THOSE WHO KNOW THEIR GOD Part 55

“Those who know their God will be strong and do great things.” Dan 11:32

WHAT DO PEOPLE DO TO KNOW GOD?

It is so reassuring to know that you are never alone. When Jesus left this world, he told his disciples that he would not leave them alone (John 14:18) but that he would send them the comforter who would be with them forever (John 14:16). The Holy Spirit coming to live within us was not only about us living in the power of God, but it was about intimacy with God.

Apostle Paul was overwhelmed with the love of God, and intimacy with God was his greatest desire. He said, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:10-11

When apostle Paul said, “I want to know Christ,” he used the Greek word ginosko, which means to know intimately. Interestingly, in apostle Paul’s culture, the word ginosko was used as a Jewish idiom to refer to sexual intercourse. Even in the Bible, that word was used to speak of sexual intercourse. In Matthew 1:25, it says, “But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.” The same Greek word, ginosko, was translated in this Scripture as sexual relations. Apostle Paul was passionate about knowing Christ! His greatest desire was to be intimate with him!

When confronted with the idea of death, apostle Paul made this statement, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again, your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me. Philippians 1:21-26

To apostle Paul, the only reason to be on this earth was intimacy with God and fulfilling his will. The love of God so profoundly impacted apostle Paul that he was willing to go through anything to help someone else know that same love. While in prison, he wrote these endearing words, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7

Wow! Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. He did all of this so that in the coming ages (Greek word aion often translated eternity), he might show the incomparable riches of his grace expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Wow! I pray that you can wrap your mind around that! Mind-blowing – profoundly amazing! Are you aware of how intensely God loves you? Do you know that he is planning on spending eternity lavishing his love upon you?

Understanding these truths caused Paul to be so passionate that he was willing to be stoned to the point of death and keep ministering – to be beaten by authorities multiple times and still keep preaching – to be ridiculed and mistreated wherever he went and still keep ministering. Wow! I promise you this; God wants you to know what apostle Paul knew! God wants you to be so consumed by the love and grace of God that you will have a heart like the apostle Paul to change this world!

Today my prayer for you is that you will be impacted as never before by the love and grace of God and that you will step into an even deeper life of…

INTIMACY WITH GOD