Key Scripture:Ephesians 4:1 “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”
Key Points:
- God has a unique purpose and calling for every individual.
- Recognizing this calling requires a relationship with God, understanding His Word, and being attuned to the Holy Spirit.
- Challenge: Spend 10 minutes each day in prayer and meditation, seeking clarity about your personal calling.
Highlight: Paul’s transformation from a zealous Pharisee to a passionate apostle for Christ. (Acts 9:1-19)
The Message Counting All as Loss for Christ
Philippians 3:4-9 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
- Paul’s Heritage: Circumcised on the eighth day, of the tribe of Benjamin (v. 5).
- Paul’s Zeal: A persecutor of the church (v. 6).
- Paul’s Righteousness: Blameless under the law (v. 6).
- Reference: Acts 22:3-5 Paul’s former life as Saul, the persecutor.
NOTE: “The Way” as a term for the early Christian faith emphasizes the centrality of Jesus in the movement, the commitment to a particular way of life, and the sense of journey or pilgrimage inherent in the Christian faith.
- Acts 22:3-5 NIV “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.
- But then he met Jesus…
Reference: Acts 9:1-19 Paul’s transformative encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus.
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ
- To “know Christ” is a profound and multi-faceted concept.
- It goes beyond mere intellectual acknowledgment and
- delves into intimate relational understanding,
- experiential knowledge, and a
- transformative commitment to Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Here are various dimensions of what it means to know Christ, along with scripture references:
1. Relational Intimacy:
To know Christ is to have a personal, intimate relationship with Him.
- Scripture Reference: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” (Philippians 3:10)
2. Recognition of His Lordship:
Acknowledging Jesus as the Lord of one’s life and surrendering to His authority.
- Scripture Reference: “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
3. Experiential Knowledge:
Experiencing Christ’s presence and work in one’s life through the Holy Spirit.
- Scripture Reference: “But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:5-6)
4. Transformative Power:
A transformative change in one’s character and actions that align with Christ’s teachings.
- Scripture Reference: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
5. Trust and Dependence:
Relying on Christ for salvation, guidance, and all aspects of life.
- Scripture Reference: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
6. Love and Obedience:
Genuine love for Christ that manifests in obedience to His commandments.
- Scripture Reference: “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” (John 14:21)
7. Revelational Knowledge:
Having insight and understanding into the mysteries of Christ through the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
- Scripture Reference: “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:10)
To truly “know Christ” means
- to embrace Him wholeheartedly,
- to undergo a transformation in His likeness,
- to walk in daily communion with Him, and
- to allow His teachings and presence to shape every aspect of one’s life.
This knowledge is deep, personal, and transformative.
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.
- Romans 3:21-24 NIV But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12 NIVNot that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Application: What Are We Holding Onto?
- The Challenge: Evaluating our own “credentials” and what we place value on.
- The Invitation: Letting go of worldly achievements and recognizing the immeasurable value of knowing Christ.
- Reference: Matthew 16:26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”