Tuesday 22 January 2013

Jesus

Source(Google.com.pk)
Jesus Biography
Unlike most biographies, the Jesus Christ biography does not begin with His birth, or even with His conception. Jesus Christ's biography can be understood more fully if we realize the Bible uses many names to refer to Jesus Christ. John referred to Jesus Christ as "the Word" when he wrote, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning" (John 1:1-2). This tells us that the Jesus Christ biography begins in eternity past - with God.
The first recorded acts in Jesus Christ's biography go back to creation. "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made" (John 1:3). Although not mentioned by name, this Scripture tells us that He was there, and Scripture records God's words as "Let US make man in OUR image, in OUR likeness. . ." (Genesis 1:26), indicating that the Father was not alone at the time of creation.
Birth: Some would think of a Jesus Christ biography in terms of His life here on earth. For that we must begin not at His birth but at His conception, for both of these events were unlike any other in history. The earthly life of Jesus is the only one that begins with a spiritual conception, with no man present. This conception was foretold by the angel Gabriel in Luke 1:26-35. His birth was the only one to ever open a womb, since He was born of a young Jewish virgin. Because of a government census His mother, Mary, and His stepfather, Joseph, had to travel to Bethlehem. This is where Jesus was born in a lowly stable. His birth was announced by angels to shepherds, and by a special star to wise men in a far country. At eight days of age, he was dedicated in the Temple according to Jewish custom.
Childhood: At an early age, Jesus and his family fled to Egypt because an angel warned Joseph in a dream of impending danger. When they returned from Egypt, they settled in Galilee, in the town of Nazareth. At the age of twelve, Jesus traveled to Jerusalem with Mary and Joseph to celebrate the Feast of the Passover. When His parents could not find Him in their group of relatives and friends on the return trip, they returned to Jerusalem and "After three days they found Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard Him was amazed at His understanding and His answers. When His parents saw Him, they were astonished. His mother said to Him, 'Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.' 'Why were you searching for me?' he asked. 'Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?' "(Luke 2:46-49). After that, He returned to Nazareth with them, was obedient, and continued to grow "in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." (Luke 2:52)
Adult/ Public Ministry: At approximately 30 years of age, Jesus entered into the public awareness. John the Baptist had preached of the coming Messiah, preparing the way for Jesus' ministry. John baptized Jesus, and as Jesus prayed at the time of His baptism, "heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.'" (Luke 3:21-22). After this, Jesus went into the wilderness for a time of fasting and prayer in preparation for His ministry. Then the devil came to Him and tempted Him. Rather than succumbing to the temptations, Jesus answered with Scripture, setting a pattern for His followers to handle temptations for ages to come.
Jesus began to preach a message of repentance, and from among His followers hand-picked twelve men with whom He worked most closely, teaching them even more intensely than to the multitudes. These men have come to be known as the twelve disciples, or the apostles. The teaching and preaching of Jesus convicted, challenged, or encouraged those who heard, while some were simply entertained and others were angered. Jesus performed many miracles of healing and restoration, as well as miracles designed to teach a lesson.
A Jesus Christ biography is intensely interesting - and can be studied in depth in the pages of Scripture, especially the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. However, the primary reason for Jesus' earthly life was "to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10) Jesus sought the lost through His teaching and preaching. Then He provided the way of salvation from sin (the only way to Heaven) by way of the ultimate sacrifice, the one that only He could make - His crucifixion on Calvary, followed by His resurrection from the dead after three days. Thus He conquered death and the grave for all who would put their faith in Him.

Jesus Christ: Many Things to Many People
Jesus Christ has been called many things by many people, including a great man, a great teacher, and a great prophet. There is no legitimate scholar today that denies that Jesus is a historic figure that walked on this earth about 2,000 years ago, that he did remarkable wonders and acts of charity, and that he died a horrible death on a Roman cross just outside Jerusalem. The only dispute is whether Jesus was God incarnate who rose from the dead three days after His crucifixion. These are all matters of historical record that can be earnestly discovered and tested. Jesus told us who He was – He didn’t mince words. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).
Jesus Christ: He is the Way
Jesus Christ declared “I am the Way,” but clearly, not everyone believes Him. What are we all afraid of? The evidence for Jesus and His great works are well documented both in and out of the Bible. The evidence for His crucifixion on the cross, the empty tomb three days later, and His appearances to over 500 eye-witnesses after his resurrection is very compelling. Jesus fulfilled over 300 messianic prophecies written in the Old Testament scriptures. With the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the reliability of the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, both of which have been proven to exist prior to the time Jesus walked on the earth, you can be assured that these prophecies were not “conspired” after-the-fact. They were truly fulfilled by the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Actually, if you look at the polls, most people aren’t afraid of Jesus at all. They’re afraid of Christians. Look at the way many Christians act, and who can deny this fear. Arcane rituals, flamboyant preachers, money, power, hypocrisy – Do these present a real picture of who Jesus is, and who He wants us to be? No. However, Jesus did not ask us to follow men and religion, He asked us to follow Him.
Jesus Christ: He is the Truth
Jesus Christ declared “I am the Truth,” but clearly, many of us have created our own concepts of truth. Moral relativism and religious pluralism pervade our culture. Truth is redefined daily. However, Jesus, through His Word -- the Bible -- gave us absolute truth. With today’s archaeological, historical and manuscript evidence, there’s far less reason to deny the origin of the Bible and its divine authenticity than to deny the legitimacy of works by Homer, Plato and Aristotle. What about your own pursuit of the truth? Is it even a priority in your life? How do you discover Christ’s truth, you might ask? He tells us in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”
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