Introduction, 12 min read
Rediscovering Wonder in the Glory of Jesus
The Fascination of Christ is more than a book I am writing. It is a posture of the heart, a way of seeing, and a way of life. In many ways, it is a lifelong project, a living record of my pursuit of proximity with God and a growing knowledge of who He is. Yet beneath my pursuit of Him lies a far greater story, one that began long before I ever thought to seek Him: His relentless pursuit of us.
“Your unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life”
The more I behold Him, the more I realize how much remains to be seen, how much beauty remains to be discovered, and how much wonder remains to be uncovered.
“Open my eyes, that I may behold WONDROUS things from Your word.”
The pages ahead are an invitation into that discovery, a collection of truths discovered in the Word and revealed in the life of Christ that have stopped me in my tracks, awakened something within, and caused me to look again. My hope is that they do the same for you, that your heart becomes even more alive to the staggering reality of who God is, who you were created to be, and what it means that eternity has been placed within our hearts.
“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
At the center of it all is our answer.... Jesus, the visible manifestation of the fullness, nature, and glory of God.
“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible... all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”
The Greek word translated for “image” is εἰκών (eikōn), meaning likeness or exact representation. Jesus is not merely someone who resembles God. He is God revealed, the perfect revelation of His characteristics and divine attributes.
“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son... he hath declared him.”
“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person.”
If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. Jesus is not merely a figure to study, a doctrine to understand, or a name to become familiar with. He is absolutely exhilarating. He IS life itself. He IS the living Word.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
The more I discover Him, the more fascinated I become. That is the heart behind this book. If Jesus has become familiar to you, if your faith has become routine, or if you feel weary and disconnected from God, look again. There is more to see.
There are moments when the Spirit of God moves by restoring what has been forgotten. Light shines upon truths that have grown dim and breathes fresh life into what has become familiar. As Proverbs says:
“Behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.”
Jesus also promised that the Comforter would teach His followers and bring His words to their remembrance:
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
The Holy Spirit draws our attention again to the beauty of Christ, awakening wonder where familiarity has settled in. Jesus has never been boring; only our vision of Him has grown dim. The disciples on the road to Emmaus knew what that awakening felt like:
“And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?”
My prayer is not simply that you finish this book knowing much more about Jesus. My prayer is that something awakens within you, that your heart burns again and you find yourself wanting to draw nearer to Him. My prayer is:
“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.”
This book is for those who believe, or want to believe, but feel numb; for those weary of religious noise; and for those doing all the “right things” while sensing that something is missing. It is for those who suspect that God is far more beautiful than they have been told.
Somewhere along the way, wonder and fascination were diminished, not because we stopped believing, but because we assumed we already knew. Every hunger for truth, peace, beauty, and belonging calls us to look beyond lesser things and behold Him.
Across generations, people have longed for peace, beauty, truth, and a life that matters. I have come to believe these longings find their fullest home in Christ. In the pages ahead, I trace that conviction through Scripture and invite you to consider what you see in Him.
“And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.”
To behold Christ is to discover that every lesser joy was only a shadow cast by His light. In Him the restless heart finds rest. When familiarity replaces reverence, the eyes stop widening, and we stop beholding. Though theology matters deeply, this book is not an attempt to offer new theology. The Fascination of Christ is an invitation to slow down, to look again, to behold… not casually, not hurriedly, but carefully and attentively.
The One who spoke the stars into existence knelt to meet us where we are. With all authority, He washed feet. He is the Truth who absorbed violence rather than returning it. He willingly gave His life upon the cross and covered our shame with a love that calls us by a brand new name.
At fifteen, one question made me reconsider what I thought I knew about Jesus.
The Question That Changed How I Saw Jesus
I grew up surrounded by the language of religion and of Christianity. I knew the stories. I knew the verses. I knew the vocabulary. I knew the rhythms of faith. I knew what I now call Subscription Jesus which is familiar, manageable, even able to be "put on pause" for my own personal counterfeit “benefit” at any given time.
Someone asked me:
“Do you really know Jesus?”
The question was followed by a clarification that exposed the difference between head knowledge and the deep KNOWING:
“I know you know about Jesus, but do you really KNOW Him? Have you made Him Lord of your life?”
In that moment, I realized I had information about him without surrender, familiarity without allegiance. I knew of Him, but I did not know Him as Lord. I did not know Him as the Master who calls us “friend,” the Good Shepherd who leads with quiet strength exercised in gentleness.
The primary Greek word for KNOWING is "Ginosko". "Ginosko" speaks not of information, but of encounter. Not of observation, but of participation. It is the language of lived experience, of knowledge formed through relationship.
"Ginosko" is the word Scripture uses when it speaks of knowing God, not merely knowing about Him, but knowing Him in the depths of intimacy, presence, and communion.
This is the journey we will embark upon in the pages ahead. A journey away from "Oida" knowledge, being the knowledge of facts, concepts, and mental agreement, and toward the truer knowledge that can only be born through encounter.
A knowledge that is not held in the mind alone, but carried in the heart, shaped by nearness, and forged through experience. This is the knowing that comes from walking with God, personal, intimate, and alive.
Once we have this revelation of Christ and his love for us, our heart transforms, the first commandments are restored in the realm of our souls to love him back and love our neighbor. We actually begin to reflect his divine nature into the earth, and we begin to live fully alive again, beckoning Jesus to come even closer to receive his full reward, which is us. We are that reward, the people he demonstrated his resurrection love for on the Cross of Calvary. The ones he calls the “joy” of his suffering.
Over time, as I came to see Jesus more clearly, trust and surrender began to feel like a response I wanted to give. I found myself wanting to enthrone Him as Lord—the same Lord who calls us friends.
Because that is who He truly is. This book is written from that conviction.
There are mysteries awaiting.
There is majesty unfolding.
There is an Eternal God who has promised that if we seek Him, we will surely find Him.
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”
Before anything else is said, we must ask for sight.
“Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth.”
“If you cry out for discernment, and lift your voice for understanding, if you seek for it as silver, and search for it as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”
“Call to Me, and I will answer and show you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
“Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”
An Invitation to Behold
This is the wonder that is not manufactured. The wonder that is remembered. The wonder that is discovered.
In these pages, we will behold the attributes and divine nature of Christ, which has been termed Christology, His eternal glory revealed through prophecy fulfilled and miracles performed. We will contrast the true fascination of Jesus with the counterfeit fascinations of the age, lifting our eyes beyond imitation to the authentic radiance of God Himself. We will enter the beauty-realm of the throne room, explore the riches of Scripture through careful Greek and Hebrew study called hermeneutics, and trace the bridal paradigm woven through redemption’s story. We will consider the Kingdom of God, the mystery of salvation, and the unveiling of further depths surrounding Christ within us, the hope of glory.
These pages follow the life of Jesus—the Way, the Truth, and the Life—and invite you to encounter Him through Scripture. As you read, bring your questions. Notice what draws your attention, where you want to linger, and what stirs your desire to know Him more. You are welcome to sit at His feet, behold the One Scripture calls altogether lovely, and continue the journey at your own pace.