The Claim

yes or no
His claim demands an answer
He is or is not

Who He says He is
our response has meaningful
consequences for
now and forever
He was either a madman-
another in the
long line of lunatics 
making wild divinity assertions
who have
come and gone
throughout history or
He was who
He said He was -
The Son of God
in the Flesh...and
not just a good man
doing magical deeds
beyond explanation
no...More than just 

nice-but-a-little-off....
no... His teachings
relationships
interactions -
even miraculous deeds -

were always rooted in
Life-giving Reality
not  fantasy island
well then...was He
full of truth or deception?
He claimed to be The
Way...Truth...Life
did He lie about that?
was He proven to be a
deceiver about other things?
did He ever say one thing and
do another?
did He...ever...
promise one thing and
not deliver?
no...not once
then...there is the ultimate
assertion about the claim...
His Resurrection from the dead...
what we can say for sure is that
there were hundreds that saw Him
His disciples that spoke and ate with Him
then ultimately were tortured and
killed rather than deny Him
as well as the untold numbers
throughout history who
lived lives of self-sacrifice and holiness
who also testified with their blood...
so...if it was true then
it is so now that
He is Alive!
Risen from the dead to die no more -
proof that He is the Lord
the Christ
the Son of the Living God
we must either believe Him or not
and if we believe Him
accept His claim on our lives
to be His disciples
then we will know Him
as a lover experiences the beloved
even as we become His beloved
the Source and End of our lives
it is a personal decision
a giving over of our lives
our being is transformed
and no longer merely human
but is a sharing in His Devine Life
a communion not only with Love
but with those who also
become Divinized
there is no middle ground:
to believe a little and
not seek the More
is to not believe
to not be genuine
but lukewarm...false
so carefully reflect upon it
He asks
who do you say I am?
lunatic...liar or Lord?
deliberately choose...for
not to choose is
to choose
and if you believe His Claim
accept the Truth
follow the Way
live the Life
Be 'All In'!..

Reflections/Discussion:

-What are the arguments of lunatic, liar or Lord?
-What are the arguments against believing?
-What about all those saying they believe but not act like it?
-What keeps you back from accepting and following Jesus?
-If you accept His Claim, where do you go from here?
-What does being "all in" mean practically?