Others live in Christianized places. They have grown up hearing about Jesus. They have celebrated Christmas with a nativity scene somewhere nearby. They have heard “Jesus” used as a curse word. Many have even gone to church all their lives. They know Jesus. They just don’t know Jesus—who He really is, what He really did and why He really matters.
My intent in this book is to accomplish both an introduction and a reintroduction to Jesus. Whether it is an introduction or reintroduction will depend on you—the reader. Are you one of those who knows almost nothing about Him? I welcome the opportunity to introduce Jesus to you. In some ways, it will be easier. You don’t have any baggage from years and years of hearing incomplete and inaccurate things about Him. You are like the original audience of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John who documented the life and teaching of Jesus. They got to introduce Jesus to those who had no preconceived notions or cultural confusion about Jesus.
If I accomplish the goal of introducing Jesus to you—the true Jesus, the historical, factual, actual and authentic Jesus—then I believe with every cell and proton of my being your life will be eternally changed. You will understand why—after 2,000 years—so many are still talking about Him, making movies about Him and writing books about Him. In fact, if I accomplish my goal, it won’t just change your view of Jesus. It will change your view of everything! Of yourself, of the meaning and purpose of life, of the very nature of reality.
Or, are you—my reading friend—one of those who already knows all about Jesus? Perhaps you’re thinking, “This book isn’t for me. I think I’ll go find a meaty book about the 70 Sevens of Daniel, or predestination and election.” I wouldn’t blame you one bit. But, my hope is that the title of this book—Reintroducing Jesus—will pique your interest enough for you to keep reading. That tiny prefix “re” is highly intentional. It is designed to set the hook. To make you think, “Do I need to be reintroduced to Jesus? Am I missing something?”
If you have lived most of your life in the Christianized West it is likely you are something like Walter Donovan. Donovan was the American businessman in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, who found himself standing in front of several cups, goblets and chalices. If he drank from the right one—the chalice of Jesus—he would become (so he believed) immortal! He looked around at all the options and chose the most ornate and beautiful chalice. “It’s more beautiful than I’d ever imagined,” he exclaimed. “This certainly is the cup of the King of kings!” So, he drank. And, he was—shall we say—disappointed. He turned to dust. Exit stage down. The grail knight standing guard nearby simply said, “He chose poorly.”
How are you like Walter Donovan? Please know I am not suggesting you may be a Nazi sympathizer, dust in the wind or a complete idiot. But, like Donovan, you may have been exposed to so much “religion” that you perceive Jesus as gold-plated and covered with emeralds. You may have—like me for many years of my life—missed the point. You may have been like the person with a 3,000 piece puzzle who is missing the original box and therefore you don’t know what the puzzle is supposed to look like. Worse yet, the puzzle has been placed in the wrong box and you’re trying to create a picture with pieces that will never work.
In my experience, it is rare to meet a self-identifying Christian who does not need a reintroduction to Jesus—His identity, His mission and His plan for the world. I do not mean to suggest that the vast majority of professing Christians in the world are unsaved and headed to hell. Salvation—rescue from eternal separation from God—is offered freely to all. It is a gift and even a child knows what you do with a gift: you receive it and say “thank you.” Salvation is a gift received by faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9
). My personal view is that an uncountable number have done so and will never see the flames of hell. You and I may not be impressed by their fruit, but at some point they took a gulp of “the water of life without cost” (Revelation 22:17) and Jesus kept His promise that “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life” (John 4:14).
Nor do I want to suggest that the majority of Christians are entirely off-course—headed 180 degrees in the wrong direction with no clue who Jesus is. Some are. But many are off by only a few degrees. Perhaps they’ve grown too attached to the traditions of their grandfathers. Perhaps they haven’t been “accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Perhaps the so-called “prosperity gospel” has seeped into their thinking—as it has for so many of us. Regardless of the culprit, having a different “Jesus”—a Jesus not firmly rooted in reality—can alter the course of our lives. Over time, a slight miscalculation can lead us where we do not wish to go.
I do not claim to be the only one capable of reintroducing Jesus to you. I have had my course corrected at various times and in various ways by men and women whom I love and appreciate so much my eyes are literally filling with tears as I think about them. I am not the only one capable of reintroducing Jesus, but as one who has been His apprentice since 1982, I believe I am one who is capable of a reintroduction. I’m no Lewis or Tozer or Ryrie, but perhaps my simple vocabulary and love for Christ will come together in a way that is helpful to some.
But I am not only capable of reintroducing some to Jesus, I am incapable of being silent—of not attempting to reintroduce you to Jesus. I am so grateful, so blessed, so obsessed with Him that I must try. I must share what I know. I pray—literally—you will hear me out.
