What Now?
If you began at the beginning (“What Story Are You Living?”), I asked you to "put on" the lenses of the Christian Story and to be open minded as we explored together. We considered how the Christian Story not only makes the best sense of life, but also offers the most hopeful, powerful vision for life.
What do you think?
Does it seem like it could be true? Or is it a fairy tale? Or something worse?
If you had to put a number on it, 0-100% how likely do you think it is that this story is true?
Do you wish it was true but just can’t force yourself to believe it?
There's a lot of places to be on a journey.
You might find yourself skeptical.
That’s OK.
I don’t know what your story is or what your objections are. It’s pretty unlikely that a few articles or videos would change your mind. I hope at the very least you’ve been able to see the beauty of the Christian story in a new way, and that this has been helpful on your journey.
I’d love to invite you to do two things:
First, I’d invite you to try and not confuse Jesus’ story with the worst behavior of Jesus’ followers. Following instructions to re-draw a masterpiece of art could turn out amazing, or it could turn out terribly. While many have genuinely embodied and replicated the life of Jesus, others have come far short or even committed atrocities in the name of Christianity.
Jesus doesn’t condone everything done in his name.
Second, I’d invite you to keep your eyes and ears open as God continues to show himself to you. He made you, he loves you, and greatly desires to have a relationship with you.
You might find yourself intrigued but not certain.
That’s great.
I would like to invite you to continue looking for yourself. Don’t take my word, or anyone else’s for that matter, come see Jesus for yourself.
Read or listen to one or more of his biographies. There are four of them in the Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – two eyewitness accounts (Matthew and John) and two accounts of historical journalism (Mark and Luke). As you read these, you should know that all the authors were alive at the same time Jesus was, and that there very strong historical and literary evidence that what we are reading in the Bible today is exactly what happened and was written down by the original authors.
You also might try finding a community of Jesus followers that accurately embodies the life of Jesus. If Jesus is alive, and his Spirit is restoring the lives of his followers, one of the best ways to “see” what Jesus is like is to get to know those who call him “King.” We don’t get it right all the time, but we are trying. If you read his biographies, you at least have a good way to evaluate if it's a good church or not.
Hopefully you know at least one Christian somewhere. If not, just Google: “Jesus Churches near me.” If you’re like me, you hate going somewhere new by yourself, so grab a friend! If it’s a good church you’ll be more warmly welcomed than you might expect.
A third place you might find yourself is convinced!
Awesome.
This doesn’t mean you don’t have questions or doubts, but you have arrived at a strong sense that this story is true historically, and you want it to be true for you.
You're starting to believe that the world and everything in it – yourself included – was made for Wholeness. You believe, too, that the world and everything in it – yourself included – suffer from the Brokenness of sin. You believe that the only ultimate solution is the Redemption made available through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. And you are excited to begin experiencing God’s Restoration in your life and to begin bringing that Restoration to the World.
If that’s you, my invitation is for you to “make it official.”
There are variations in language in how to describe this. I like to talk about "giving your life" to Jesus, or "making Him King of your life." Other people talk about “putting your faith in Jesus,” "believing in him," or "accepting him into your heart."
The bottom line is that Jesus is extending a personal invitation to you to enter His Story.
To do so, some people find praying (talking directly to God) helpful. You could take something like this and make it your own:
“Jesus, I believe you are God. I believe you died on the Cross for sin. I believe you were raised from the dead. I believe you are alive now and offering me redemption from my sin. I want to follow You forever as my God and my King. Please begin your restoration of my life by your Spirit, as I join in your restoration work in the world. Amen.”
If you just prayed a prayer like this and committed your life to Jesus, go find someone who can celebrate with you!!
This isn’t the only thing you need to do, but it’s the first and most important step!
Now find a good local community of Christians who can help you grow. Also, check out the resources below!
And share this website with someone if you found it helpful!
Blessings on your journey!