Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Does this scripture only refer to our salvation? The second part makes it clear that there is no way to eternal life except through Jesus. Ephesians 2:8-9 make it equally clear that our salvation comes through grace and not anything that we have done, can do, or could ever do.

Recently, a friend and I were discussing how difficult life seemed for some people who have asked Jesus to be their Savior, and he asked, "do you suppose part of this is how we can have Jesus as our Savior, but not our Lord?" In the vastness of scripture there are many reasons for our struggles. Sometimes they can be trials from God, sometimes they are just the way the fall is affecting the world around us, and sometimes we bring it about. Could these be the times when Christ is our Savior, but we are not following Him as the truth and the life?

As I was pondering that more over the days that followed, I listened to a sermon in which our pastor was encouraging us to see what we had not fully submitted to Christ. The goal of our enemy has always been to get us to make anything, including ourselves, to be our lord. Where are your struggles? Have you gotten to the point where your lord has failed? Is it time to ask Jesus to be Lord over all… the truth and the life?

Luke 6:46 gives us the words of Jesus where he asks, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I say?”

In John 8:31-32 He exclaims “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

His final words in Matthew (28:19-20), instruct us to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Claim Him as your Savior and let Him be your Lord!

If you're going to start a blog, you might as well start with a real simple topic or question, right? Who is this Jesus? That's no simple question and one that has been asked ever since He was born. Before I start to tackle that question, it would be good to share a little about the author.

Norm Jennings is just a guy after God’s heart. He (speaking of self in third person is creepy, so I) am a commissioned Pastor and Director of At Stake Ministries. I hold a seminary master’s degree in Pastoral Counseling from Liberty University Baptist Theological Seminary. My reliance is solely derived form the Bible as the inerrant and infallible Word from God. I do not hold any wisdom or special understanding that qualifies me to come up with a better explanation than what the Holy Spirit reveals through Scripture.

Back to the question at hand of Who is this Jesus? There are some easy answers from all the historical facts documented. He was a man immaculately conceived by God and born in a manger in Bethlehem. His mother’s name was Mary, and his father was named Joseph. He grew up in Nazareth, learning the trade of his earthly father and loved learning about his heavenly Father. He sat in the temple with the religious leaders when he was 12, so we see that learning and studying scripture was very important to him and his family.

We really don't learn very many details of him growing up from an infant into a young child, then into a young man, and finally into the man that we see entering ministry in his early 30s. We see His mother alongside Him throughout the His ministry, crucifixion, and after God raised Him from the dead.

A lot of what happened during His time in ministry, has been well documented by many different witnesses. The witnesses included those who believed in Him as the Messiah, Son of God; as well as by those who were completely against him. We know that Jesus was on trial by those who believed in the same God and scriptures throughout all His time here on earth.

We see clearly from His ministry that each time He performed a miracle, He was moved by compassion. Jesus did not tell people to clean themselves up and then they could be with God. Make themselves right, become perfect, and then they could be around Him. Jesus entered into the mess and loved on people. He taught them the truth found in the Bible. He encouraged them and let each person decide if they were going to step in faith and trust Him as their Savior. For those who choose Him, He helps them to no longer be stuck in things that steal what life has to offer, kill of healthy live-giving relationships, and destroy all that is life; but instead to live a life of abundance.

Who is Jesus? He is the one that saved me from a life of death in sin, raised me into a New Life of abundance, and will be alongside me for all eternity! John 21:25 describe Jesus the best in that if everything was recorded about Him, there would not be enough space in all the buildings for the books that would be written. Take the step today that brings you closer to Him. Not sure where to start, look me up and let’s talk Jesus together!