PURSUING THE CHRIST

When a sinner by faith embraces the Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ he begins a brand new journey that has no parallel this side of heaven’s glory. The born again experience happens in a time and place setting, but the pursuit of knowing, pleasing, and glorifying Jesus is life long journey. What are the necessary commitments that lead to an effective journey of faith that will ultimately open the “spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him”?

I think the primary ingredient must be a heart that desires above all else to know the Lord Jesus on a deeper and more sacred level. So many people are satisfied with knowing Christ as their Savior on a theological level and to be honest accepting that as your final Spiritual destination may in fact indicate you may well need to examine yourself to see whether you are in reality a true follower. What person takes one spoonful of the greatest ice cream they’ve ever tasted and puts the spoon down never to taste it again? And what sinner has tasted of the glorious grace of God through Jesus Himself, been forgiven of his sins and had the weight of eternal condemnation lifted from his spirit, only to never desire to drink again from that living fountain? The church has concentrated so pervasively on the “fire insurance” aspect of salvation that so often we have grievously neglected to fully disclose the “surrender” aspect of becoming a follower of Jesus. Is it possible to Spiritually encounter the Lord Jesus, repenting of your unbelief and embrace Him, and never have a desire for more of Him? And in reality at the moment we are born again we have only just met Jesus, and as a follower learns more and more of Him his love and worship for our Wonderful Lord increases with each enlightening day.

After 31 years of following Jesus I believe there are only two ways in which God reveals Himself more deeply to a committed pursuer, His Word and His Spirit. One is manifested with ink on paper while still inherently Spiritual, the other cannot be seen with human eyes and cannot be heard with human ears. He, the Holy Spirit, is more mercurial than the written Word but is just as absolute in His presentation of the truth. He is the Spirit of Truth and in that He is equal and in perfect agreement with the Word. Therefore both the Word and the Spirit are necessary for a glorious pursuit of Christ Jesus. And in today’s ecclesiastical genre many accentuate the Word with little Spirit and many more accentuate the Spirit at the expense of the written Word. Let’s explore these two camps.

We must study the Word as if our very lives depended on it. As one who can personally identify with this, it is possible to get so caught up with defending the Word and confronting its attackers that you no longer can glean the life giving nectar that God wants to infuse into you and your walk personally. Every Scripture you read is immediately translated to buttress some theological issue for today and in so doing we have become puffed up and lack the humility necessary to allow the Word to change us from glory to glory. The Word is our daily bread, and only the Word can direct our paths to walk in His steps. You want to reinvigorate your pursuit of knowing Him, then you and I must fall into an insatiable thirst and love for the written Word for in them Jesus lives also. Oh yes, do not ever diminish the written Word for in them in a mystery Jesus reveals Himself to each seeking follower, and to those who ingest it vigorously they find daily sustenance, cleansing conviction, and faith building power that can only come from its scared pages. Do not ever allow anyone to diminish the paramount importance of the written Word as the glorious communicator of truth to the believer. Forever, O Lord, thy Word is settled in heaven. God does not argue over His Word, it is settled, He just desires that His followers would quit relying on their own strength and completely give themselves to the Word. Remember, Jesus is in those Words and He offers the revelation of Himself to us personally through the heartfelt commitment to seeking His face in His Word.

Now the other bookend of this pursuit is the precious Holy Spirit. There are many in the evangelical community who are definite students of the written Word, and especially the well worn themes of orthodox teachings. These Biblical teachings and doctrines are the ones that most of us would wholeheartedly agree with and would defend as Biblical essentials. But it is possible to study and become versed in the Scriptures complete with all the doctrinal accoutrements of conservative teaching which can stand doctrinal scrutiny, but is void of the life and love which always accompanies the presence of the Holy Spirit. What some may say and teach may be correct and truth, but the Word also admonishes us to speak the truth in love. The Word when spoken and taught by a vessel who has neglected the prayer closet, and who shows little love for wayward sheep, and exudes no sense of humility himself, becomes as sounding brass and tinkling cymbal.

The only way to receive a greater anointing of the Spirit is through prayer and fasting built upon the foundation of personal obedience. And please let us seek a revival of God’s Holy Spirit, not an emotional experience that seems to bring pleasure to us, but a convicting sense of our own inadequacy that brings to us a Christ honoring sense of humility and the total reliance of God’s grace and not our own abilities. The one tangible litmus test in any believer’s life as to the presence of the Holy Spirit is humility. One can teach the truth but without humility it is presented in the strength of our own flesh. Only Christ is truth and any morsel of truth to which we are granted understanding is by God’s grace and certainly not our own intellect.

So let us pursue hard after our Lord, He beckons us come and dine. There are times of refreshing that mark the place of our journey and through our Spirit empowered Word feast we are propelled into places of revelation we heretofore had not visited. To become satisfied with where you are is to die on the vine, and if while reading this the Spirit has gently spoken to you and me again then I say “Praise His Name” for He deserves to constantly hear the running footsteps of multitudes of pursuing followers who will never be satisfied with anything less than His presence in our lives. We must not pull off to the side and wait for heaven, no, we must again put on the Armor of Light, wield the Sword of the Spirit, and with all Prayer and supplication let us run toward Author and Finisher of our faith.

To know Him is life itself. Amen.