.
Christ is the everything.
There are no superlatives or accolades beyond His worthiness. There are no higher offices possible. He is the Highest, in every possible area.
If you want to find yourself repulsed by Him, you’ll have to work diligently to maintain that sour position.
He’s unavoidable.
He is of ultimate consequence.
He is elevated beyond human language capacity to describe.
He alone is worthy.
He is the focal subject of all our eternal fascination.
He is the Designer of the soul and the intellect.
His value is inexhaustible; impossible to be exhausted.
He is immeasurable.
Normally, we start logically. However, there is a tendency in human nature to avoid the process of progressive thinking. We just want to see that finish line. “Stop telling me the process and let’s just get there already.” Well, we started. His beginning is endless. His finish is infinite. He is both the Alpha and Omega, and every letter in-between. He is the Beginning and the Ending. He is the only One who IS and WAS and WILL BE eternally the same, changeless. Time has no effect on His disposition. He never gets tired.
He is both the Son and the Everlasting Father. Boom. He explodes all capacity for comprehension. He is intentionally beyond our understanding. He defies the limits of logic. Our mind cannot contain him. You are not designed to figure God out. How can one Person be both? He is … unexplainable.
No computer can fully process Him.
He is the One before all things.
He is the Firstborn of every creature.
He is the Root of every language.
He is the Logos of God.
He is the Word that gives meaning to every word.
You can never say enough kind things about Him accurately.
There is no loftier aspiration of our mental meditation than the Person and performance of Jesus Christ the Righteous.
“And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well” Mark 7:37. Insert jaw-drop emoji here.
Just when you think you’ve met Him, there’s more.
He is Pure. The very definition of purity. There is none else who can be, or claim to be as pure as He is.
He cannot be defiled.
He came through the fire still pure.
He carried the weight of all the world on His soul and shoulders. Yet untainted.
In Hebrews chapter 7 we see His purity as a four-sided cube of consideration. Do you see it? Floating and spinning slowly, this cube before us. Behold the four components of His matchless purity.
On the first panel, we read of His ultimate holiness.
He is both holy on the highest level, and now next, (it spins) harmless … meaning pure in motives, without desire to reciprocate harm, [see Him] being reviled He reviled not again. Now spins into view the next panel of this glowing cube declaring Christ is undefiled, none of that sin sunk in!
On the last panel now we see Him … separate from sinners, in that He is more pure than all sinners. In fact, He is the only one Who is not a sinner.
Set apart, and therefore qualified as Quad-cube pure, so that God can establish His rightful position as higher than the heavens. Let’s read it together:
Hebrews 7:26: “For such an High Priest became us, Who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens”
Calling all competitors.
Bring out your best to compare to Christ.
Are there any who dare enter the arena and present credentials worthy of holding such an office as this Man?
How will you match Him?
Will you present your contender as indeed sinless, compared to Christ!?
What competitor steps up to claim the throne of Christ?
Where are the equal ones?
Four times in Isaiah, God lambasts through the speakers of heaven, asking for anyone to please come out and play with Him.
Step into the octagon.
It’s an all-call for anyone to please step up and go toe-to-toe with God.
Isaiah 40:18 “To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto Him?”
Whaddo you got?
Anything?
Isaiah 40:25 “To whom then will ye liken Me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.”
Isaiah 46:5 “To whom will ye liken Me, and make Me equal, and compare Me, that we may be like?”
Silence. Stillness. No response. There’s no one. I know not any.
“Is there a God beside Me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.” Isaiah 44:8.
Mohammed cannot even make honorable-mention. Where would one start the comparison? There is none. The prophecy and spirit of Christ are so completely different than whatever deity or demon other prophets claimed to speak on behalf of. There is none. The resounding Mega Lie making the circles today is this: “Mohammad and Christ spoke the same truth about the same God.” There is zero union. Zero harmony. Complete opposite. Nothing the same. Question: “What research have you completed before accepting that lie?”
Jesus is winner by default.
No challenger found.
Who else will step up as our True, final Prophet and also ultimate High Priest, and also ultimate King above all kings: all three offices occupied and operated successfully, simultaneously?
I don’t want to hear about your prophet, unless he also is the high priest and also is the king and can therefore realistically challenge Christ to a competition.
We talk about who we love, which is why we seldom speak of Jesus.
People do not explore Christ, because they are somehow not curious. They refuse the truth, perhaps. They reject the possibility of truth. Some cannot handle … knowing the truth would do something to their future or their finances and their family or their frail, fragile ego.
But go ahead.
Avoid Truth.
Ridicule Truth.
Redefine “truth”.
Fight against Truth.
And one day meet the Truth.
“Oh, wow, I had no idea … You ARE the Truth?!”
You had all kinds of idea. And you intentionally travelled 180° away from known Truth.
