Have you ever gone on a blind date? It can be scary! My college friends tried to persuade me to go on a blind date with their visiting friend. I learned secondhand acquaintances are risky! How well you know someone makes a crucial difference. Knowing Jesus as a babe in a manger, teacher or healer is extremely different from knowing Him after an experience with Him.
I grew up in a clergyman’s family. Witnessing hundreds of people come and go in the church world, I’ve observed those who knew Christ in a natural way and those who came to know Him in a personal way. As with knowing other humans, there is an enormous difference between how they knew Him. Paul wrote of his own experience, …At one time, we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! (2 Corinthians 5:16b, NLT2). To know Christ “from a human point of view” means to know Him secondhand. At one time in Paul’s life, he hated those who followed Christ. In fact, he was on a mission to destroy them. But then, on a road to Damascus, he personally encountered Jesus. He was so blown away it radically changed the trajectory of his life. The difference between knowing about Jesus from what you have heard in church, classes or read about Him and knowing Jesus after engaging His presence is a difference maker.
Despite their three-year experience of living with Jesus, the disciples continued to lack faith in Him. They knew Jesus only in a natural way and scurried away when He was arrested. However, experiencing the Holy Spirit’s infilling solidified the credibility of Jesus’ words and actions. Their perspective of Him significantly shifted. Some people grow up in church, even in a pastor’s home, memorize Bible verses and listen to teaching about Jesus for years, but never truly meet Him personally. If their experience with Christ isn’t more intimate than emotionally experiencing the Christmas story or the Passion week, they are at high risk spiritually.
No one can afford to depend on their secondhand knowledge of Jesus Christ! If that is the extent of their knowledge, they will be like the seed sown on the paths, among the stones or thorns. (Luke 8:5-7) Salvation cannot be associated with the “me too” mentality. While it’s valuable to learn about Him through different methods, accurate knowledge comes from personal encounters and reflections on His Word. There is something indescribable about going through failures, tragedies or crisis and learning to lean on Him and His gentle assurances to you. Other believers can be a life-giving help to you. However, never allow any human to replace the direct teaching, the Holy Spirit will speak to a listening ear. After Paul encountered Jesus, he went out into the desert to be alone where the Spirit of Christ taught him for several years. This experience made Paul the stalwart man of God he was. You may not be able to go alone into a desert to learn from His Spirit, but He often teaches those who hunger and thirst after His righteousness in their daily quiet times with Him.
My prayer for you is that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him (Ephesians 1:17, b, AMP). Never settle for a secondhand acquaintance with our incredibly awe-inspiring God. And keep the relationship fresh. The more you experience Him, the more you will intimately know Him.