Tag Archives: relationship

Knowing The Bible Is Not Knowing God

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - Knowing The Bible Is Not Knowing God

Communication is not a relationship but a vital part of building a relationship. A relationship is established when communication with a person and experience with that person converge.

The Bible is God’s communication to us. The Bible is vital but it is not a relationship with God. It is tragic to know the Bible inside and out but not know God at all—and this is sadly the case for many so-called Christians.

Two keys to relationship are awareness and attraction—to know a Person exists and the desire to know more about them (Hebrews 11:6).

The Bible is essential for knowing God but it is not a relationship with God. Relationship requires another key: experience.

It is in our experiences with God that we develop a relationship with Him.

Have you been with God? Is He with you now? What have you experienced with Him? What is He like? Who have you learned Him to be? How does His presence change how you live?

This is the focus of a Christian, not debating texts, straining gnats and swallowing camels, but how is my Communion with Him and His family being perfected?

Heed Jesus’ warning to the Pharisees,

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.”
— John 5:39

Don’t settle for the picture of Scripture when you can have the Person.

You can have a relationship with God. Moreover, it’s everything—without it you have nothing.

“He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
— 1 John 5:12

Take note that it’s not written, “He has ‘His words’ or ‘His works’ has life.” But what does it say? It says, “He who has HIM has life.”

There’s coming a day when a lot of people with seminary degrees, knowledge of the Hebrew and Greek, people who did “good” works will be rejected and condemned to Hell because they didn’t have Him.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”
— Matthew 7:21-23

Does He know you?

Do you have a relationship with God?

Ask, seek, knock.

He wants to make Himself known to you (Luke 11:13).

Knowing the Person makes the picture more precious.

#Bible #KnowGod #perfectourlove

Beware The Gospel Of The Demonic Church

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - Beware The Gospel Of The Demonic Church

Any preaching or teaching about God as a way of getting anything is demonic,

a car, a job, success, “leveling up”,

or even things that are considered good or godly such as a better marriage, or peace.

“[Those] who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourselves.”
— 1 Titus 6:5

But, the purpose and offer of an introduction is to know the person.

How utterly selfish and evil is it to look past a person in pursuit of what they can do for you?

And that is exactly what so-called churches all over the world, America especially, are doing this morning. They’re busy with many things but forfeiting the good part.

“Jesus answered them and said, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.

Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.'”
— John 6:26-27

The sole offer of Christ, therefore the sole aim of any pure and undefiled ministry is God, it is encountering, knowing, and having Him.

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
— John 10:10

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
— John 17:3

The benefits we enjoy are not the true treasure but are merely its effects.

I see this beautiful day simply by virtue of being in the presence of light. The benefit of seeing the beauty of this day cannot be had apart from the light.

“Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
— James 1:16-17

The benefits we enjoy come by virtue of being with a person in whom there are so many wonderful things.

So, the principal thing is the person, not the benefit.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
— Matthew 6:33

The common misunderstanding of this verse is “put God first” and then go after “all these things”.

And, we low-key look over God, seeing Him merely as a means to get “all these things”.

But if you read the entire passage, Jesus says don’t seek “all these things” at all:

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”
— Matthew 6:31-32

Jesus says, therefore I say,

“Seek God”

Full stop.

Pray for a heart that does not seek anything else because it sees that God is everything and then walk with God through YOUR life rather than wishing, stressing, scratching and clawing for a different one.

Stop Living Biblically

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - Stop Living Biblically

A lot of Christians living biblical lives are condemned to hell.

Without the Spirit, the Bible becomes whatever we want it to be.

“we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting”
— Ephesians 4:14

There’s a lot of deceitful plotting going on by so-called Christians today.

We need to stop being Bible followers and become obedient to the Word.

There is a difference between the Bible and the Word.

Scripture is vital. It is God’s communication, but

The Bible is what God said.
The Word is what God means.

Never forget that the Pharisees Jesus rebuked live biblically.

We need to stop being Bible followers and become obedient to the Word which is a Person.

What we need more than the memorization of scripture and exegetical sophistication is a relationship with God granted through a heart quickened by the Holy Spirit that allows us to know Him.

No matter how clearly I think something is said, if I don’t know the person saying it, I will misunderstand their communication.

“For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:11

Read scripture and ask God what He meant, which acknowledges the Person of God rather than approaching faith like a philosophy. Keep doing so until the eyes of your heart are opened (Ephesians 1:18) where God reveals Himself, we receive the Holy Spirit and are granted the ability to know Him.

Then we can walk according to His Spirit that conveys what He means by His Word rather than what we, according to our desperately wicked hearts without His Spirit, wants the Bible to mean.

What Only Jesus Can Offer

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - What Only Jesus Can Offer

Jesus offers what no one else offers: to know God.

Whereas others talked *about* God, Jesus wanted us to *know* God.

“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”
—Matthew 6:9
https://bible.com/bible/114/mat.6.9.NKJV

Whereas others taught theology and discussed God academically, Jesus spoke with authority from a place of personally knowing God.

“Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.”
—John 8:55
https://bible.com/bible/114/jhn.8.55.NKJV

Jesus spoke from experience. He is intimately familiar with God’s goodness, His love and His power. He’s been with God as He rules perfectly in wisdom, justice and righteousness.

This is why Jesus talked the way He did saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like…”

The gospel, the good news of Jesus is that we can know God and we can be with Him TODAY.

“The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Because the King has come.

God is not an idea. He is a person that can be known by those whom He chooses to reveal Himself to.

The good news is that He has chosen to reveal Himself to the world through Jesus Christ.

Jesus alone can move us from an intellectual idea about God, to a real relationship with God both here and now, and in ways we cannot imagine in the life to come.

Believe Jesus and know God and be with God, now. #gospel

“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.

And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.

“Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”
—John 14:21-23