WHOM TO KNOW

Over 40 years ago now, I vividly remember a man speaking and referring to God, and saying …. Whom to know is life eternal
My ears pricked up  … what was that ??    just to know God is life eternal ??
But as a recently born-again Christian, I thought that ..…  acknowledgement of sin, confession, repentance, and being born again spiritually were what was needed to gain salvation and eternal life.    (well Yes,   but there’s more, as I was to find out !)
To KNOW God is eternal Life …. the man had just said  !
Most of the teaching I had heard was only ABOUT God, …. but to actually get to know him personally …. was it possible ??

I hurried back home after the service, got out my concordance, and searched through it to verify this remarkable statement.
I found the verse,  there it was ….  John 17 : 3    Jesus’  last recorded prayer ….
and this is life eternal, that they might know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent …
Wow, this was amazing  …. even life-changing for me  ….…
So,  there was more ……  being born-again was only the beginning,  salvation was just the introduction to ACTUALLY KNOW GOD  INTIMATELY for one-self !!
And so, from that time on, a craving was awakened in me  ……  to actually KNOW God for myself, just as I would get to know any other person here on earth.
Wow  ……..  I could actually  K N O W   G O D   personally !!  …..   mind-boggling !!
And my Christian experience developed and deepened from that time on, as a deeper search began, (and continues still to this day)  ….  to know God intimately,  personally.

Through Jesus  ….  to know God the Father,   and then the baptism of the Holy Spirit of truth and power that I was to later experience.    And the greatest recurring experience possible on this planet - the quickening of the Holy Spirit on the Word

But, I was to find out ……  knowledge of another person basically only comes through the time spent in each others company !!        just ask any courting couple !!

And there were other passages besides …
Let him who glories, glory in this, that he understands and KNOWS ME … for in these things I delight says the Lord                Jeremiah 9:23

That which was from the beginning (Jesus the Son) which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life … we have seen and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father …. that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you                                                           1 John 1 : 1- 3
John the beloved disciple, personally knew, (and had previously known in the flesh) Jesus and through him got to KNOW God the Father
(I counted the words know / knew  36 times in this  1 John Epistle )

For I desired ….  the KNOWLEDGE OF GOD more than burnt-offerings   Hosea 6:6

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord                                                                         2 Peter 1: 2

incline your ear unto wisdom, apply your heart unto understanding ….. and find the knowledge of God                                                                    Proverbs 2:2, 5

……  increasing in the knowledge of God                            Colossians 1: 10

The people that do KNOW THEIR GOD shall be strong,  and do exploits  Daniel 11:32

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God  Romans 11:33

Abraham  was described as  a  FRIEND OF GOD   James 2: 23   2 Chronicles 20:7
WOW
Surely the greatest achievement, the highest honour possible to a mortal person

Moses heard from God, face to face, as someone speaks to their friend
Hidden in a cleft of a rock, he saw God’s afterglow, (and survived !)
                                                                                       Exodus 33: 11, 18 – 23

Adam & Eve enjoyed Gods visits ….  in the cool of the evening    Genesis 3:8
They had the fellowship and intimacy with God  that we crave

Noah  walked with God                                                     Genesis 6:9

Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him (straight into heaven)
          WOW                                                                             Genesis 5 : 24
 

To KNOW Him     is to Love  Him  !

Someone once said ……

LIFE’S GREATEST TRAGEDY,  IS TO LOSE THE PRESENCE OF GOD ….
AND NOT REALISE IT                     just ask Samson  …….  Judges  16 : 20

But what so often happens, is the dangerous tendency to ……
MISTAKE  RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY   for experiencing  THE PRESENCE OF GOD

And this is the SEDUCTION   of the RELIGIOUS SYSTEM …
to get involved,  to get busy religiously, to focus on attendance at religious services
     instead of cultivating a personal walk and the personal knowledge of God,
for DOING      to replace  BEING
for public performance to replace personal character  
to promote a man’s empire instead of Gods
to help build some man’s earthly kingdom instead of Gods eternal KINGDOM
the public life     instead of (and at the expense of) ones private life
the outward profession   instead of an inward possession
religious Hypocrisy !

Dear Lord ….  spare us from formality, from observances and getting side-tracked from spending that time and effort to get to Know YOU  personally !

And the blessed result ……..

Jesus - My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow  Me.   John 10:27

As many as are led by the Spirit of God,  THEY ARE THE SONS OF GOD 
Romans 8:14

The wind blows where it will, you hear the sound of it, but you cant tell from where it comes, and to where it goes,  so is everyone who is born of the Spirit     John 3:8

Satisfied by an unsatisfied satisfaction ……  someone described it well !

So   ……    join us in  ‘the ultimate search’   -  the personal KNOWLEDGE of GOD