The Jesus I Know Part 1

This morning I woke up with the intention of beginning a three or four part series on a few selected scriptures from the book of Joshua. As of late, God has had me study this book of the Old Testament, and there is much wisdom that can be gleaned from the victories and defeats of Israel during Joshua's reign, as well as important lessons to be had that can be applied to our daily lives.
As I sat in front of my aging laptop however, I remembered I had made a promise to start a series entitled 'the Jesus I know' and in an attempt to keep my word, I will leave the post concerning Joshua and Israel for another time.
Many gospels are being preached from pulpits today, gospels of self-empowerment, self-realization, prosperity, self-esteem, inclusion ism, ecumenism, but one gospel which is missing from the hearts and minds of many a believer, is the gospel of Christ, that which has the power to restore, to make new, to strengthen and to redeem.
Suspiciously so, Christ is missing from our songs, from our sermons, from our books and teaching series, as though the modern church is ashamed or embarrassed of He who is the Son of the living God.
Even in the Church, Jesus is a controversial topic, one that polarises so called believers, and rather than obey Christ, we have attempted to remake Him in our own image, wherein He asks for nothing in return for giving us everything.
As promised, although somewhat belated, today is the first in what will be many posts entitled 'the Jesus I know' and the best way to begin such a journey is to reacquaint ourselves with Jesus, to rediscover the beauty and majesty that is Christ, to reaffirm His teaching, and bring to light not only the life He lived, but the price He paid that we too might have life.
Once Paul discovered Christ, once He had revealed himself to Paul, there remained in his heart a singular desire, to know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.
It would be wise for all who desire a deeper and more personal walk with God, to echo Paul's sentiment, to desire nothing more than the fullness of the knowledge of Christ, the fullness of His presence and power in our lives.
There is no more noble a pursuit, no nobler a desire than the knowledge of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. All else pales in comparison, be it end time prophecy, or Hebraic studies.
To those of the world, to those who reject Him even now, he was known by many names, the Galilean, the carpenter, the Nazarene, but to us who've had the scales removed form our eyes, to those whom He has made Himself known, He is the Messiah, the Son of God, who was with Him in the beginning. He is the Savior, the Redeemer, the Lamb of God.
In Him we discover the way, by Him we perceive truth, and through Him we obtain life.
We have the Word, and within its pages the Christ is revealed to all who diligently seek to know Him. He is hope in a hopeless world, to those who have received Him, He is light in the darkest of night, He is truth in an ocean of deception, and His heart of compassion has known no equal.
We can grow in knowledge, we can grow in grace, we can grow in intimacy with Christ the Messiah, and the more we know Him, the more He will reveal Himself to us, and through us.
2 Peter 1:2-4, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
Why is it important to know the depth of Christ today? Because all of God's promises, those exceedingly great and precious promises, can be encapsulated in the person of Jesus Christ. Whomsoever receives Him, by faith, as Savior, enters into the promises of God, and becomes a partaker of the divine nature.
Without the knowledge of Christ, we are but mere hollow vessels, as yet unfilled and unrefined, it is only when we know Him and the beauty of His majesty, that that we become partakers, having escaped the corruption that is in the world. The more we die to self, the greater Christ becomes in us, and as Christ becomes evident in our lives, in our conduct, and in our actions, we are forged into His image and made more like Him.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.