Whenever I speak on the subject of knowing the Lord, I’m typically sitting in a living room with a small group of Christians who are gathering outside the traditional church. We spend days discussing practical ways of exploring Christ, encountering Him, fellowshipping with Him, and loving Him as individuals as well as a group. It’s always been a life-changing experience for virtually everyone involved.
We will not be leaving the ozone layer in this post, however. Instead, I want to spread a wide canvas and share some thoughts that I hope you’ll find both insightful and encouraging. They are things which burden me very much.
I will start out by saying that there is a difference between seeking God’s blessings and in seeking Jesus Christ. And there’s a difference between pursuing spiritual things and pursuing Christ Himself.
When I first became a Christian, I was turned on to what is often called “Revivalist Theology.” That theology is built on a single supposition: Now that you are saved, God’s ultimate purpose for your life is that you get others saved. You and I exist to be soul-winners, delivering people from hell.
As a result of imbibing this message, I was jazzed to win others to the Lord. For a number of years, as a college student, I experimented with all sorts of ways of presenting the gospel to the lost. What was I doing? I was pursuing evangelism—a spiritual thing. I wasn’t pursuing Jesus Christ.
When I use the phrase “knowing the Lord,” therefore, I have something quite specific in mind. I have heard Christians speak about “knowing the Lord” as if they possessed an exclusive corner on it.
“I know the Lord” . . . “I met the Lord” . . . “I touched the Lord” . . . are common phrases that they wear like badges. I find this quite troubling to be honest. What comes to mind when I hear people talk like this is as follows: “Excuse me (cough), but were you aware that you cannot be a Christian unless you know the Lord? Has it ever dawned on you that all genuine Christians know the Lord?”
Consider the words of Jesus Christ in John 17:3: “This is eternal life, that they might know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
What is salvation? It’s meeting Christ. It’s touching Christ. It’s knowing Christ. So if you are Christian reading this book, you know the Lord. Period, end of sentence.
Frank Viola Author 