That I May Know Him
Nancy T Warner

 

“That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death.”  Philippians 3:10

 

Due to the call of God on my dad’s life I grew up on Bible school campuses.  Though only a child, I was blessed to know the students and participate in some of their activities.  One particular school encouraged the memorization of scripture, supper being the time of practice.  Table by table we would go around the room, competitively quoting from the book of Philippians.  How wonderful to memorize scripture!  I have always wondered if this is why I love the book of Philippians so much even today.

 

Philippians is a small book, about four pages in most Bibles, yet written very personally, the first person pronoun being used at least one hundred times.  Not written as a defense, or to correct any problems in the church, Paul expresses his own desire for the Lord, as he encourages the church in Philippi in their walk and relationship with the Lord.

 

What is Paul’s cry?  Let’s think about this.  Paul is an apostle.  He had a powerful conversion experience on the road to Damascus.  He was caught up into the heavenlies where he saw things beyond expression.  Yet listen to his cry in Philippians 3:10.  “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death.”

 

Years ago there was a man in our church who would often sing the song, “Lord I want to know You more.”  Tears would run down his face as he sang, not just with his voice but his heart.   Each time he sang our hearts would be moved.  He could not sing that song enough because each time it was a fresh cry coming from his own hunger for more of the Lord.  As the Lord responded to that cry, in that communion we would all be brought into a deeper presence of the Lord as our own hearts were  stirred for yet more of the Lord.

 

Such was the cry in Paul’s heart to know the Lord.   Paul said, “If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead” (Philippians 3:11).  Paul was not worried about his salvation.  Looking at this verse in the Greek you will see it means “if by any means I might attain unto an out resurrection from among the living dead.”

 

 Paul’s  burning desire  was to be lifted out from mere religious form into a living fellowship and identification with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:12

 

There is a knowing of the Lord, not just information about Him, but a sensing of His presence, a coming to know His heart, and beyond that, an identification in which I am conformed into His image and likeness, being brought into a unity, a oneness with Him, “that I might know Him.”

 

What is God’s will for my life?  First and foremost, it is that we would know Him.  This is what salvation is all about!  Not just a membership into heaven, but a growing relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Notice the wording in these verses:

 

“And He goes up into a mountain, and calls to Him whom He would: and they came to Him. And He ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils.”  Mark 3:13-15

 

He went up, the call of God is always to come up into a higher dimension of living and relationship with Him.  Then He called whom He would that they might be with Him!   So often our eyes catch the doing, without noticing the coming.  It is from the coming that we can then do.  He is the vine, we are the branch.  Without Him we can do nothing!  We must come before we can do.  We can not give what we do not have.

 

Once, some one asked me why a particular person said something.  I did not know, nor did I know they had said it.  But I had spent a lot of time with that person.  I understood their way of thinking.  So I replied that if they had said that, it was probably because of reasons that I then explained.  Later I checked with that person to see if I was right.  Absolutely!  How did I know?  From having spent time in their presence - coming to know them, their heart, and their way of thinking.

 

My son, now a major in the marines, was a beautiful baby.  I could not have loved him more when he was first born.  I adored him!  Yet as he grew and became a man, there came a fellowship that we can have now, a functioning together that we never could have had if he had stayed in his original infant state.

 

Salvation is the first step of a beautiful new relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  Then it is the Lord’s desire that we “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

 

The Lord is longing for us to grow up into Him that we might become a part of who He is, a sample of Him in the earth today.  We are called to be a witness, not do witnessing (Acts1:8).  So often we see the do, and fall short of the being.   From the being, will come a doing, but doing alone falls short of the call of God on our lives.

 

“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  Colossians 1:27

 

The Lord has called us to be with Him, that he might send us forth in His power with His heart and His way of thinking.

 

“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:12

 

Lord our hearts cry out for more of you.  We want to know you more!   In the power of your resurrection.  In the fellowship of your suffering.  Being made conformable in your death.  If in anything I am other wise minded, would you show me Lord?  And change me?  I want to know you more!

 

Cause me to apprehend that for which I have been apprehended!