“ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”
According to the Mariam Webster dictionary, the word KNOW means: to perceive directly, have direct cognition of, to have understanding of, to recognize the nature of, to be acquainted or familiar with, to have experience of, to be aware of the truth or factuality of, be convinced or certain of, or to have a practical understanding of.
Referencing the phases that describes the meaning of the word KNOW, one can tell what the Apostle Paul was trying to do. It was a personal desire to know Christ. This is not about having head knowledge neither is it about quoting bible verses, both of which are good. It is about a personal spiritual revelation of the person of Christ in His journey to deliver the sinner man from sin.
This month we will start our Journey of Knowing this Jesus. Jeremiah 9:23 ”This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches.” It is the intention of the revelation of this knowledge of Christ that by the end of this year we can be at a place where we can boldly say the Lord has helped and revealed himself to us thus far, thus we can boast in that wisdom.
Lessons from the Great Apostle Paul: Emphases of the word “I” Personal
Total Surrender to Jesus: We must come to the place where nothing means anything: Philippians 3:8-9 “More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ. and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.” Counting all things lost means we come to the feet of Jesus and hand over the key of the car of our lives to him. Understanding the mysteries of God comes when we, after handing over the key we allow God through the Power of the Holy Spirit total control of the steering wheel of the car of our lives. He sits on the driver seat and we take the passenger seat and allow Him to drive. He knows the plan, direction, and the purpose of God for our lives and will show us the path to get there. He understands the mind of God and He is able to assist us in everything. This is how we gain Christ and when we gain Christ, we also gain righteousness by faith.
Total Death: A dead man only can lay down at the disposal of the other. Apostle Paul knew that for him to know this Christ he must by faith walk the journey of Christ as well. Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Romans 8:10 “But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. John 12:23-24 “Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” If we are still directing the affairs of our lives, it means we are still alive in OURESLVES and NOT IN CHRIST. Apostle Paul was guided by the Spirit of the Lord in his walk with God. He knew that his life was not his own anymore because he died and the life he lived was not his own any more. However, he also knew Christ was the new person living in him by faith and therefore everything he did was never about him anymore but he had allowed the GREATER ONE in him to be in control. That is why Christ was made manifest in him wherever he went ministering and the glory of God was revealed.
Boast Only in Christ: Galatians 6:14 “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Jeremiah 9:24 “But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth--for I delight in these things," declares the LORD. Romans 6:6 ”We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.” To Apostle Paul it was easy for him to say that his boasting was ONLY in the Power of the Cross of Jesus Christ because he understood that it was there that his canal body was crucified and rebuilt in a manner that could contain the person of Christ by the Holy Spirit. He understood that it was not of him, never anything about him to bring any self-seeking recognition to himself.
Confidence Not Shame in Christ: Romans 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Paul Apostle knew whom he was surrendering his all to as well as his confidence. He understood that the Gospel of Christ was the only weapon of deliverance and therefore he was never ashamed to testify about the person of Christ. He was confident in this because he had allowed himself to be crucified and thus it was no longer about him, but Christ in him the hope of Glory speaking from the inside.
Ennette Heaggans