Oh That I May Know Him!
“That I May Know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death Phil 3:10 NKJV
When Paul was writing this particular verse, He was unfortunately sitting in a prison in Rome. He was joyfully writing to the Philippine church as he recalled his life, an autobiography of sorts. He had this one conclusion, that all the things that were formerly a gain to him, he now counted all of them as loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:7-8). His previous title was that of the renowned prosecutor of the early church, a devout and well-educated man in Jewish law, and above all, a Roman citizen! All these titles, he counted as a loss compared to his encounter and knowledge of Jesus Christ!
For Paul, he would rather have lost the whole world and his previous titles and accolades than not have known this wonderful Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ! For him, knowing Christ Jesus was now His greatest and highest pursuit! He wanted to see this man called Jesus Christ! To understand the mercies and the richness of Jesus Christ!
Paul thereafter introduces His life’s ambition, His greatest desire and ultimate purpose! That He may know Jesus Christ ! Beyond the knowledge and revelation of who Jesus Christ was, Paul desired to know the power of His resurrection and fellowship in His sufferings!
You would think that Apostle Paul, after this encounter with Jesus on the dusty road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9), would have puffed his chest for years! It would have been enough and quite a great testimony to have had an encounter with Jesus! On the contrary, this great apostle desired more than that one supernatural experience and desired to learn more about Jesus Christ. Paul wants more than just one encounter! He wanted a daily encounter of the glory of God through Jesus Christ and know His power! It’s a cry of his heart, for more of Jesus glorified in Him!
Paul desired to attain an excellence in the knowledge of our savior Jesus Christ. He wanted a greater depth and insight into who Christ is. He desired an intimate and dynamic relationship to know God is as the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. To experience Jesus for himself and not from the hearsay that he had heard while he persecuted the church.
Paul’s greatest longing was not to gain the world’s acknowledgment or pleasures! Instead, he aimed to gain Christ by all available means! Even if bound to chains, his greatest pursuit was to know Jesus! Paul’s heart desired that after he had run the race, he would attain the imperishable crown (1 Cor 9: 24-27).
So, what does it mean to know Christ Jesus?
To know Jesus is to abide in Him.
Our growth is ultimately dependent on how much we abide in Christ and His presence by our encounters with Him through His word and in prayer. This means remaining rooted in Christ by continuous fellowship in prayer and the Word and by keeping His commandments. Jesus also promises to abide in us when we first abide in Him.
Just in the same way, you and I may never know someone until we plan to dedicate time, energy, and at times even resources in the effort to know who they are, their personality, and what they like or don’t like. The same way Jesus is inviting us to abide in Him, so that we may know Him even more. However, this concept of “Abiding in Christ” is however not a bed of roses of just fellowshipping with Jesus! There will be seasons of molding, remodeling, and chiseling to become that which He desires of us! Seek Him because he brings meaning to our being!
We therefore have to understand that even in our desire to abide, there is a cost of losing parts of us to gain Christ! So, how willing am I to be constantly pruned off my bad branches that don’t bear fruit so that I assimilate into the True Vine (John 15:1-8)?
To Know Jesus is to Believe in Him
Believing in Christ Jesus is not only a mandatory requirement in this journey of knowing Him, but we must also believe that He died and rose again 1 Thessalonians 4:14 . I desire to reach this place where, like Paul, I will say, “I know whom I have believed in.” 2 Timothy 1:12 What a persuasion!
This is a choice we have to make daily to believe in Jesus Christ even when life circumstances dictate otherwise! Ours is to believe in Him who promised, He is more than able to bring everything concerning us into fruition.
When we also believe in Christ not only do we get personal persuasion and conviction but we can be used by God to persuade men to come to the knowledge of Christ(2 Cor 5:11) ! When we believe in Christ Jesus, there is also the added benefit of the living waters flowing in us and in our hearts (John 7:38).
To know Him is to be like Him
The mere revelation of Christ in our lives is so profound that it transforms us to be like Him! When Paul had a glimpse of Christ on the road to Damascus, without a shadow of doubt, he knew without a doubt that he had to know more about this Jesus!!! His life’s pursuit became the desire to know more of Jesus despite his challenges!
God’s will for us as His children is that we may be conformed to the Image of His Son Jesus Christ (Rom 8:29). To emulate Jesus and be like Him in our conduct, dressing, word, deed, and thought is my prayer for you and I so that when men look at us, they see nothing else but the explicit image of Jesus in us, the Hope of glory.
To know Jesus is to share in His suffering.
Luke 9:23-24 (NKJV) Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
Most times, our prayer is to know Him and the power of His resurrection, but then forget we are to also share in Jesus’ suffering. But what does it mean to share in His suffering? It means that there is a cost that we have to pay to bear His name!
As Christians, we will often be mocked or ridiculed, and in some parts of the world, we still face persecution for wanting to know Christ! We have to constantly deny the fleeting pleasures of the flesh that are ever waging war within us and live and walk in the Spirit. A life that pleases Christ means saying no to sin and fear.
In conclusion, to know Jesus is not just to have the abundance of the knowledge of Him, but to give your life fully devoted to Jesus and striving to experience Him in our daily lives ever gazing upon the Lord and ever grounded and rooted in Him. To be conformed daily, minute by minute, into the Image of Christ and daily being transformed to be more like Him.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I pray that I may know you beyond my wildest imagination, that I may experience you in all your fullness and glory! Reveal Christ to me and my family! That I may know the hope of your calling! That I may dwell in your presence to gaze upon your beauty. That when all is said and done, I may have you, Jesus.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen
