Daniel came to Malaysia as an international student. He had heard the name Jesus before, but only as a great teacher who guided people to live good lives.
One evening, over coffee, his Christian friend Mei asked, “What do you know about Jesus?”
“Not much,” Daniel admitted. “I know Christians follow Him.”
Mei smiled. “Many Christians see Jesus as more than a teacher. They believe He is the Christ — God’s promised Savior and King, who invites people into a relationship with God.”
She then read from the Bible:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Daniel asked, “How can someone be ‘in Christ’?”
Instead of answering, Mei pointed to a chair.
“Do you believe this chair can hold you?”
“Yes.”
“But you aren’t trusting it until you sit on it. Believing facts about Jesus is like believing the chair is strong. Trusting Jesus is like sitting on it—you stop relying on yourself and place your life in His hands.”
Daniel thought for a moment. “So being in Christ begins when I trust Him, not when I simply know about Him.”
“Exactly,” Mei replied. “When you trust Jesus as your Savior and King, you belong to Him. That’s what it means to be in Christ. He gives you a new life from the inside out. Your old life no longer defines you because He is making you into a new person.”
That night Daniel prayed, “Jesus, today I stop relying on myself. I trust You and place my life in Your hands.”
Months later, his friends noticed a new peace, hope, and purpose in him.
Daniel would simply say, “I didn’t just learn about Jesus. I trusted Him. That’s when my new life began.”
Questions
- What is the difference between knowing about Jesus and trusting Him?
- If Jesus could make one part of your life new, what would it be?
- What do you think it means to become a “new creation” in Christ?
- Listen to a story from the facilitator.