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Matthew 16:13-16, "When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

All of life hinges on that one question asked by Jesus “Who do you say that I am?” Isn't that interesting? Jesus says, never mind what others say about Me. Who do YOU say that I am? 

This question was asked of the disciples by Jesus Himself at just the right time. When we go back to the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew, we see that Jesus is born, He's baptized, He's tempted by the devil, and then He goes on His way into public ministry. He calls His first disciples, and from that time forward Jesus begins to turn the world completely upside down as He teaches the ways of the Kingdom. The things people thought they knew crumbled in light of His teachings. The total opposite of what we as humans think.

The greatest are the least. The rich are the poor. Life is found in the death of your own self. Strength is found in weakness. I think it's intriguing to think about because it's as bright as day when you look at how Jesus lived. Forget what you know about life, we don't know anything about living fully alive without the guidance and teachings of Jesus.

Without Jesus, life isn’t fulfilling and we see this in the lives of everyone in the Bible, and even in our own. He is the one who loves unconditionally, guides, teaches, provides strength, provides peace, and gives us true hope.

We see that Jesus not only taught the ways of the Kingdom, but He brought the Kingdom as well.

He cleanses lepers. Heals the centurion’s servant. Calms storms. Casts out demons. Makes the paralyzed walk, the blind see, and the mute talk. He brings the dead back to life. Walks on water. Heals many of every sickness and disease. Feeds 5,000 with 5 loaves and 2 fish. And He calls His disciples, saying, “Come, follow Me…”

You know, you'd think that if you saw all of that in front of you, you'd be 100% down to follow Jesus, but this wasn’t the case, they still had doubts, still had worries, and still had fears. That's the human condition that we simply cannot avoid. It's just what this sinful and corrupted world brings. We’re born into it.

So, you understand that He's done miracles. He's the ultimate teacher. He is the one who brought the Kingdom to teach truly what the Kingdom is.Something to think about is if we continue to define Jesus as a great moral teacher, we reduce His teachings, the New Testament, and we subjectively accept or reject it. It's like putting Him beside the other amazing teachers in this world. That's belittling His astonishing and miraculous power.

However, if you have come to define Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah. As Immanuel, God with us. As the living God. As our Savior. Our Shepherd. Our Counselor. Our Comforter. Our Healer. Our Peace. Our only Hope. Our very life. If this is the answer you give when Jesus asks you, “Who do you say that I am?” then it demands all of us. If you and I say that Jesus is who He says He is, then we must lay down our lives and be all in.

Being all in means we surrender to Jesus, giving Him full control over every part of our lives, not just a part of it. Not a slice, the whole thing. It means we live a life of repentance, turning from sin to Jesus on a daily basis. It means we choose to seek and do His will over our own. It means we receive the Bible as the infallible Word of God and fully submit to its authority. It means we receive Christ for who He really is, not who we’d like to make Him out to be. It means we actually take action on the Word of God and obey God’s commands. Though this is a far cry from an exhaustive compilation of what it looks like to be all in, it means both you and I follow Jesus on His terms, not our own. 

So, what do you say? Want to accept Jesus as He is and not pick and choose what we want to actually take to heart? Do you want to live fully alive in Him?