‘That I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made comformable unto his death’ (Philippians 3:10).

After an in-depth encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ in December of 1966 I was absolutely amazed to have the Bible come alive to me. Up until that point I had filled my mind with Biblical and Christian information for many years. That was all that it was, however, information.

I frequently hear people speak of ‘learning more about Jesus.’ I’m always assured that their intentions are the best and their hunger is real. However, it is immaterial how much we absorb intellectually if it never goes beyond that in our lives. Many have been absorbed with the historical Jesus but have never had an encounter with the resurrected and enthroned Christ.

I need to hasten to say that I am not advocating subjective experiences as a basis of our faith. However, it is difficult to have a real faith without subjectivity entering into it at some point. When we genuinely encounter the Lord Jesus, the residual inner effect will be that we know that we know that we know Him. He emerges as a powerful inner reality to us and less a historical figure.

When we know Him in the inner man we can fellowship with Him, talk with Him and have Him to talk to us. We will know His comfort in times of trial and heartache. We will have His protection in threatening times. We will have His provision in times of need. We will know His instruction as we hunger to increase our knowledge of Him. We will know His leadership for our obedience. We will experience His enablement in our obedience.

Paul exemplified the hunger that should be in our hearts as he revealed his own heart: ‘That I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made comformable unto his death‘ (Philippians 3:10).

The word used for ‘know’ in this passage means the ‘above knowledge’ or the ‘deeper knowledge.’ This kind of knowledge doesn’t come from a book or a sermon. It is revelation knowledge coming only through the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said: ‘But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me‘ (John 15:26). A primary work of the Holy Spirit is the work of revelation and the primary object of revelation is Jesus.

The extent Jesus is revealed to us will be the extent that we serve Him. Our service will never continuously exceed our revelation. Only as we know Him will we be willing to face the conflicts and struggles that we will encounter in faithful service.

When I was a teenager in New Mexico, we lived near Lake McMillan, a part of the Pecos River. The level of the lake was controlled by two factors: the gates built into the dam whereby water could be released as determined by the Corps of Engineers and the second was by a spillway. The spillway of the lake was a broad concrete area of the dam that was designed so that if the water rose to such a point that it threatened the dam the water would flow around the dam and over the spillway.

Each of us has a ‘spiritual spillway’–a capacity for endurance that determines the extent that the Holy Spirit can move in us and through us and consequently, the depth and breath of our ministry. Because of the fact that the world, the flesh and the devil will contest every thing we do for God, we will face many inner and outer battles and struggles in our life of obedience. The intensity of those challenges and the extent of them ultimately determines the extent of our faithfulness. The place we come to in our lives when we say: ‘Too much’ or, ‘I can’t handle any more of this’ will be our spiritual spillway. We will never grow or go past that point.

It is for that reason that Paul, in the expression of his desire for a greater knowledge of Jesus, included in his statement the understanding that to have greater knowledge also included walking with Jesus in the fellowship of His sufferings. Greater revelation produces greater service but will inevitably entail greater suffering. The life of Paul is a textbook on suffering. Many people stop at the first inconvenience in their pursuit of obedience. The great in the Kingdom are those who rise up and go on in the face of all hostilities and impossibilities.

There is a very large responsibility in all revelation of Jesus. As we study the word He lives through it. His revelation shows us more of Him, of ourselves and of the world around us. We are accountable for what He shows us.

The fullest joy of the Christian life is experienced in the revelatory walk we have with Him through the waters of adversity as we pursue a life of obedience.

Jeff