Tonight's sermon was a plea for us to seek to know God in order to make him known.
I remember the phrase well from my days in YWAM, ('to know God and to make him known' is their moto) we need to know who God is, or we run the risk of misrepresenting him to the world.
The bible; as a book and a story; tells us much of who God is and is our standard. We are called to be witnesses to what we know. The more we know (in heart, head and hand) the greater we can represent him.
Even someone who doesn't know God well can still testify to what they know and what they have seen and experienced of him. (the women at the well had one encounter with Jesus and an entire village followed him following her testimony, if i remember rightly though she ran and wasted no time)
It is hard to describe someone you glance at or have simply walked past in the street. Those however who regularly look at someone could describe them in greater detail. We have to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, so that we can describe him accurately and vividly, to those who do not yet know him cannot see him. We will never know him fully until we see him face to face but we testify to what we know. Like that game where you draw something and have to describe it to someone.
Our job, I suppose, is to describe him and tell others how they too can see him and know him so that they too can look at him for themselves.
We have to read the scriptures to know his nature his character and his ways.
As you can look in a mirror and immediately forget your reflection, so it is hard to describe someone you simply pass in a street. Even those that knew God well for a time can forget a little of what he looks like if they do not look to him regularly, their descriptions will never be as accurate as those who are looking at him now, when they do see him they recognise and know him as they knew him before.
To really know someone you have to walk with them through all life to see how they react in different situations, to ask them questions, to listen to them.
I guess the artist in me understands pictures and gets art. I remember a time when I was in China with a sketchpad, I was drawing an older lady siting on the edge of a plaza. I remember noticing that she had one arm, something that was not obvious but because I was studying her and drawing her, i had to see the detail to accurately draw and represent her.
To take this even further though, I would have to ask the question, did I actually know her because I noticed something more? To really know her I would have to spend time with her, to know what makes her smile.
We are called not only to know God and to make him known, but to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
Our relationship with God is not like someone studying a picture for its technical merit but also appreciating just how beautiful it is. I think its the combination thats amazing and you can love and appreciate something so much more when you see more of its depth and complexity and the work that went into it.
To take this even further though, I would have to ask the question, did I actually know her because I noticed something more? To really know her I would have to spend time with her, to know what makes her smile.
We are called not only to know God and to make him known, but to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
Our relationship with God is not like someone studying a picture for its technical merit but also appreciating just how beautiful it is. I think its the combination thats amazing and you can love and appreciate something so much more when you see more of its depth and complexity and the work that went into it.
