We’re living in dark and desperate days, my friends. When you live in days like that, you need the facts because knowledge is power. Knowledge tells us what our opponent is all about, and how to fight that opponent. Knowledge is a very good thing. In the biblical Greek, there are two words for “to know.” One is the word oida, which means “to have knowledge of.” It’s a great word that influenced the European culture which in turn influenced our culture. The great danger of that word is we can think that when we’ve come to know in the mind and know the facts, that will be sufficient for us.
There is another Greek word for “to know” and it’s ginosko. It means “to know by experience.” This is the word that influenced the Hebrew culture. It basically says that we have no right to say that we’ve come to know something until we’ve experienced it. Let me give you some examples. I know about Abraham Lincoln. I’ve read a lot of books and they’re encouraging to see a man of integrity, passion, and courage, who would fight for his nation. But I only know about Abraham Lincoln, because I have never met him.
Here is another example. I know about a kiss ― where two mouths come together to exchange tongues and saliva. That doesn’t sound very appealing, but I’ve also experienced it, ginosko, with my sweet bride, and it’s wonderful. You see, to just know about love is not enough. I need ginosko. I need to experience love. I share that with you because, in dark and desperate days, we need to know God. You see, it’s not enough to oida, to know about God. You can read your Bible and learn that God is omnipotent and He’s omnipresent and He’s omniscient. He knows all things. He’s all-powerful. He’s everywhere. This is all wonderful, but in reality, if God is only a concept in my mind it does nothing for me.
What good is it to know that He’s omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent unless He’s all those things to me by experience? My friends, in dark and desperate days, don’t settle for knowledge about God. You need the experience of God — the ginosko. This is what Paul was hammering home to the Philippians in his own life. He said, “This is my one thing. I press on because I want to know Him.” He didn’t use the word oida. He didn’t want to just know about Jesus. He used the word ginosko. He wanted to experience Him — to experience the power of the Resurrection because death was coming at him every day of his life.
Every day there’s loss and sorrow, grief, hurt, fear, and anxiety, and it can paralyze us.
We need the power of the Resurrection to raise us up from the death that we are encountering today.
My friends, the wonderful thing is, He wants to be known! He wants to be experienced. He wants to be all that He is to whatever you need in the moment of faith. He wants to supply all your needs. He wants to save you with His Life and give you hope. In the midst of a dark world, pursue a relationship with Him. Talk to Him as you read His word. Ask Him to teach you. Ask Him to open your eyes to the glory of what He has provided. May you understand the height, length, breadth, and depth of how much He loves you. Bless you, in Jesus’ name.
