Tuesday, March 27, 2012

NOT A FAN - CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3--KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HIM OR INTIMACY WITH HIM?

The question has two parts.
1. How much knowledge do you possess about Jesus and His life?
2. How intimate is your relationship with Him?

As Kyle points out, this is often what separates the fans from the followers. It's the difference between knowledge and intimacy.

Look at Matthew 15:8. It says: "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."
Do you spend time in the word out of a sense of duty or honor?

If Jesus were to walk up to you and take a seat in the coffee shop next to you, would you know Him?

Kyle asks: Do you just know about Jesus, or do you really know Him?
That is a good question. Don't get me wrong, I think that studying God's work and taking the time to learn from it is valuable to our lives. But, knowledge alone isn't the answer; you need that intimacy with him. And don't start thinking that knowledge = intimacy. It doesn't.

I said in my book study that I would be impressed by the person that could quickly recite all the books of the bible in order without taking a breath. However, that would be a short lived impression. The one that would leave a long standing impression on me is the one that has that intimate relationship with Jesus and it is evident in the way they live their lives.

I admire those with greater knowledge than myself. But, as Kyle said: "When there is knowledge without intimacy, you’re really no more than a fan."

Read Luke 7:44-46. When was the last time you had an intimate moment with Jesus? When was the last time you expressed your deep love for Him? When was the last time you did something for Him? In these questions, I am not asking if you know Jesus and his story, what I am asking is how intimate is your relationship with Him. Ponder that and I will see you here next week.

1 comment:

  1. Hi! The Not A Fan posts are wonderful - what happened to the rest of the chapters? My life group is just starting this book and I was hoping to use some of your insights in our discussions.

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete