Have you been with Jesus?

This week our students start a yearlong journey through the Gospel of Luke. I am excited to see what we will experience and learn about Jesus throughout the next year.
My experience has taught me that some Christians know the Bible well and others not as well. But even for those who know the Bible fairly well, there are many who may not know Jesus very well.
One of the main purposes of spending a year in Luke is to get to know Jesus better. In his follow up to his gospel, Luke says the following about Peter and John:
The officials were amazed to see how brave Peter and John were, and they knew that these two apostles were only ordinary men and not well educated. The officials were certain that these men had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)
The officials weren’t amazed because of the Peter and John’s education. It wasn’t because there was something special about them. As a matter of fact, it was their ordinary nature that made their bravery so unique.
Imagine how much different we might act if we knew Jesus. Obviously, we can have the same experience as Peter and John, but there are four accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry to help us better understand who this Jesus really was. By spending a year traveling with Jesus from birth through the resurrection, we are hoping to get a better glimpse of the man from Nazareth.
Here is how Luke opens his account of the Life of Jesus Christ:
Many people have tried to tell the story of what God has done among us. They wrote what we had been told by the ones who were there in the beginning and saw what happened. So I made a careful study of everything and then decided to write and tell you exactly what took place. Honorable Theophilus, I have done this to let you know the truth about what you have heard. (Luke 1:1-4)
My prayer is that this year, we can join Jesus through the words of the gospel of Luke. Hopefully we can walk alongside Him and see people the way He does. Then maybe people can say about us that we have been with Jesus.

shine!
Jason