I addressed the following comments first to the community called Albany Park in Chicago, where I have done street work for several years. Albany Park is a place of many cultures, many Christian expressions, and many religions that are not Christian. And I imagine there are many in AP who want nothing to do with religion, as well as others who once walked with God and do not walk with Him any longer.
In all of this mix, the identity of the One called Jesus of Nazareth has been confused. My desire is to bring to AP’s attention once more, what God Himself says about His Son.
I have been facilitating recently a small group at my home church that emphasizes personal evangelism. The course we are following is called “Becoming a Contagious Christian”. From the Contagious Christian CD comes an interview of a number of people who are asked simply, “Who is Jesus?” The answers range from the absolutely true to the absolutely outrageous. Here they are. Maybe your own answer is one of them.
“Jesus is God.”
“Savior of the Christian faith.
“He died in Israel.”
“He is one of the gods.”
“Palestinian Jew living around the year 0-30.”
“A religious leader.”
“I think He was just a person that was really smart and wanted to make the world a better place or something.”
“He’s a topic that I don’t want to discuss.”
“Savior of the world.”
“The man who’s gonna lead us into the promised land in the next life.”
“A higher power above all things that no one can understand.”
“Jesus is a rabbi that was in the first century.”
“I believe Jesus was a prophet trying to create a new branch of Judaism, and I believe that they took what His preachings were and later on made it into something which I don’t believe it was at all intended to be. I don’t think Jesus ever called Himself the Son of God.”