Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Philippians 3:8 ESV

Knowing  Jesus was the passion & pursuit of the Apostle Paul. He counted all of his accomplishments as rubbish compared to knowing  Jesus. Once his eyes were opened to the glorious worth of Jesus his value system changed. His pursuit was no longer directed at becoming the most religious guy around. He no longer put confidence in this flesh , trusting in his own righteousness or seeking the glory of what he could accomplish in his own strength (Phil. 3:3) . Jesus became the one he sought to glorify, rejoice in, trust in and aim to know. Living a life to know & glorify Jesus was worth it for the Apostle Paul. He became a true worshipper of the One True God and his former way of trying to worship God in his flesh was exchanged for worshipping in & by the Holy Spirit (Phil. 3:3).

Our Vision

Our vision at City Church Garland, the church which I currently serve as a pastor, is to Know Jesus, Love People and Impact Your World. We too have been changed by the powerful gospel of Jesus Christ and our value of knowing Jesus surpasses all other things this world has to offer. Knowing & loving Jesus is priority for us and we will commit our time and energy to this pursuit. He is worth it & it’s our joy know Jesus. Knowing Jesus is good for us, it’s good for our families, it’s good for our neighborhood, it’s good for our city.  When we know Jesus and continue to grow in our knowledge of him the beautiful and pleasant fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control is displayed and experienced by those around us (Galatians 5:22-23). Who doesn’t want that?

In the Word 

So how can we get to know Jesus better? Get in His word. It is essential that we come before God daily spending time reading and reflecting on what God has spoken to us about who He is. The Scripture contains the revelation of God. So if we desire and pray for God to reveal himself to us we must behold God in the Scriptures. Specifically we should look at who is Jesus in the gospels. In Christ we see a perfect display of God manifested in human flesh. Jesus said if you’ve seen him then you’ve seen the Father (John 14:9).

Also, I would recommend mediating on the names, titles & attributes of God throughout the bible. Titles like the God of all grace, the God of patience & the God of justice each reveal an aspect of who God is. Phrases like the Lord is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love help us know who God is.

Prayer & Worship

In response to the revelation that we behold in Scripture we are to approach God in worship and prayer. If we are to know Jesus better we must daily spend time in the wordreflecting on who He is, what says & what he does.Beholding & knowing the character of God is foundational & fuel for our worship. The more one beholds God and the beauty of who he is the more that person is able to respond properly worshipping in truth. It’s also foundational in prayer that one know that God is good & God is great. God is a good father and he delights to give good gifts to His children (Matt. 7:11). God is great and strong enough to answer our prayers. He is willing and He is able to answer our requests for deliverance, guidance, provision, wisdom, peace, etc…

Saints, let’s make knowing Jesus the priority & passion of our lives. Then we will be able to make Him known and lead others into a genuine relationship with Him effectively. We must abide in Jesus & His word if we are to be fruitful and effective in the mission before us (John 15:4-8). Let’s invest our time in the Word. Let’s give ourselves to prayer. Let’s worship our Lord for who He is. Knowing Jesus is worth more than anything this world has to offer!

Reflection Questions

1. What’s hindering you from knowing Jesus more?

2. Does the use of your time, money and energy display that you value knowing Jesus more than other things?