It’s difficult to resist the Truth. It’s like resisting oxygen.
Gotta work hard at it.
A daily battle.
Acts 7:51 “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do ALWAYS RESIST the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.”
The way of the resistor is hard.
Acts 26:14 Jesus calling: “… Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? it is HARD for thee to kick against the pricks.”
A prick is a puncture. A prodding. A little pain. It’s a tiny attention-getter. Like a pointed-pin-prick. A little jab with a stick. It’s designed to get someone to go in the right direction, for their good. It’s like guiding the sheep. Don’t go that way. Take a right-hand turn, please. But we fight against the prodding, guiding staff of our Shepherd. We rebel. We resist. We fight hard against.
One stands declaring plainly, “I am the Truth.”
Yes, we could back up logically and start at the very beginning. And provide an extremely meticulous, vertical-stack presentation of the facts of who Christ is. But that would not get your attention … if you are actively resisting. If you are receiving this transmission, you may be the resistance. OR you are an active witness for Christ. You are either in the fight of your life against the God of life. OR you are transmitting the knowledge of the True God and Saviour Jesus Christ to your local world every day. We either resist Him strongly, or embrace Him whole-heartedly.
Of course you know, Jesus is God. Of course, you know deep-down Jesus is Eternal. Of course you know Jesus is our Creator. Of course, you know Jesus is altogether lovely. Of course you know in your spirit Jesus exudes and exemplifies the highest level and the deepest level and the best level of Love that you will ever experience in this lifetime or in the world to come. Yet some hate Him on purpose, because our nature is corrupt.
Rise above your carnal nature. Turn your brain on. Listen with the ears of your heart.
Allow your understanding to be enlightened.
Jesus declared “I am the Light of the world.” Let the light turn on inside. Get out of bed you groggy head. :)
Allow God to be God.
Make God God again.
Stop being such a childish human. :)
Acts 5:39 “But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.”
Do you have that kind of energy?
Do you fancy yourself to be some sort of champion?
There is within all of us this tantrum-toddler-tenacity to resist Christ and the Spirit of Christ.
2 Timothy 3:8 “Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also RESIST the Truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.”
Corrupt. Reprobate. Twisted.
Incapable of proper thinking.
“Well, I just don’t like the way Jesus did some things.”
Oh, and who gave you this opinion?
Did some demon slither-whisper in your ear?
What actions specifically did you not like about Jesus?
And are you willing to go to Hell rather than work-out your differences with God?
How do we present the gospel?
Try starting at the end.
You want outcomes? Fine.
Here’s the ultimate outcome-result of believing Christ is who Christ is … ready?
Colossians 3:11 “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.” Christ is both available to and earnestly outstretched toward reaching Greek and Jew and Barbarian and Scythian and rich and poor: Christ is all, and in all. Meaning, He’s right at home living within a slave’s heart and a king’s heart. He’s right at home within a Jew or Greek (definitely different mindsets).
Yet we can all say Christ is all.
Christ is all the good things combined in one.
Christ is all the expression of awesome.
Christ is the everything-burger. :) Everything included.
Ephesians 4:6 “One God and Father of all, Who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
Just try to read that twice, slowly. That’s a lot of all.
“One God and Father of all, Who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
Wanna say it Southern: Alls-yall’s.
How can one Person be all those things?
Both a Father and a Son and a Spirit?
How can one mouth be both for eating food, for speaking, and for breathing? :) It just can.
I submit for your consideration: there may be an Individual worthy of carrying so many names simultaneously that His identity cannot be accurately defined within just a mere 24 names. Oh no! Many more names required, please!
Stop trusting fake religion. Religious people have it all figured out, except one thing. Who is Jesus?
Pharisees knew all the details of what makes God smile; until they met Jesus.
Do you have Jesus the Christ all figured out?
No matter what religion you claim currently, allow yourself to be re-introduced to The Way.
Are you in Jesus?
Is Jesus in you?
If you could guide anyone to stay focused on the Person of who Jesus is for a solid five minutes, there’s no going back. Just look at the Light. Look at the Lamb.
No one else even has the courage or the capacity to muster such claims as being the Creator and the Sustainer of all life. And He wants to be your Savior. And He can, and He will, and He loves you!
Messiah is the fulfillment of the entire Old Testament foreshadow. Talk about a movie trailer. Not a 39-second trailer. A 39-BOOK trailer, spread-out over 4000 years. The essential message, “He’s coming. Messiah’s on the way. Be on the lookout. In the middle of the darkest hour, He will burst forth onto the scene. You can believe God. Messiah is coming on time on schedule.”
He never once has
failed to meet my needs
He is my strong tower,
My strength in my weakest hour
I can trust Jesus,
He takes care of me.
Matthew 1:21 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.”
The name Jesus means "Jehovah is salvation". [It’s okay to say AMEN right there.]
Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, the Saviour of mankind, God incarnate. God came down to us. [I need that.]
Jesus confirmed to Satan the tempter in Matthew 4:7 in the showdown, “Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”
Question: Who did Satan tempt?
Answer: Jesus, the Lord Thy God.
And Satan could not deny that fact.
That’s solid.
I am the Christ.
What if He just declared it? It would freaks people right out.
That’s too life-altering. Jesus had to gradually introduce Himself to the world because He knew our fragile, fear-filled frame and nature.
But now, let’s get to know Him.
He is the ticket.
He’s the Door.
He’s the handle.
Here’s the hinges.
He is the Way of entry into the presence of God.
He is the One altogether lovely.
Upon full examination, from every possible angle we can discover … no defect in Him.
He’s so pure He’s like the lily of the valley.
His identity is beyond language skills for containment.
There is no combination of letters or numbers sufficient to document the extremity of His elegance. He’s pretty awesome!
One cannot write for ten thousand hours to begin to properly cover the news about Who He is.
Hundreds of thousands are the songs and singers attempting to express how He makes us feel.
He is the supreme summation of all things pristine and profitable for humans.
There is no speech nor language, where His voice is not clearly heard. His sound has gone out through all the earth.
Let’s summarize everything so far.
Our design is primarily to know Him and secondly, to help make Him known.
How-so? Accurately. Organically. Simply. Completely. We must be fixated upon His person so that we can accurately convey who He is, fluently. Describing Christ requires an elevation in communication. We need the Spirit’s help! Because we must present Him as though presenting a king. We must be eloquent and proper and compelling in this His introduction. Because He deserves that level of representation.
A witness started as one who spent much time with Christ, and therefore had no pause answering any question regarding the track record, and the personality of how Jesus behaved. I got your answer, right here! Ask any of His disciples, and they instantly will free-verse freely of their experience with Christ. But please note, there must first be an experience with Christ. These disciples took not months but years to believe the awesomeness. They had to absorb the glow of God.
Absorb all you can now. We are going to His House on high. Better get to know the Host. :)
Some disciples had difficulty believing the greater claims of Christ, even until they saw the resurrection fulfilled. Are we better than the disciples? Are we more faith-filled than they? Have any of us walked on water? Possibly we have more information and data upon which to base our faith today. We have a completed Signatured Book. But our nature is no-less fragile and no-less human. So then, we must spend sufficient time with Christ to be enamored with His person, such that we can courageously convey to any audience who He is and what He provides.
Notice the three steps in this verse:
Mark 3:14 “And 1) He ordained twelve, that 2) they should be with Him, and that 3) He might send them forth to preach”
Who are we witnesses of?
The Lord Christ.
And how shall we best represent Him?
Time. Investing time in His presence. Appreciating who He is. Curiously investigating His identity. Reading a bit, perhaps. Becoming familiar with the ambient of His Spirit. Saying it His way. Getting to know His tone and preferences.
Striving to become a familiar-friend of His.
Mark 8:27 “And Jesus went out, and His disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way He asked His disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?”
Today’s vernacular is kind of asking your friends, “So what’s my reputation?”
And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.
(So … literally, no one says the Messiah? Wow.)
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
The only possible logical position is … that complete knowledge of Who Christ is might have freaked the people out. They just weren’t ready for it.
“That Jesus is kinda-like this other fella, or sounds official like that one other guy.”
Because if God wanted people to know the Messiah was at hand, then He certainly would have revealed it courageously and triumphantly. But either the people were not ready to receive the knowledge of His identity, or God wasn’t ready to reveal it. We can’t fully comprehend that mystery. But a few people knew He was the Messiah; His true identity.
I’m hoping I can be on that short list of people who know God’s true identity.
How-so? If there are 000 songs that you’ve ever heard about Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, [we are going to sing to Him in Heaven] carrying His blood … taking the place of my blood, before the Father to take care of my whole sin debt, and I don’t express gratitude … and there’s no tears and there’s no slobber-nose-snot-box bursting of my heart then I have zero God inside my soul.
If you hear humble, Holy Spirit-filled conduit, precious vessels singing, “That’s my child, [see link below] and he goes free. There is now no condemnation unto them who are in Christ Jesus.” And your tear ducts are still dry. You’ve got nothing. You got no fire. You’ve not tasted the same Honey from the Rock. You’ve not tasted the Good Word. You’ve not tasted or seen that the Lord is good. Your taste buds don’t work, bud!
Are you ready for Heaven? Would you like a pre-test to make sure? If you could listen to every word on purpose, with full-heart-focus to a simple song about the last blood of Christ, delivered by rescued, restored, transformed lives through these Victorious Valley Girls, and there’s nothing that ignites inside your soul, it’s because nothing ever moved in there. Maybe you’re alone in there. Let Jesus fix that. :)
A Jesus-first gospel