Introduction

Stats on Immigration in Twin Citites-John Mayer www.cityvisiontc.org

• 2004-Minnesota 3rd in nation for new refugees
• Now home to largest Hmong, Somali, and Oromo Ethiopian concentrations in US
• Philips neighborhood in Mpls currently most ethnically diverse neighborhood in America-100+ languages spoken.

We live in an increasingly "global" culture.  

• Immigration
• New ways of communicating
• Global Economy

Multi-culturalism

• Need to know how to relate to more diverse cultures-no longer assume "typical 'American' background"
• Values inclusiveness of all people regardless of backgrounds and beliefs.
• Relationships based upon mutual respect and understanding rather than fear, guilt intimidation

This really fits with Christian ideals...these values are along the same lines as we promote here.

• Meet people where they are...try to understand where they are coming from.
• Build relationships...accepting all people, leading them to Christ so that He can work in their lives.
• Something very Christ-like about building relationships on respect and understanding.

Problem with Multi-cultural movements

• There is a problem a lot of these groups have run into, however. You especially notice it cross-culture, but it applies to all people really. There will always be fundamental things that people disagree on. Can't force them to just accept one another..or to simply ignore their differences. Can't just all get along. Why are these disagreements so important?
• Especially true with faith issues.

Applies to us as try to go out in the world and build meaningful relationships.

• Need to be aware of where we as Christians might have these disagreements and how we'll handle them
• Can't simply say "I'm right your wrong"...prideful, burn bridges
• Also can't simply say, "OK, I'll accept your beliefs"
• Need convictions
• Accountable to truth about God
• Need to know where these boundaries are to evaluate situations we get into with other people so we can know whether we can "Agree to disagree" or say, "You know what, we just can't do this things together unless we are in agreement on these things."

So we take this belief out with us into the world. What do we do with this when we know we'll find others with all kinds of other beliefs?

• Certainly we wouldn't avoid having coffee with someone other their beliefs about Jesus. Or developing a friendship
• Our beliefs do affect the way we think, act, veiw the world do need to be aware of them and times when it is important to take a stand.
• I think of young people dating...considering someone they might spend thei life with
• Partnering with someone in other major ways, we need to be aware of time when we need to dwar a line.

Believe! Series

With all that in mind...building better relationships with people of all backgrounds while remaining firm on things that are important, we are embarking on a five week series along with the River Farmington to explore some of the essentials of the Christian faith.

• Help us all have a firmer grasp on what they are and why so important.

Jesus-who is he?

Jesus central to Christianity

• Jesus also prominent in a number of other faiths.
• Surprising that many will say "Yes, I am a follower of Jesus", or "OH Yeah, we love Jesus!"
• Hindus-love Jesus-great teacher. Adhere to mis message of love
• Muslims-Jesus great teacher-Messenger from God.
• Jehovah's Witnesses...love Jesus and his teachings
• Mormons...same thing...love his teachings... Son of God...Jesus is the first to inherit eternal life and a kingdom from God.
• Some say: great. We all love Jesus. We are all the same.

Go Deeper-who is Jesus.

• This goes back even to Jesus own lifetime. Matt 16:15-16 records that He asked his disciples "Who do people say I am?" The answer: "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and other say Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
• Most faiths who acknowledge Jesus as great say He was a great moral teacher. His lessons are valuable to how we should live.
• Hindu: love-person not important
• Muslim: Virgin birth. Miracles. prophet-one of many messengers
• Many others: great moral lessons

Fully Human

Agree that Jesus was a great man. Had many great things to tell us about love and morality.

• Human nature important: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Heb 4:15 ESV)
• Jesus knows the difficulties of temptation and the hardships of life. We know he can sympathize with our struggles because He was human.

Problem is that Jesus said much more than just tell us how to live a "moral" life.

• "I am the way, the truth and the life. Noone comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
• Referred to God as His Father. Said that He and the Father are One (John 10:30)
• Said he had the power to fogive sins (Luke 5:23)
• Lived life in perfect obedience to God-without sin-which noone else has every accomplished.
• Said that if anyone loved him, he'd obey his teachings-equating his own authority with God's

Fully God

We need to be accountable to the whole truth about God. Those who say Jesus was just a man are simply ignoring many of Jesus' statments about himself. They are picking out the parts they like.

The whole truth is that these are not the statements of someone who is worthy to be followed....these are the statements of a crazy man...a liar...a blasphemer-someone treating God with no respect....Unless...

• Unless there is something more to Jesus than simply being a great man.
• Jesus is also divine in nature...the Son of God..unless people acknowledge this, too, his teachings are meaningless..his death and ressurection are meaningless and the impact He has had on all of human history is meaningless.
• So, we need to take a stand on our belief Jesus had this dual nature-whether we can fully grasp it or not-that He is both man and God in nature...that He is truly worhty of the name "Son of God".

Who is the Son

But wait a second...what do we mean by "Son of God?". Someone who cam after God the Father? Mormons freely acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God...but in a different sense. He is the firstborn of people who inherted God's kingdom...He is less than God, but had gained eternal life and authority over our world. By following Jesus we, too, have attain that level of authority over our own world and become Sons of God as well. Is that what we mean?

No. Jesus didn't leave us open to that.

• I and the Father are one
• In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1)
• Paul said, "For by Him all things were created" (Col 1:16)...He is before all things and in Him all things hold together."
• Never left things open that we would somehow attain equality with Him. Important to see our relationship to Him. Imoportant to realize that He is far greater than this world...that that moment in time when He was on the earth...He has been present for all time-co-equal with the Father God...waiting for this moment in time aware of all the mankind has experienced throughout history.

Who is Jesus?

Taking all this we come up with doctrinal statments like this:

Jesus Christ is God’s eternal Son. He is co-equal with the Father. He allowed himself to be born of a virgin through a miraculous conception of the Holy Spirit, without ceasing to be God. Being true God and true man, He lived a sinless human life, and voluntarily offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins by dying on a cross as our substitute. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven and will return again to earth some day, personally and visibly, to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.

So now what?

Conclusion-God who cares

I hope you can see some of the reasons why it's important to understand these distinctions about who Jesus is. It really boils down to one important thing that sets Christianity apart from any other belief.

Accountable to whole truth about Jesus

Jesus is much more than a good moral teacher...if this was all about learning right from wrong and encouraging one another to life a moral life, then there really wouldn't be any difference between this faith and many other faiths in the world. That's really what most of them are focused on.

Jesus tells us there's much more to him than that.

• He tells us that this faith is not about a far-off and distant God who may or may not listen to us.
• Not a God we have to prove ourselves to in order to have any hope of pleasing Him.

Jesus shows us that God cares about us and is pursuing a relationship with us.

• He's been concerned about us since the beginning
• He took the burden upon himself to come to us, experience life as we do, and take the burnden upon himself to remove obstacles from between us.

He's given us the choice...the freedom to turn to Him day after day and know Him personally.

This choice is what will make all the difference in who Jesus is to you. Choose to know Him and He will make himself known to you each and every day.