Rebranding the ChurchSample

“Who Do You Say I Am?”

As we seek to rebrand the church in the world’s eyes, we must start with Jesus—by speaking clearly and passionately about who He is and why it matters.

One of the most important questions Jesus asked His disciples during His ministry was: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Matthew 16:13, CSB) This question assumes three things. The first is that Christians interact with culture. Jesus said, “I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (John 17:15, CSB). He wants His disciples insulated but not isolated. He expects His followers to be engaged and involved in human flourishing.

Second, He knows that He’ll be talked about. In light of that, He believes that we’ll have an answer or at least notice when oth­ers misrepresent Him.

Third, Jesus expected that His disciples were listening and noting what people’s take on Him was. It seems the disciples were listening, as they had a list of peo­ple who had heard about Jesus, many of whom had been around Him. The disciples replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:14, CSB).

Jesus was asking this question not in Jerusalem but in pagan territory. It’s easy to say who Jesus is in church and around believers, but it is a chal­lenge to stand for Him in places of resistance. That is why we as believers need to have clarity on who He is even when the world around us has strong, conflicting views about the church, Jesus, and Christianity. Knowing what the Bible says about Jesus is fundamental to following Him.

Jesus also asked His disciples: “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16, CSB). Peter re­ceived supernatural revelation on this, but he didn’t fully know what it meant. When we first meet Jesus, we don’t know all that we should, but when we stay in a humble position for Him to teach us who He is through the Word, Spirit, and church, we can be a part of aligning the church to reflect His heart.

If someone asked you today who you say Jesus is, how would you respond?