I Wonder...

For those of you who don't know, amongst the fliers I typically have on the table in the lobby, I have a stack of note cards and a box which says, "I Wonder...." at the top. This is for any questions students have, questions about life, and God and everything. Over the past year, students have been asking questions. While I may answer some of them within the various lessons I teach, I typically don't directly reference the questions themselves.


I started thinking I needed a place to directly answer these questions. So, starting this week, I will try to answer a question from the "I Wonder..." box each week on Thursday. This will hopefully get answers to those who seek them, as well as encourage other students to ask questions.


The first question I am going to answer is a question that was only recently put in the box, but I think is a fantastic question to start out with. This student writes, "How did people find out about Jesus?" What a great question.


All throughout the later Old Testament books, the prophets (who are people God talked to, so they could speak for Him) talked about a coming messiah who was to be the ultimate sacrifice of the world. Before Jesus was born, an angel came to both Mary and Joseph (Matthew 1:20-24 & Luke 1:26-38). After that, no one really knew who Jesus was... or at least we have no record. Eventually Jesus' cousin, John the Baptist, who was a prophet, paved the way, and told people the messiah was here, pointing Jesus out to crowds of people, and even baptizing Him (Matthew 3). Jesus was about 30, when he started His ministry, and began to call out the 12 disciples (Matthew 4:18-22). All throughout the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John) we see Jesus preaching about who he was. We see Jesus move from town to town preaching, healing and performing miracles. He instilled in His disciples, specifically the 12, who He was, and what he wanted them to do. After Jesus died, and rose again, He revealed Himself to many people, including the disciples. He told them they had to go out to all the world and teach people about Him and make them disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). Some of the disciples wrote letters to churches in different towns, and when those towns were done with the letter, they passed it on to the next town, and the letters kept circulating.


Then Paul (who was first called Saul in Acts 7:58 & 9:1-13:9) came onto the scene when he experienced(Acts 9). God had given him a passion to tell gentiles (people who weren't Jewish). Paul ended up going on three missionary journeys, all throughout Eastern Europe and Western Asia. In addition to the missionary journeys, Paul also wrote many letters to people and towns. Like the other letters, these eventually circulated.


From there, word about Jesus spread. People who were devoted to God copied these letters and passed them on. Eventually the Bible was formed from books and letters which had been written by Paul and the disciples and circulated. Godly men copied these Bibles, and gave them out. Emperors and kings heard about Jesus and God and were changed. They told their kingdoms, who passed on the word, which kept getting passed on, through time, till today.


So to answer the question, "how did people find out about Jesus," I would say people experienced Him in their lives and told other people who experienced Him told other people and experienced Him. Which brings it to all of you. I want to encourage you all to tell others about Jesus. That's how we found out, and that's how others can find out, and that's what God wants us to do, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you...(Matthew 28:19-20)"