You Really Can Know God
Knowing God isn’t reserved for pastors, spiritual experts, or people who have everything figured out. Each of us was created to know God.
In June, the church I pastor at celebrated its 60th anniversary. Amazing! Maybe more amazing is that I’ve attended this same church for most of my life—somewhere around 48 years.
Any church that has been around this long has a rich history, and Cross Points Church is no different. I’ve seen a lot of things.
The Ups and Downs of Church
On the positive side, I represent the third of four generations who have called Cross Points Church their home. My aunt found Jesus in the Jesus People Movement of the late 60s and early 70s, which led my mom’s side of the family to follow in her footsteps. My grandparents, my mom, my sister and I, and now my children have all been impacted by this church (originally named Full Faith Church of Love…gotta love those hippies!). I honestly have no idea where my life would be without the men and women of the church.
But I’ve seen the ugly side of church, too.
When I was 19, the founding pastor of our church had an affair with a secretary, and they ran away to Florida. It ripped a church of 4000 members in half overnight. With this in mind, it is amazing the church continues, and I would say thrives, today. Those were hard days, and that specific moment may be the hardest I have ever faced, but there continue to be difficult moments at our church (as in every church).
One of the things you develop a thick skin for in pastoral ministry is when people leave the church. That is a tough experience, but I understand that there are often valid reasons to leave a church. I don’t like to see it, but I’ve learned to have open hands. What is most difficult about this experience is hearing that a person is no longer following Jesus. Maybe they aren’t an atheist or antagonistic toward God, but they have given up faith in God.
How to Never Give Up
My wife told me she recently listened to a podcast that stated that when people leave a church, they most often leave the faith.
This breaks my heart.
It breaks my heart because I have a core conviction: Every person can know God. And if you know God, you might leave a church, but you would never leave the faith.
So, the question is how? How does a person know God in such a way that they would never consider leaving the faith?
The answer is found in the words of Jesus:
“But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.
“I AM the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.”
-John 10:2-4,14-15 NLT
Notice what Jesus says.
Jesus is God
First, Jesus claims to be God. He refers to Himself the same way God named Himself at the burning bush a few thousand years earlier…I AM. This context is really important because it sets us up to know God in such a way that we won’t ever lose complete faith in Him.
Yes. I wrote “complete” faith. Doubt is a natural part of faith. There are times I doubt. I wonder where God is, was, or has been. I can’t see his goodness in difficult circumstances. Yet, in all of those doubts, I have kept faith in God because I have heard His voice.
Know God Through the Voice of Jesus
This is the second thing to notice in the passage above. Followers of Jesus, know his voice. As God, Jesus speaks, and his followers hear and recognize his voice. This is how we know God: We hear and recognize the voice of Jesus. The more often you hear Jesus, the better you will begin to know him. The better you know Jesus, the less likely you will be to leave your faith because of difficult circumstances in your life.
You might leave your church, but you won’t leave your faith when you hear God’s voice and know Him intimately.
So, do you know how to hear and recognize the voice of Jesus?
That will be the topic of next week’s newsletter, but let me leave you with this hint, also from the Gospel of John:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” -John 1:1-5 NIV
Join the Conversation
I’d love to hear your story or reflection in the comments. When have you found it easiest—or most difficult—to believe that you can genuinely know God?
If you’d rather, send me a message directly. Let’s begin a conversation!
If this post encouraged you, share it with someone who could use a reminder that hope still lives.
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Thank you Andy! Good stuff!