Is Jesus Real?
The Historical Jesus

Jesus lived on earth two thousand years ago, but He is more than just a "good" man or a prophet from the past. He was not a liar or crazy. If He were then no one would have believed in Him. He would be a contradiction. The real Jesus, whose historical story is accurately written in the Bible, was born naturally to the virgin Mary. So, He is fully human. This came about miraculously by the power of the Spirit of God lighting on Mary. This supernatural beginning made it possible for Him to live like no other human, because He was also fully God, free from sin and brokenness.

The Holy Scriptures tell us that He gave up His powers and became a human man. He grew, He made decisions, He ate, He worked, and He had parents and siblings. Jesus loved, and He grieved those He lost. When John the Baptizer brought Him up out of the water, God the Father baptized Him with the Holy Spirit. At that time, He was 30 years old. This experience began 3+ years of Jesus proclaiming why He had come to live among us, along with Him performing healings, miracles, and signs and wonders as evidence of the life with God He promised to us. 

What is the Gospel or Good News?
The Good News of the Kingdom

What is called the Gospel or the Good News consists of 3 parts that Jesus, and then His disciples proclaim about Him. 

  1. His Story—His eternal existence, His human Birth, Life, and substitutionary Death; His Preaching to the Dead in Hell, His bodily Resurrection, and finally His Ascension to Heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father. 
  2. His Message—He came to Preach reconciliation with Father God through the forgiveness of sins. He is Savior (Deliverer and Redeemer); Sanctifier (Making people set apart, pure, whole, and full of life); Healer (of every disease—spiritual, psychological, and physical); and a Near & Coming King of His Sovereign Kingdom. 
  3. His Mission—to make from all peoples Kingdom Disciples and to destroy the works of the Devil—the deceiver and adversary of the one and only Good God. He is restoring all wanting and willing things in creation including people made in His image to Himself. The Kingdom is more than a place we call Heaven, it is on the Earth in the hearts and lives of people. It isn't a land to go to and isn't easily observed, but it is present in the lives of the disciples of Jesus. 

1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 24

"15 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve Apostles. 6 After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then He appeared to James, then to all the other apostles, 8 and last of all He appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born... 24 Then the end will come, when He hands over the Kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet."