To Know The Lord Jesus Christ

I want to borrow from a Spurgeon Devotion to begin this article.

“The people that do know their God shall be strong.”
- Daniel 11:32

Every believer understands that to know God is the highest and best form of knowledge; and this spiritual knowledge is a source of strength to the Christian. It strengthens his faith. Believers are constantly spoken of in the Scriptures as being persons who are enlightened and taught of the Lord; they are said to “have an unction from the Holy One,” and it is the Spirit’s peculiar office to lead them into all truth, and all this for the increase and the fostering of their faith. Knowledge strengthens love, as well as faith. Knowledge opens the door, and then through that door we see our Saviour. Or, to use another similitude, knowledge paints the portrait of Jesus, and when we see that portrait then we love him, we cannot love a Christ whom we do not know, at least, in some degree. If we know but little of the excellences of Jesus, what he has done for us, and what he is doing now, we cannot love him much; but the more we know him, the more we shall love him. Knowledge also strengthens hope. How can we hope for a thing if we do not know of its existence? Hope may be the telescope, but till we receive instruction, our ignorance stands in the front of the glass, and we can see nothing whatever; knowledge removes the interposing object, and when we look through the bright optic glass we discern the glory to be revealed, and anticipate it with joyous confidence. Knowledge supplies us reasons for patience. How shall we have patience unless we know something of the sympathy of Christ, and understand the good which is to come out of the correction which our heavenly Father sends us? Nor is there one single grace of the Christian which, under God, will not be fostered and brought to perfection by holy knowledge. How important, then, is it that we should grow not only in grace, but in the “knowledge” of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
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It is not enough for us to say I heard about Him in Church or Sunday School or through a friend or family member. It is not enough for us to just casually listen to sermons or teachings whether live, on tape, CD, television or our radios.
It is not enough to have a thousand scriptures memorized, ten thousand doctrines scrutinized, or a hundred million biblical education degrees. It is not enough.

Knowledge of the Lord comes by being in constant union with Him. It comes in having a relationship with Him and more than just once or twice a week as we go off to church or Sunday School.

Do you make the time to spend with Him everyday? Is He the center of your every thought on Him about Him. Probably not, neither is mine.

Yet, scripture admonishes to think on heavenly things.
Colossians Chapter Three advocates that our entire knowledge and life be centered in things that matter.

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ , who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."
How difficult this is for us, we are surrounded by every thing earthly. We move about and talk about everything earthly. Don't we realize what Jesus said to them then, John 3:12

12 If I told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 And no one hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, even the Son of man, who is in heaven.

Don't we realize that there is only one that can bring us the knowledge we need for all that life is? There is only one that can tell us of heavenly things. Only one that has been there and is there. How can we trust other men so easily with trying to tell us about heavenly things, yet not trust Him who has been there and resides there - Jesus Christ our Lord.

The ministry of the Holy Spirit is not to turn us into somekind of freak show, running about doing some kind of wild works of bringing lightening out of the sky, playing healer, super apostle or none of that.
He is called the Comforter, the Counselor, the guide into all truth. Jesus only holds the truth for us, yet we give Him very little of our time or true devotion. Oh, we will get dressed up, take an hour from our week and go off and get all emotional, and kneel and pray at church when the right things are said that might speak of our own predictament.
Do we realize that He yearns to be with His people in their heart of hearts everyday and in everyway.?
Jesus didn't come to just give us another religion, another way to work our selves into heaven. Jesus came to give us life, and that life is in Him and Him alone.
It is easy in a world that is so hurried to be sucessful at whatever you do.
Jesus didnt find success in the way of the world. He powered under instead of looking for ways to power over others.
This is so in contradiction to the world's definition of success and often the church organizationally attempts the same thing. Thus, we have Mega Churches and Super Churches, and Bikers Churches and Cowboy Churches all trying and vying for the same thing to be more successful then the rest.
To have that one program no one else offers, that one group of people attending service perhaps that no one wants to know, that one group of people so we have someone to identify with.
What happened to us just identifying with Jesus and Him alone?
Why is it we aren't satisified to gain the knowledge of Him through relationship as opposed to running to and fro learning here and learning there and never coming to the truth.
We run because we run with itching ears hoping to hear what we want to hear, as opposed to truth, and the Holy Spirit being our teacher.

We look for the Dr. Feel Good, something that will placate our flesh, when all along right beside us if we know Him lies all the the answers to our problems, our predictaments and our sorrows. The answer he gives doesn't placate the flesh, matter of fact let's look at what that answer admonishes out of us further in Colossians Three verse Five

"Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: secual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, whih is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you one lived. Bu tnow you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken of your old self with it's practices, and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of it's Creator."


Yes, we need knowledge, but we can never gain the knowledge He has for us about heavnely things by any other means, then to talk to the "One Man" who knows about heavenly things, He who came down from there, who has returned to there, and resides there, but yet has come to us in his resurrected self to abide in us as truth. To lead us, and guide us, into the very things our broken hearts seek and that is to know something higher, and wider, and more fantastic then any of these things on earth could ever provide. He is our knowledge and our Wisdon if we but turn to Him.

This turning to Him involves all that we just read. Notice God calls those things true about us that we don't hear. He says, "You use to walk in these ways", then He goes on to say," since you have taken of your old self and it's practices, and HAVE put on the new self". Notice God sees us as He sees us complete in Christ, he speaks in past tense. He doesnt see us as we ourselves so often do. The reason we don't is we are listening to the lies of the enemy as he whispers in our ears - "you aren't any good, you are just a lousy sinner, you are worthless." We have the enemies knowledge his words, so not knowing any escape, we listen, we act accordingly, never payng heed to the Word of God. For one we spend very little time in it ourselves. If we would but meditate on passages like the one above, there would be a transformation take place. What is true on the inside will start revealing itself on the outside. Church is indoors- in our hearts where the High Priest speaks, then the Temple outside our bodies will reflect that glory.
We need to answer the enemy in this manner, Yes, your right Satan I was ( past tense) all the things you say I am now, but No!, I am a new creation in Christ now (present tense) and all of that has been put to death with Him at the cross ( past tenses) and the only knowledge I have now, is His. I am starting this very day from this point on to think on heavenly things and since He lives for me, and is my life, anything you say about me is a lie, or no consequene, for I am dead, and my life is hidden in Christ with God. When you speak your accusations, you speak them to Him who has defeated you. Christ the Victor- who as it says in Colossians defeated you and your powers.
Soon, very soon, when He returns, what is not so obvious to you now Mr. Accuser, will be very obvious, because I will be like Him. Then you and everyone that wants to point a finger at me, will realize I am just as He is and will appear so, for the whole world to see.
Even now Mr. Accuser, I am resolved to get knowledge from this point on, to grow in His grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone. My thoughts for now on will be on heavenly things and not the things of this earth. For I am going to make it my every breathing goal in life, not to know anything -but Him.

Relationship is what we need, with Him and one another. We don't need more religion the world is dying for religion right now. Almost every war going on is over religion whether it be those that call them self Christian or Muslim, or Buddahist or whatever. Religion drives the throngs of warriors to bring death. Jesus is here to bring us life, if we will but learn of Him, who is the Prince of Peace.

To Know the Lord Jesus Christ,

That is my prayer for me, for you, and for this world, this day

Dr. J.