By Brother Chuck

He was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, with a kiss, no less. He was born in a small village whose name in Hebrew means, "House of Bread." You would know it as Bethlehem. At the age of 33, He was executed about 6 miles away in Jerusalem. He grew up as a carpenter. At 12 years old, he argued religious law with the rabbis in the Temple Courts. "All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers." (Luke 2:47 NLT)

His family tree has some pretty shady characters. There was Jacob, he was a habitual schemer. And Judah, he collaborated with his brothers to sell his youngest sibling Joseph, into slavery. There was even a prostitute in his family tree. Her name was Rahab. Let us not forget David. David had a man killed to cover up his adulterous affair. All these shady characters were in his family tree. And that's not all of them either. There was Solomon, he married 700 women and turned his heart away from God. There was Rehoboam, he did evil in his life. And finally there was Abijah, he committed all the same sins his father committed.

His one life... well? His one life, reshaped the whole world. His birth changed everything! Nothing would ever be the same again. He had no last name. His first name was very common for that time period. Time magazine called him "the most influential figure in history". Yale professor and historian Dr. Jaroslav Pelikan said he "has been the dominant figure in the history of Western culture for twenty centuries". He had several half-brothers and sisters too. He spoke multiple languages. Aramaic was his primary language. He would have learned to study the Torah in Hebrew. And it's likely he spoke Greek. He would've needed to know that language when talking to the Centurion and to Pilate.

His birth changed everything as we know it. The world would never be the same again. His birth changed how we measure time. Now the whole world measures time as Before Christ (BC) and AD (Anno Domoni - in the year of our Lord). He got his name from Gabriel, an angel. "You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus" Gabriel told Mary (Luke 1:31 NIV). His one life transformed history like no one ever did before or since. He existed before history. His one life is the apex of history. His one life is the best news the world has ever received.

Historian Philip Schaff described the overwhelming influence which Jesus had: "This Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon; without science ... he shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of schools, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times."

Jesus, truly is the world changer. His influence altered the world forevermore. Here's a man whose public ministry began at the age of 30 and it ended upon his execution 3 1/2 years later. How could a man in just 3 1/2 years change the world the way Jesus did? More than any other person in history, Jesus has shaped the world as we know it. Doubters will doubt and scoffers will scoff. But, Jesus is and remains the most influential person the world has ever seen.

Several years ago, Time magazine did an article titled "Who's Biggest? The 100 Most Significant Figures in History" Time Magazine "ranked historical figures... ...by integrating a diverse set of measurements about their reputation into a single consensus value. U.S. President Chester A. Arthur (who we rank as the 499th most significant person in history) is more historically significant than young pop singer Justin Bieber (currently ranked 8633), even though he may have a less devoted following and lower contemporary name recognition. Historically significant figures leave statistical evidence of their presence behind." Some examples of historically significant figures on the list include Joan of Arc ranked #95. Constantine the Great ranked #67. Coming in at #37 is Winston Churchill. #19 is Albert Einstein. #9 Alexander the Great. #4 William Shakespeare. And ranked #1 on the list of "The 100 Most Significant Figures in History" is none other than Jesus. Jesus is the most significant and influential person in world history.

How did Jesus change the world? First let's understand why he came and the effect His coming had on the whole world. "For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost." (Luke 19:10 NLT) In this text, Jesus calls Himself "the Son of Man". Son of Man here is a title that shows His humanity and His compassion. Jesus came to save us from our sins (Matthew 1:21) and to save us from the wrath of God on the Day of Judgment (Romans 1:18; Colossians 3:5-8 NIV). The essence of Jesus' purpose was to save every person who puts his or her trust in Him. And because so many did, the world is full of changed lives. Once they put their trust in Him people were never the same again. Christ's teachings changed them forever and consequently changed the world forever. These changed lives were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26b). These Christians, "turned the world upside down" with the gospel (Acts 17:6 ESV).

This gospel that turned the whole world upside down did not proclaim that the government was God. This same gospel that conquered Western Civilization did not declare the Roman State as the hope of the world, or that Caesar was King. This gospel proclaimed the Kingdom of God has now come to you and Jesus Christ is King of Kings. He is King of all and He is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27 NIV). Jesus conquered all of his enemies; Satan was conquered, sin was conquered, and death was conquered. This King is King over all men and over all nations.

Jesus Inspired Christians to Change the World

Women's Rights - Before Jesus came along, women worked in difficult, subservient roles. Often they were nothing more than slaves. But Jesus taught that women were of equal worth to men. The Christian faith produced all of the women's rights that women enjoy today because Jesus saw men and women as equal.

Hospitals - Hospitals were an innovation of Christianity. That's why the healing symbol of a cross represents hospitals and military medics. The International Red Cross, was founded by Christians in response to the Scriptural commands to care for the sick and the suffering.

Charity - The concept of caring for the poor and charity are also from Christianity. Benevolence to strangers was unknown before Christ.

Ending Slavery - Before Christianity every culture practiced slavery and human sacrifice. Child sacrifice was common among the pagan religions. Slavery was eradicated as a result of tireless efforts of Christians such as William Wilberforce and David Livingstone.

Science - Christianity gave birth to modern science. The scientific revolution began with the Protestant Reformation and the Bible played a vital part in the development of scientific discovery. Every major branch of science was developed by a Bible believing Christian. The Bible essentially created science.

Education - Jesus Christ was the most influential Teacher the world has ever known. When Jesus spoke, "The people were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority-quite unlike the teachers of religious law." (Mark 1:22 NLT) In the Great Commission, Jesus instructed His disciples to "teach" (Matthew 28:20). Christ' teachings have profoundly influenced the development of education. From the very beginning Christians were establishing schools.

"Universities such as Cambridge, Oxford, and Harvard all began as Jesus-inspired efforts to love God with all ones' mind." -John Ortberg

The first book to be printed was the Bible. Most of the languages of the world were first set to writing by Christian missionaries. It was the Christian faith that gave rise to the idea of higher learning.

"Every school you see - public or private, religious or secular - is a visible reminder of the religion of Jesus Christ. So is every college and university." -Dr. James Kennedy

The Rule of Law - The Bible, particularly the Ten Commandments, laid the framework and legal foundations of Western civilization. The very first statute, the first written restriction on the powers of government was the Magna Carta of 1215. It was written by a pastor and thoroughly saturated with Scriptural principles.

No other religion and no other teaching or philosophy has changed the world like Christianity has. Jesus Christ is the most influential man who ever lived. But, more than that, He is God incarnate. And His followers turned the world upside down. Jesus is not someone you can ignore. He has forever changed the world. And he wants to change you too.

Will you let him?

Source / The Historical Impact Of Jesus: WhatTV

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