Read: Acts 4:1-13

He appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him. (Mark 3:14)

The first practice for knowing Jesus is tucked innocently into the opening words about Jesus’ call of the Twelve: “He appointed twelve . . . so that they might be with him.” That was the main thing, the great secret of becoming an apostle, someone sent by Jesus to change the world. They had to be with him day in and day out, walking and talking, watching and listening, eating and sleeping for three years. They grew in their knowledge of Jesus simply by being with him.

As a result, the Twelve were able to continue Jesus’ mission even when he wasn’t with them anymore. No sooner had they begun to bear witness than they ran into the same trouble that killed Jesus. The Sanhedrin tried to silence Peter and John by throwing them in jail and subjecting them to the third degree.

Peter responded to their intimidation by boldly proclaiming the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection, going so far as to claim that salvation is found in no one else than Jesus (Acts 4:10-12). The Jewish leaders were stunned by the courage of the apostles, especially because it was obvious that Peter and John were not highly educated men like the Sanhedrin (v. 13).

How could these “unschooled, ordinary men” give such bold and eloquent testimony in a hostile setting? The Jewish leaders reveal the secret in words that still challenge us: “they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

Prayer:

Jesus, help us to believe that you are with us always. Amen.

https://woh.org/

Read: Matthew 18:1-4

Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (v. 3 NIV)

When Jesus spoke these famous words, he did not mean that children are innocent. Only someone who has never raised a toddler believes that children are innocent. Jesus explained his meaning with the word “humble.” He didn’t mean that children are selfless. Indeed, they can be incredibly self-centered; just ask the weary mother of a screaming child. Jesus was pointing to the dependency of children. Little children depend on others for guidance and help: “Mommy, will you help me? I’m hungry. I’m hurt.” They simply assume that they will get the help they need, because they rely on Mom and Dad.

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Read: Luke 18:9-14

God, have mercy on me, a sinner. (v. 13 NIV)

We’ve now come to the second preliminary to knowing Christ, namely, humility. That, in fact, is really the first and most important preliminary, because at the root of our unwillingness is pride. From that first sin in the garden, pride has been the chief barrier between us and the God we used to know face to face. “You will be like God,” hissed the serpent. The self-centeredness of that lie is the deep cause of our less than intimate knowledge of Christ.

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Read: John 7:1-17

Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” (v. 12 NIV)

We are introduced to these preliminaries in the words of Jesus in a chapter where hardly anybody knows Christ. He is surrounded by people who know some things about him but who don’t really know him. That included his own half-brothers, who, according to verse 5, did not yet believe in him. And there was the mob that thronged him like a rock star but didn’t agree if he was a good man or a deceiver. Others said he was demon possessed (John 7:20), while still others thought he might be Moses or (gasp) even the Messiah. Lurking in the background were the Jewish leaders who wanted to kill him.

In such an atmosphere of curiosity and confusion, enthusiasm and envy, skepticism and hostility (much like we live in today), how can anyone really know Jesus? In verse 15, Jesus’ enemies challenge his education, his credentials, and his authority, saying, in effect, “Who does he think he is?”

Continue reading Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Knowing About Is Not the Same as Knowing →

Read: Philippians 3:4-11

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. (v. 8 NIV)

We conclude our reflections on the possibilities of knowing Christ by returning to Paul’s passionate words in Philippians 3. Knowing Christ was more important than anything in his life. His words reminded me of a little book by Joe Stowell, titled Simply Jesus and You.

Stowell points out that many of us have a mixture of Jesus and something else in our lives. Yes, we believe in Jesus, but we also believe that we need money or friends or a marriage partner or a good self-image.

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Read: 2 Peter 1:12-21

We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. . . . We ourselves heard this voice. (vv. 16, 18 NIV)

Regarding my example of that freshman guy trying to know the pretty girl only by testing, someone might say, “He can see and hear and touch that girl, but I can’t do that with Jesus. How can I know this unseen person who is allegedly the key to all the marvels of life?” Well, picture that same freshman with head bent over his smart phone, his thumbs flying as he communicates with his unseen girlfriend.

We can know Jesus the same way—by text messaging, by “Facebook.” I’m talking about reading the text written by people who did see and hear and touch him. In 2 Peter 1:16 and 18, Peter assures his knowledge-hungry readers that he and others had seen the glory of Jesus up close and personal. We saw his face shining with the glory of God, says Peter, and we’ve written about it here in this Spirit-inspired book, so that you can know him.

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Read: 2 Peter 1:1-2

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of . . . Jesus our Lord. (v. 2 NIV)

We can’t grow in the grace of Christ unless we grow in our knowledge of Christ. Note that Peter commands us to grow in our knowledge of Christ, not about Christ. It’s important to learn more about Jesus, but Peter calls us to go beyond the facts to the person himself.

Consider this prayer by Arthur Burns, former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank. Though he was Jewish, he attended a Bible study in the White House. One day he surprised his group with this prayer: “O God, may the day come when all Jews will come to know Jesus.” But they were even more surprised when he prayed, “O God, may the day come when all Christians will come to know Jesus.” May we grow in our knowledge of Jesus in the same way we grow in our knowledge of a friend or spouse.

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Read: 2 Peter 3:14-18

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (v. 18 NIV)

I’ve been urging you to become passionate about knowing Christ. Perhaps you’ve been wondering if it is even possible to know Christ more. So I want to spend a week focusing on the possibilities of knowing Christ better. We begin with the last words of the apostle Peter.

Not only is it possible to grow in our knowledge of Christ; Peter says it’s our duty. Here’s what John Calvin said about Peter’s words: “Keep moving, because the only way to persevere is to continually go forward and not stop and sit down in the middle of the journey.” Have we stopped and sat down? Have you become a parked Christian? Peter calls us to move, to grow in the grace of Christ.

Continue reading Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – A Parked Christian →

Read: Philippians 3:7-11

I want to know Christ. (v. 10 NRSV)

Our meditations for this month will focus on knowing Christ, and they will be grouped under five words: passion (1-5), possibilities (6-12), preliminaries (13-17), practices (18-24), and proof (25-31). What do you think of when I say the word “passion”? I think of a line from W. B. Yeats famous poem “The Second Coming”: “The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity.”

That line of the poem should trouble us a great deal. Is it true that the best lack all conviction? Can it be that Christians are not full of passionate intensity? Is that why things are falling apart in this world? Let’s focus first on the passion that moved Paul and the other early Christians to turn their “world upside down” (Acts 17:6).

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