“Are you a theologian?” he asked. He was a passenger sitting next to me on a flight. I was working on a bible study booklet entitled The God You May Not Know by David Jeremiah. 

“No,” I answered with a smile. “I am just a volunteer who leads women in small group bible studies and mentors young girls in biblical principles.”

But the question piqued my interest. Does the world see the people whom God uses to share his message to be only educated theologians? If so why? 

I am not a theologian or a biblical scholar. I just discovered through my own life’s journey a most amazing treasure: that there is a difference between religion and relationship with Christ. 

I will never forget the time I learned this. I was forty-four years old and I opened the scriptures to a personal invitation from God. It read:

“Call to me, and I will answer you. I will tell you great and mysterious things that you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3 GW).

Yes, I did not know! I was actually biblically illiterate even though I had gone to church my whole life. The messages had not penetrated my heart. But this was different. God was personally inviting me to get to know him in great and mighty ways. It was like plumbing the depths of spiritual knowledge and finding one gold nugget after another, after another.

It was life changing for me. And it can be the same for you too. 

We can all learn great and mighty things about God. He wants us to get to know him…to know the height, the depth, the breadth and the width of his great love for us…to know why he sent his son to this earth to save us…to know the real meaning of Christmas…to know the Great Commission.

And, we can all learn to share God’s message, his good news with others. Why? Because we will know, believe and understand how great and valuable it is for each one of us…so valuable that we won’t be able to keep it to ourselves.

“But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” (Matthew 16:15 NIV)