Years ago I was speaking to a coworker and the name of a colleague came up in conversation, to which my coworker remarked, “Yeah, she’s a Christian….well, she’s a professing Christian, at least.“ I knew exactly what he meant, as I had met many such people in my life whom I would similarly describe – people who go to church, occasionally may even read the Bible, profess a nebulous belief in God and Jesus, but have no real relationship with Jesus Christ.
If someone were to ask me, ‘do you know Taylor Swift?‘ My response would be ‘Well, I know of her, but I don’t know her. Many people have a knowledge of Jesus, but don’t know him. If I were to show up uninvited to a dinner party Taylor Swift was hosting, most assuredly her security detail would escort me off the property without much delay and my protests that I know of Taylor would fall on deaf ears. Because although I may know of her, I don’t know her, and, more importantly in this context, she doesn’t know me.
Perhaps someone has asked you if you know Jesus, or if you have a relationship with Jesus. You might have thought they were speaking in a metaphorical sense. They weren’t. To be a Christian is to have a relationship, a real relationship, with the living Christ. Jesus himself said, Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20. To be a Christian requires that one open the door of their heart, their life, to Jesus – and thus begin a personal relationship with him. Knowledge of the man standing outside your door and knocking is far different than opening the door and inviting that man into your home. The latter is what it means to be a Christian. Jesus reinforces this point as well in Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Maybe the more important question to ask yourself is not if you know Jesus, but as the above scripture illustrates – does he know you?
If you would like to begin the incredible, life changing journey of knowing Christ and having a personal relationship with Jesus, you may do so right now, by praying something like the below from your heart.
Dear Jesus, I know I am a sinner and am sorry for my sins. I believe that you are the Son of God and willingly gave your life to pay in full the price of my sins. I repent of my sins, ask your forgiveness and commit my life to you. I invite you into my heart and my life to be my lord and savior and to have a relationship with me. Thank you Jesus that my sins are forgiven and that I now know you as my lord and savior. In your name I pray, Amen.
Let Us Reason Together 