KNOWING HIM

That I may know Him,

and the power of His resurrection

and the fellowship of His sufferings,

being made conformable to His death.

Philippians 3:10

Many of us could write books on the spiritual facts we have accumulated through the years.  By spiritual facts, I am suggesting that for years, many of us have been in church, Sunday school, vacation Bible school, Bible studies, seminars and conferences of all types that have contributed to our having brains full of spiritual information.  We still might be able to win any Bible drill challenge if our arthritic fingers could turn pages fast enough.  Preachers and teachers of the Bible are folks who to some extent are at risk in this accumulation of Bible facts.  We teachers study week after week using our Bibles, concordances, dictionaries and commentaries.  We may even look up several words in the Greek and Hebrew languages.  We might show people our well-marked Bibles.  With all the input that's been available to us, something would be wrong if we didn't pick up even the most basic of Scriptural information along the way.

I know people who can give you by memory many of the Hebrew names for God such as Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Nissi, etc. and they know what each one means.  I'll be the first one in line to pat them on the back.  I too have learned some names for God or synonyms for Him such as Redeemer, Protector, Lord, Savior, Almighty, etc.  What I am thinking is that if you and I were to put our heads together and blend what we have learned about God, we could write quite a book, but so what?  We should know by now that having all the facts about someone doesn't mean that we really know them intimately.

So...sitting in my special by-the-stream-under-the-trees-spot, and busily reading my Bible.  I revisited a verse that I have taught in the past to some of you who read this as well as to others who have never heard me teach.  You have already read the verse that is the basis for the theme of this article that you see under the title of this article.

The apostle Paul's sole/soul desire was to know Jesus Christ with everything that was in him.  His list in that verse doesn't consist of facts.  He knew if he was to know Jesus, it was going to be an experiential thing.  Some facts and information were of course helpful to Paul, but along with those facts, Paul knew that if he was really to know Jesus, it would be in three experiences of his life.  The same is going to be true of us if the same thing is truly our hearts desire to  know Jesus intimately.

We first have to make a decision just as Paul did as to how much we want to know Jesus.  Paul communicated in words his strong desire to know Jesus.  By the way, it's a very powerful thing when we verbalize spiritual desire.  With my desire must come my desire to get past all of the knowledge and facts and almost start at a beginning in this process.  This is going to happen through our drawing close to Him through prayer and the Word of God.  It will take time, energy and a whole lot of "want to."

Paul mentioned three experiences in that verse he knew would be required if he were to know Jesus.  Paul in our key verse uses the word "and" NOT "or" so it is through all three experiences we will come to know Jesus well.  These experiences are:

The power of His resurrection.

When you and I are at our weakest point despite what situation we face, I wish we could come to grips with the fact that the same Holy Spirit who resurrected Jesus from the dead is the same Holy Spirit who resides in you and me here and now.  That fact is true only if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior.  At that moment, the Holy Spirit comes to reside in us.  So we have Holy Spirit power to live this Chre.   When we don't make use of that power we become prime candidates for living lives of defeat...which thrills Satan to no end.  We must pray for power and then make use of it when He gives it.  What frustration it is to try to live this Christian life of ours in our own strength.  It just can't be done, plus it's such a waste of energy in the attempt.  The Holy Spirit wants to empower us in every situation of our lives.  He wants to strengthen and love us through the hardest of times.  He can see us through anything life presents to us.  He wants to be instrumental in our spiritual growth as well.

The fellowship of His sufferings.

This is a tough one.  Not one of us goes looking for a  time of suffering.  Some say that misery loves company and I think at times, that's true.  Several years ago I fell and broke my right wrist.  I got over it but it was tough going for awhile.  I have a friend Priscilla, who broke her left wrist.  I didn't know this had happened until she showed up at church in a much prettier cast than I had been given.  Because both of us had very similar fractures, we both went through very similar therapy requirements after both of our casts were removed.  On Wednesday nights at the church supper, we would sit and talk about our experiences.  We could sit and almost shut others out as we talked about our broken wrists.  Although we loved our friends who were around us, those dear friends couldn't relate.  We had both been through something that no one else at that supper table understood.  In a sense, we could fellowship because of our common suffering.

A lady in my church came to me in March of this year.  I knew her name, but nothing

more.  She wanted to let me know that she knew my sister had passed away in

January.  She went on to tell me that she was also the oldest of three girls in her family

just as I was.  The sister just under her had suddenly passed away a couple of years

prior to my sister.  She too had felt close to her sister.  She wanted me to know that she KNEW  what I was going through.  Every now and then, she would hand me a Bible verse on a card, or send an encouraging greeting card to cheer me.  We didn't personally know each other well, but there was a fellowship between us that was quite unique.  Ours was a fellowship of suffering.

When you and I are persecuted for righteousness sake, we can relate with Jesus as He

went through the same things.  When Jesus was betrayed, we can remember that Jesus was as well.  When He suffered unimaginable physical suffering, we  know Jesus understands when we do as well.  He suffered mental anguish...so do we.  We can understand and know Jesus better when we view our own sufferings through those of Him.  There's nothing of our suffering Jesus doesn't understand and we should make every effort to understand His as well...thus we fellowship in His sufferings.

 Being made conformable to His death.

Have we died lately?  Paul said "...I die daily."  Every morning and probably during the

course of his day, Paul died to self.  This is one of the hardest deaths to die.  I will always contend and won't even debate with anyone that Jesus died in the Garden of Gethsemane.  It wasn't the physical death He would experience in a matter of hours, but it was in that garden He died to His own desires.  Remember that He was a human bein g.  A part of being a human being is the drive to survive.  That night though, Jesus prayed to His Father, "Not my will, but Thine be done."  Jesus died to all self desire in that moment.

I have heard people talk about how much they would do for Jesus.  Some claim if they

became millionaires, they would give sizeable offerings to the church.  For now though,

they rarely drop even a few dollar bills in the offering plate.  Others claim they would die

on the spot for Jesus if called on to do so.  Peter gave Jesus a similar promise just prior

to Jesus going to the cross.  Jesus had to sadly tell Peter that he was about to deny Him three times before the morning crow of a rooster.  We may think or even speak in a big way as did Peter, but what about the simple things we can do...turn a TV dial away from an inappropriate program, refusing to take part in questionable social events,  or living a life of separation from the things of the world.  And please don't ask the average American Christian to attend church on a Sunday evening.  Isn't that asking a little much?  Bottom line is that Jesus gave all for  us...can we do less for Him?

Do we REALLY know Him in an intimate relationship?  If not, why not, and what will it take to get us even to the point of wanting that relationship.  I'm tired of all the facts even though they come in handy every now and then.  I don't want all of that to cloud my view of the reality of Him in my life.  I want to know Him...really KNOW him!

Let me add a PS to all of this.  If we even come close to those three disciplines Paul gave in that verse, we will be surprised at the doors of opportunity that will open to us to minister in the lives of others.  As we come to know Jesus in power, suffering and being dead to self, others will be drawn to us and perhaps be changed themselves in wanting to know Jesus in depth for themselves.

Dear Jesus...

Forgive me for the times I give you the backseat in my life.  I really do want to know you in every way possible.  I know alot about you but I want to know you as I never have in my life.  Help me to let go of my own desires and to walk in close fellowship with you consistently.  Forgive me, dear Jesus for the times I refuse to put you first and not letting go of my own desires.

I love you, dear Lord.

Amen.