What Does It Mean to Know Jesus? (Bonus Episode Show Notes)

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In this episode, I want to explore with you what it means to know Jesus and what having a relationship with Him is about. If you have ever wondered what it means to be a Christian, how you can become a Christian, or how you can share your Christian faith as a follower of Jesus and invite others to know Him too, this chat is for you! I know there can be a lot of misconceptions about Jesus and what it means to be a Christian out there, so I hope this episode helps bring clarity and paints a picture for you of how beautiful life with Jesus is when you believe in Him. We’ll dive into four aspects of what it means to know Jesus and how knowing Him impacts our lives: be saved by Jesus, walk in relationship with Jesus, be changed by Jesus, and spend eternity with Jesus.

Episode Outline and Bible Passages

1. Be saved by Jesus

Every person has sinned by breaking God’s commandments and falling short of His standard.

Romans 3:23
James 2:10-11
Romans 6:23

Example of sinful actions (wrong things we should not do)

Romans 1:26-31
1 Corinthians 5:10-11
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Galatians 5:19-21
Ephesians 4:17-32
Colossians 3:5-9
1 Timothy 1:9-10
2 Timothy 3:1-5

Examples of righteous actions (right things God says we should do):

Romans 12:9-21
Galatians 5:22-23
Colossians 3:12-17
Ephesians 4:17-32
Titus 3:1-2

Hell was not originally created for people.

Matthew 25:41

God pursues our hearts when we are living apart from and works in our lives to draw us to faith in Him. It brings God joy to save people because He loves people. He wants us to be close to Him and have a relationship with Him.

Luke 15
Ephesians 1:4-5

Explanations of the gospel–the good news message of how Jesus saves us from our sins so we can have a relationship with Him–and the Bible tells us to respond to the gospel to be saved.

John 1; John 3
Ephesians 1-2 (I suggest you read the entire book of Ephesians. It’s a great overview of the gospel and the Christian life. Romans is also a great book of the Bible to read about this.)
Romans 5:6-11
Ephesians 2:8-9
Luke 9:23
Acts 20:21; Acts 3:19; Acts 2:38; Mark 1:15

2. Walk in relationship with Jesus

Ephesians 2, it says that before we come to faith in Jesus, we are spiritually dead because of sins. But it also says that once you are saved, Jesus makes you spiritually alive, and you can relate to Him and interact with Him in a new way. When we put our faith in Jesus, He comes to live inside of us through the Holy Spirit, so we always have His presence and power in us and with us. The Holy Spirit is the very Spirit of Jesus living inside believers. He speaks to us, guides us, comforts us, teaches us, and helps us live the Christian life. As a Christian, you get to live every day of your life and every experience of your life with Jesus as your companion.

Ephesians 2:1-10
John 14-16
The book of Psalms is a book of prayers/songs that illustrate how to walk with God and talk with God through all kinds of emotions and experiences in life

3. Be changed by Jesus

When you become a Christian, you are spiritually born again and made a new creation. And Jesus comes to live inside of you by the Holy Spirit, and He starts transforming your life over time and helps you live the Christian life.

John 1:12-13
John 3:1-21
2 Corinthians 5:17
Ephesians 1:13-14
2 Corinthians 1:22
John 14:15-25
John 16:5-15
Ephesians 4:22-24

Jesus heals what’s broken in our lives and sets us free, whether that is a broken heart or some sin or struggle that’s holding us captive.

Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:17-21

4. Spend eternity with Jesus

Physical death is not the end for Christians. Through Jesus, we have eternal life. When we die our spirits goes immediately to heaven to be in the presence of Jesus.

Romans 6:23
2 Corinthians 5:1-10

One day, Jesus will return to this world to rule the earth as King forever. When He comes back, He will bring back with Him the spirits of all believers who have died and raise their physical bodies from the dead. He will give them–along with any believers alive on the earth when He returns–new, eternal bodies. Heaven and earth will become one and we will live on the renewed earth with Jesus forever.

Resources for New Christians – Next Steps!

1. Harvest.org/knowgod + You Version Bible App (Free Bible)

Click HERE to view the Know God page curated by Harvest Ministries. You can enter your address and they will mail you a free Bible (with some special study notes in it written by Pastor Greg Laurie) if you need one. They also have some great blogs and video content to help you understand what your new faith in Jesus means and help you know what to do next as a new follower of Christ.

If you want to buy a Bible on your own online or at your local Christian bookstore, I recommend you get a New Living Translation, New International Version, or Christian Standard Bible. They communicate the truth of God’s Word in easy-to-understand, contemporary language. You can also download the You Version Bible App for free and have access to a digital version the Bible anytime! They also have a bunch of Bible reading plans and devotional studies you can do to encourage you in your faith.

2. The New Believer’s Guide to Effective Living by Pastor Greg Laurie

This is a short, easy-to-read book that you can read in less than a day. It explains what it means for you practically now that you are a Christian, and the key things you need to do to help you grow in your faith like reading the Bible, prayer, dealing with challenges in life, living a new life, and going to church. Get the book HERE.

3. Devoted To Jesus: From First Steps to Fully Surrendered by Alex and Stephen Kendrick

Similar to the New Believer’s Guide to Effective Living, this book is designed to take new Christians or Christians wanting to start taking their faith more seriously through the main concepts you should know about being a Christian–what we believe about Jesus and salvation, how to read the Bible and pray, the purpose of going to church, how to handle temptation and problems in life, and all kinds of other good teachings and practices to help you start growing your new relationship with Jesus.

It’s broken into 52 short chapters you can read over 52 days or over a full year (52 weeks), ideally, but you don’t have to keep that exact pace. I recommend reading one chapter a day for 52 days so you can get an overview of your new faith, and then reading it again going through one chapter a week to dive deeper. It’s also great–but not required for you to benefit from the book–to have someone who is a little further along in the faith than you read through the book with you so they can guide you through it and you can discuss it together! So, feel free to ask a trusted Christian in your life who wants to invest in your spiritual growth if they would help walk you through the content in the book.

This is an incredible resource, and I highly, highly, highly recommend! Get the book HERE.

4. The Purple Book: Biblical Foundations for Strong Disciples by Rice Broocks and Steve Murrell

And lastly, The Purple Book is an interactive workbook that guides you through the essential doctrines (teachings) of the Christian faith. This will help you understand the key things Christians believe and how we live. Each chapter focuses on a topic and and poses questions to help you grasp the topic and points you to Bible verses about that subject so you can look up the answers for yourself. This one is great (and might be more helpful) for a more mature Christians to go through the content systematically with you.

Get the book HERE.

I hope these help! If you’re a new Christian, welcome to the family of God! And if you’ve been a Christian for a while use these resources to help you share the gospel with others and to help new Christians in your life grow in their faith.

LET’S TALK! What did you learn about what life with Jesus is like from this episode? If you prayed with me to become a Christian either for the first time or to return to your faith in Jesus, let me know in the comments! Discuss this episode in the comments below.

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