Jesus is…

This coming Sunday at our Sunday evening Bible Study; ‘Redefine‘, we will be starting a new teaching series as we look at who Jesus is. Hence the title of this blog post, ‘Jesus is..‘, which will be the title of the series, with us fleshing out the rest of the title for each week, to give an outline of what aspect of Jesus we will be looking at.

This Sunday we are specifically looking at the impact that Jesus has had on the world as a whole; so ‘Jesus is – the most influential person in history’. Some people might think that this is an outlandish and exaggerated claim; but as we study and look at it, I’m sure those that come to the study will see that it is not so, and that He is indeed the most influential person in history. As the Paul Oakley songs ‘Jesus lover of my soul’ says “For no one else in history is like You, and history itself belongs to You.” Or as the apostle Paul says “For in him (Jesus) all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.” – Colossians 1:16

The Bible makes a big deal of Jesus. God makes a big deal of Jesus: on the mountain of transfiguration, God the Father speaks audibly to the disciples – “While he (St. Peter) was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son (Jesus), whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’” – Matthew 17:5

As Christians, we are followers of Jesus. We make a big deal of Jesus, because to us He is not only a big deal. He is THE big deal.

It is all about Jesus.

Even outside of the realm of the Christian faith, Jesus is a big deal. He is not a myth, or something made up to propel a religious movement. In his book, the Antiquities of the Jews, 1st century AD Jewish historian ‘Falvius Josephus, in books 18 & 20 of his writings, includes references to Jesus and the start of Christianity. This book was written around 93-94 A.D. Tacitus, another famous first century historians and also a Roman Senator, wrote in his ‘Annals’ (which are a history of the Roman Empire) about Christ, his execution by Pontius Pilate and the existence of early Christians in Rome. This work was written around 116 A.D. So we have historical evidence for Jesus. Living, breathing & making an impact.

Even the title A.D. or C.E. to denote the year we are living in refers back to Jesus, for A.D. stands for ‘Anno Domine’ which is Latin for ‘in the year of the Lord’ (Jesus), and C.E. (often mis-referred to as ‘Common Era’) signifies ‘Christian Era’. Jesus has influenced our world so much that we date years either A.D. or C.E for after His birth and B.C. (Before Christ) or B.C.E. (Before the Christian Era) fir before His birth.

So not only does history belong to Him; His coming to earth was of such impact that it divided history itself.

He also features prominently in other religions around the world; in Islam He is called ‘Isa’ and, though they do not believe that He is God incarnate, they recognise Him as the Messiah and one of the most important prophets in Islam after Mohammed.  Some Hindus see Him as an ‘Avatar’ (incarnation of a deity) or ‘Sadhu’ (religious ascetic and holy person). So again, even other religions are being impacted by Jesus.

He has inspired Art & Sculpture, Music, Films, Literature, Theatre, and so many other spheres of life. Famous leader and people that have impacted the world, such as Mahatma Ghandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. have spoken about Jesus. It seems that wherever you look, you can’t but help see Jesus having an influence upon the world in some form or fashion.

Indeed, He has turned the world upside down; but it is His world to do that with in the first place (See Luke 12 & John 1). And He came to change the world forever, and for good.

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.” – Colossians 1:15-20

So this Sunday evening as we start our series ‘Jesus is..‘ pray for us at Llandudno Youth for Christ; that the truth of who Jesus is will impact the young people that come to our Bible studies, and they will have the opportunity to ask questions and discover for themselves all about Him.

We also have our supporters prayer meeting at 7pm in Ty Llywelyn Community Centre, so please do come along if you want to support us in prayer at this time.

Be blessed.