READ: Matthew 16:13-20 “Jesus said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?'”
REFLECT: This is the most important question of our entire lives. How we respond to Jesus’ question determines our direction in life. What are your options? Some will say he was fake. Others say he was real but simply one of many righteous men. As C.S. Lewis noted, many even point to him as a lunatic. Anyone who would ask his followers to “eat his flesh and drink his blood,” must have been crazy, right?
When we claim to be His disciples we must realize our lives tell the truth about our answer to this question. No matter what our mouths confess it is through our actions that we truly say who He is. “But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18)
RESPOND:
1. What kinds of actions would demonstrate that someone does not believe Jesus was the Son of God?
2. How can your life match what you claim to believe as a Christian?
3. As a Christian, how can your actions affect the faith of those around you?
“I…urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called“ (Ephesians 4:1)
Agreed. At the end of the day, with people arguing about and focusing on everything else, this is the only question that matters. If Jesus is the Son of God and Savior, then we owe him everything. If he’s not, who cares?
The Christ; The Lord
I guess to me we act against the Son of God by our sinning and not repenting. By making excuses for our sins and not running to our savior for help.
My life as a Christian is up and down, because I want to chase Christ down and love him but I want control as well and I have learned to catch myself these days and let go which is so much better yet nerve racking at times. Life as a Christian is awesome and so full filling when I allow Christ to work through me.
My actions let others know Christian and Non Christian alike that I am not afraid to confess my mistakes and I am not afraid to scream from a roof top that I am on fire for Christ. I want to serve others and I want to listen to others and love them when they need someone to share with. I have an endless bag of seeds and I want to cover every inch of the ground with them and share the Gospel.
They will know me by my love. My actions demonstrate Christ by the love I show others. My patience, acts of kindness, acts or mercy demonstrate Him through me because I can do none of these things without him working in my life. When I do these things others notice something different, they may not know what it is at first, but if I am patient and it’s God’s timing he will reveal it to them. The hope is they will want what I have and that is the love of Jesus in me. That is who Jesus is.. he is love.
It is not enough to say that Jesus is the Christ. Even the demons know this and shudder. Jesus commands us to follow him, not just believe who he is. He called Peter, Andrew, James and John by saying ” follow me” and they immediately dropped their nets, leaving the fishing business, to follow Jesus. It means true repentance and obeying His commands. Making Jesus the Lord of your life. It is a hard path. We are called to sacrificial living, but so incredibly worth it.