In our culture, we are discovering something. A lot of people have been burned by the church. Their stories are different. Some have been burned by a friend who claimed to be a Christian. Some have felt judged. Some families have been ostracized when a certain “sin” was discovered.

But the result has been the same: people have been burned and have checked out for good. They aren’t about to come back. And this is a shame, not for those that have been burned, but this is a shame to those who have done the burning. The word Christian literally means “little Christ,” and it seems as though those that have tagged the label on themselves haven’t lived up to what it means.

There are others who may find themselves in a different category. They may find they were raised in a church setting of some sort, but it was tradition, ritual, and cultural, but there was nothing in that setting that offered life to them. Because of this, when they were old enough to decide for themselves whether the church would play a role in their lives, they’ve opted they’re just fine without it.

But we find that in a culture where many people never plan to step foot in a church building again, many in our culture still hold a high view of Jesus. Something is certain for many: Jesus certainly wasn’t like their experience with the church.

So who was Jesus? Some say a good teacher, and others a prophet. Without a doubt, He was the most influential person to step foot on planet earth. And what does it look like to live as a Christian – a little Christ?

At Jacob’s Well, we desire to journey with people towards an answer to this question. Because we believe in Jesus real life is found. Isn’t the most influential man to ever live worth the investigation to find out who He really was?

In Scripture, four accounts of Jesus’ life are recorded by four people: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We encourage people to have a fresh encounter with Jesus by reading what one or all of these authors recorded about how Jesus lived, what He said, and what He did.

Many people may have not heard of the Jesus who says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Many people have not heard of the Jesus that was sent “not to condemn the world, but that world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17).

At Jacob’s Well, we desire that you encounter the Jesus of the Bible: the Jesus that the religious didn’t like too much, but the common people couldn’t seem to stay away from. And we desire to walk alongside you on this journey.