Appointed To Bear Fruit: A 90 Day JourneySample

Knowing Christ

A man once came to my house. For a long time he had searched for God. He diligently performed his religious obligations and attended prayers. He spent many hours reading his holy book, but he never felt that God cared about him. After he heard the gospel, he received Christ in his heart. He then announced, “Now God is in my heart. I am full of peace.” He realized that experiencing God was only possible through Christ.

Religions offer God to their adherents and say if you follow their teachings or meditate on their life principles, then you can find God. But, as believers, we know that it’s not possible to know God through our own thoughts or works. Our thoughts can deceive us, because they are too easily corrupted by sin, and we are blinded by the gods of this age (II Cor. 4:4). We don’t have the capacity to see God. The one and only way to know God is for Him to shine into our dark minds.

Some people are very diligent in studying religion. They can even major in religious studies at the university. A person can be very academically knowledgeable about religion, but knowledge about a religion doesn’t mean you know God. Knowledge can help you pass an exam, but it will not help you enter Paradise. Even the demons knew about Jesus, but didn’t worship Him (Mark 5:7-8). Knowing is different from knowing about. Knowing implies two parties having a growing, intimate relationship with one another. Knowing God, then, goes beyond only having an intellectual understanding about God; it means developing a personal relationship with Him. This relationship is based on humility, because we submit to what is revealed to us in God’s Word. And, we prove our submission by enthusiastically obeying His commands.

Submission is difficult because we can find ourselves rejecting what is revealed in the Scriptures. Jesus said that knowing the Father is only possible through believing in Christ. Initially, when people first hear Jesus’ words and are amazed at His miracles, they are attracted to Christ. This was the case with many of Jesus’ disciples. They followed Jesus without fully comprehending who He was. But after they met the risen Christ, they believed that Jesus is Lord. That was a dramatic change in their beliefs. Throughout their lives, the disciples believed that God was only in heaven. After seeing the resurrected Christ, they finally understood that God became flesh so that He could pay the penalty for their sins. Amazingly, the Almighty God entered time and space to redeem us. Although it was difficult to understand that God could become a man, this is what He did. And because God revealed it, it can’t be wrong. 

Truth stands above all else. It never bows to anyone including a king. We are the ones who must bow before the truth. If you desire to know God personally, then you must believe in Jesus, the Lord. Because He has redeemed us through His death, we can have fellowship with God as His children. This is a certainty. If we know Jesus, then we know the Father. God is no longer hidden by our dark hearts. Our hearts and minds have been renewed, and we can now see God. Today, God is revealing Himself to many people. He is showing them that Jesus is Lord. For those who will humble themselves and accept Christ into their hearts, they will see God. 

Application:  What does God’s Word reveal to you about who Jesus is?