“Where is your father?” they asked. Jesus answered, “Since you don’t know who I am, you don’t know who my Father is. If you knew me, you would also know my Father.” (John 8:19 NLT)
“Jesus replied, “Philip, I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father” (John 14:9 BSB)
“So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” (Romans 12:5 NKJV)
As 2020 was coming to an end I began seeking the Lord for guidance in what He wanted to be my focus for 2021. The Holy Spirit brought John 14:9 to my attention. It was shocking to me that the Spirit would compare me to Philip, and confront the fact that I did not really know Jesus.
I have been a Heaven-Bound, born again, Spirit filled, believer in Jesus Christ since I was 8 years old (53 years). I have been a faithful member of the Local Church for most of those years. I have received solid Bible Teaching in a number of different settings (Baptist, Independent Fundamental Church of America, Evangelical Free Church of America, Assembly of God, Full Gospel). I trained for the Ministry at the Grand Rapids School of the Bible and Music. And completed my Bachelors degree in Church Ministries from Liberty University. Yet, the Spirit challenged my relationship with Jesus.
The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart last December, “You may be in the family, and know all about the Jesus of religion, but you do not really know the Jesus of the Word. 2021 is your year to know the Son.”
For about 8 months I have been focusing my attention on getting to know the Jesus who is revealed in Scripture. I am relearning how to depend on the Holy Spirit to guide, teach, and reveal truth to me. He is peeling away years of layers of “religious” thinking that have distorted my vision of the identity of Jesus. This has in turn distorted how I see the Father, myself, and those around me. Seeing Jesus, as revealed in the Word, through the eyes of the Spirit, has radically transformed not only my view of Jesus, but of the Father, myself, and others.
Until the Spirit tells me to move on, I am going to focus on sharing what He is teaching me about the true identity of the Son, Father, and family of God.
I AM ready for the best ride of my life as I grow from…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 110: “Only when I truly see Jesus am I able to accurately see the Father, myself, or those around me.” Part 1: Do you know me, really know me?