WHAT IS THE PATH TO BELIEVING AND KNOWING GOD?
“And this is eternal life [another quality and quantity of living], that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:3 (English Standard Version)
If you are a marginal Jesus Follower and reading this page, perhaps the Lord is convicting you to come closer to Him.
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you...” James 4:8 (New King James Version)
ALL Jesus Followers go through periods of feeling distant from God the Father or have regressed from the relationship and hunger they once knew. YOU are NO different. Ask yourself the questions below to discern what may be hindering your passion and spiritual advancement.
- Is there some hidden sin you are battling alone? (Proverbs 28:13; Psalm 66:18)
- Do you need to forgive someone (Ephesians 4:32) OR are you struggling to forgive yourself of some failure in your past? (Psalm 32:1-5; 103:11-14; Matthew 11:28)
- Are you a faithful member of a Bible-believing congregation where Jesus Christ is exalted, and the Word of God is explained, and your spiritual gifts are being expressed? (Hebrews 10:24-25; Acts 2:42-47; Romans 12:3-12)
- Is there harmony in your house with your spouse/children? (I Peter 3:7; Colossians 3:21)
- Is the word of God #1 on your scale of values? That is, are you a teachable student with a Pastor instructing and modeling truth on a regular basis? (Hebrews 13:7 and 13:17)
- Do you feel physically and/or emotionally healthy or well? (III John 3:2)
- Does it seem like a “monkey wrench” has been thrown into your life plans and you don’t have peace/joy underneath the skin despite material blessings? Often the Lord gets our attention by snatching peace and joy from our souls much like a referee blows a whistle when we are out of bounds. When one professes but does not persistently practice imitating Jesus, albeit imperfectly, God the Father uses many things, including His kindness, to convict you to repent (change of priorities and patterns). (Revelation 3:20-21)
If you are without hope, without Christ or do not have the ASSURANCE of eternal life, and are reading this page, perhaps God is drawing you to Himself and getting your attention.
“No man [or woman] can come to me [Jesus] except the Father which hath sent me draw him [or her] [attracts, pulls, enlightens]:” John 6:44 (King James Version)
Consider the following:
- God exists. Whether I know it or not, believe it or not, like it or not, understand it or not, God the Father exists. There never was a time when He did not exist. As a matter of fact, the Bible wastes no time even trying to prove this fact because God the Father does not need the validation of humans to verify his existence. Any human who is being intellectually honest must acknowledge there is something divine beyond the blue sky.
- God has revealed himself. That Divine One has not made Himself invisible. There is an innate sense of consciousness in humans of something bigger than themselves. But this internal sense is accompanied by verifying external signs through creation (nature), conscience, the canon of Scripture and the incarnation of the historical Jesus of Nazareth.
- God has a plan for the universe. Note the order, precision and predictability of the cosmos, planets, environmental seasons. It is evident that there is a divine plan in place.
- God has a plan for humans. Since human beings are the crowning glory and the thinking geniuses of creations, surely God did not design us WITHOUT an intention!
- YOU are human.
- And if you are human, GOD has a plan for YOU!
- Therefore, you owe God the Father a hearing.
If you want to live a life of peace, power and purpose, we want you to know that Jesus Christ had you personally in mind when He died on the cross for us. Every sin that you have ever committed past, present and future, was NAILED to Him. And He who knew no sin, became sin, shame and guilt so that we might have the righteousness of God. There is no more barrier between you and the holy loving Father. Right where you are, tell God the Father that you are believing in Jesus Christ. Use your own words to describe your heart’s desire. And eternal life will be yours! Now, you are NOT ALONE. We will help you grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Contact us to let us know of your response.
Joy! (Ruth 2:12)
Rufus Smith
Senior Pastor - Hope Church Memphis