… my goal is to know Him!

Know Him

Sunday 11/08/20

Series: Do we REALLY believe?

MESSAGE: … my goal is to know Him!


***Video is HERE***

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… my goal is to know Him!

So we’ve been looking into the fact that Christ being formed within us is the goal and purpose of salvation… SO THAT God and mankind may enter into perfect union with one another forever – which the scriptures call “eternal life”.

Eternal life is something which BEGINS at salvation and continues on until perfect union is realized and possible due to complete inward and outward conformity to His will and ways. Since we fell SO completely – salvation requires a complete and progressive transformation.

So to illustrate these truths we’ve looked at the first two chapters of Philippians as well as a few chapters in 1 John – now we are returning to Philippians where we left off MANY weeks ago in chapter 2 verse 17.

“(17)  But even if I am poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.  

(18)  In the same way you also should rejoice and share your joy with me.  

(19)  Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon so that I also may be encouraged when I hear news about you.  (20)  For I have no one else like-minded who will genuinely care about your interests;  (21)  all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.  

(22)  But you know Timothy’s proven character, because he has served with me in the gospel ministry like a son with a father.  

(23)  Therefore, I hope to send him as soon as I see how things go with me.  (24)  And I am convinced in the Lord that I myself will also come quickly.  

(25)  But I considered it necessary to send you Epaphroditus–my brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier, as well as your messenger and minister to my need–  (26)  since he has been longing for all of you and was distressed because you heard that he was sick.  

(27)  Indeed, he was so sick that he nearly died. However, God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, so that I would not have one grief on top of another.  

(28)  For this reason, I am very eager to send him so that you may rejoice when you see him again and I may be less anxious.  

(29)  Therefore, welcome him in the Lord with all joy and hold men like him in honor,  (30)  because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up what was lacking in your ministry to me.”

Php. 3:1-21,  “(1) Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. 

To write to you again about this is no trouble for me and is a protection for you.  

(2)  Watch out for “dogs,” [a play on words against the judaizers who wanted to exploit the Gentile believers and trap them into observance of external old testament customs rather than faith in Christ alone] watch out for evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh.  [by which he meant circumcision for salvation]

(3)  For we are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh–  (4)  although I once had confidence in the flesh too. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more:  

(5)  circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;  (6)  as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.  

(7)  But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ.  (8)  More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord

Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ  (9)  and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ–the righteousness from God based on faith.  

(10)  My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,  

(11)  assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.  (12)  Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.  

Wuest renders verses 7-11 like this,

Php. 3:7-11,But whatever things were to me a gainful asset, these things I have considered a loss when it comes to my acquisition of Christ, and still so consider them. Yes, indeed, therefore, at least, even I am still setting all things down to be a loss for the sake of that which excels all others, my knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord which I have gained through experience, for whose sake I have been caused to forfeit all things, and I am still counting them dung, in order that Christ I might gain, yes, in order that I might in the observation of others be discovered by them to be in Him, not having as my righteousness that righteousness which is of the law, but that righteousness which is through faith in Christ, that righteousness which is from God on the basis of faith. Yes, for His sake I have been caused to forfeit all things, and I count them but dung, in order that I might come to know Him in an experiential way, and to come to know experientially the power of His resurrection and a joint-participation in His sufferings, being brought to the place where my life will radiate a likeness to His death, if by any means I might arrive at the goal, namely, the out-resurrection from among those who are dead.”

“(13) Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead,  (14) I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.  [Which is maturity or Christ in me]

(15) Therefore, all who are mature should think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this to you also.  

(16) In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained.”

God Bless!

I hope this message will bless you richly…not because I taught it, but because it reveals Christ. He alone is our blessing and if in any way – whether big or small, 100% accurate or even just partially so – I have revealed our great God and Savior to you in a relationally knowable way, then this was time well spent on both our parts.

We at Living Grace Fellowship encourage you to place your trust in Jesus Christ, deliberately choosing Him and bowing the knee to Him as your Master and Lord, so as to come to realize Him as your Savior.

You have a special place in God’s family & kingdom. The fact that you exist… that you are His creation, says you were in His heart, you are His delight!

If you do not know Him, please reach out to us. Give us a call at the number located on every page of this website or use our ‘Contact Us‘ page. We would be deeply honored, if you gave us the privilege of introducing you to the Lord. Neither money nor attendance at our church will EVER be mentioned.

If you HAVE been spiritually fed by this ministry and WANT to give, we truly appreciate that and you may do so here, but please understand that all the outreaches of this ministry are FREE for you and anyone to enjoy at no cost.

Blessings!

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!