Many people today know about Jesus, but they don’t know Him personally.
Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)
21 “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!’
I want you to think about a question, and that question is: Do you know Jesus? Many times we ask people, “Are you a Christian?” when perhaps a better question would be: “Do you know Jesus?” According to statistics, between 75 and 85 percent of Americans identify themselves as Christian. Many times a person will readily say, “Yes, I’m a Christian,” but when asked if they know Jesus, they may hesitate. The reason they hesitate is because they may know about Jesus, but they don’t necessarily know Him personally. I may be a Christian, but that doesn’t mean I know Jesus personally.
Question: How many of you reading this have ever gotten into a personal or business relationship with someone because they said they were a Christian, and then that relationship didn’t work out? The reason for that is because being a Christian won’t necessarily guarantee success in a personal or business relationship, but knowing Jesus always will.
Perhaps the next Great Awakening will begin with the question, “Do you know Jesus?” The next time you are talking to someone about the things of God, simply ask, “Do you know Jesus?” and then let the Holy Spirit do the rest!