I am a Christian because of Jesus. When I say Jesus, I am talking about the person who lived, died, rose again, and now lives in the presence of God for us. He is alive and he has revealed himself to my heart time and time again over the past 43 years since I first believed.

When I was saved, I came to Jesus. I did not come to church, I didn’t come to theology, and I didn’t come to religion. I came to Jesus. If Jesus had not made himself known to me, I would not waste another moment being a Christian, but I can not deny him.

The revelation of Jesus Christ changes everything, and when Christ is revealed to the heart, your faith can endure anything.

I want you to consider the words of the apostle Paul who was a devout Jewish scholar before his conversion. Paul writes the following in Philippians 3.

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. ~ Philippians 3:7-15

There is more scripture in the Bible that reveals the living person of Jesus Christ, than any other topic. Yet Jesus is often overlooked. There are entire theological views that don’t have Jesus as the very foundation. Consider for instance the five points of Calvinism. Not a single one of them is rooted in the revelation of the person of Jesus Christ, yet people base their entire Christianity on these.

It’s not just Calvinism, it’s much of Westernized Christianity (the SBC, the Word of Faith, the New Apostlic Reformation, and the list goes on). You cannot simply tack on truth about Jesus and do your own thing, and think you are doing God’s work.,

If the man Jesus is not the foundation of what you are doing for God, you aren’t really doing it for God. You are worshiping him in vain. God has only sanctified that which is in Christ and of Christ. If your aim is not to win Christ and be found in him. You have the wrong motive.

The reason there is so much false doctrine, so many false brethren, and so much abandoning of the Christian faith, is a lack of Jesus. Jesus is the foundational stone that God has laid, and if your faith is built on anything other than this man, Jesus, you are going to grow weary, or become religious, and just a fruitless person, and sin creeps at the door.

Jesus told his disciples without me ye can do nothing.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. ~ John 15:1-5

The Christian life is a miserable existence when it’s not founded and rooted in the living Christ.This is why so many become either burned out, hardened, judgmental, political,  religious, and hypocritical. It is why there is so much exposure of sin among clergy and youth Pastors.

They have no fruit of Christ in their lives because they have no roots in Christ. When I say, Christ, I am not talking about theology about Jesus. I am talking about the person of Jesus Christ to whom we are called into fellowship with.

God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. ~ 1 Corinthians 1:9

That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. ~ 1 John 1:3-4

Over the past 43 years I have learned a lot about theology and doctrine. I have also had to change my theology and doctrine at times, but the person of Jesus Christ has been the one constant. I’m not simply referring to words on the pages of the Bible about Jesus, but the living Jesus to whom those words testify. He has been revealed to me by the Holy Spirit time and time again, fellowship with him is why I serve him.

Consider that Paul tells us that as ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. ~ Colossians 2:6-7 

It’s only as the roots of your faith grow in Christ, that the fruit of Christ’s Spirit grows outwardly in your life. The Holy Spirit that came on the Day of Pentecost, is the Spirit of the glorified Christ. He is the Spirit who glorifies Christ to us and in us, and he draws us into the fellowship with Jesus.