Do You Know?

1 Timothy 1:12 reads: “For I know whom I believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” There is a hymn I love to sing “I Know Whom I Have Believed.” I remember being in an old fashioned holiness camp meeting and everyone singing that hymn and all of  a sudden, the Spirit fell on some attendees and they started running around the tabernacle. These good folks knew whom they believed. There was an assurance that came from the witness of the Holy Spirit to their souls. I personally knew some of the difficulties some of them were facing but in that moment, their belief in Jesus Christ was their assurance and foundation.

It is good to be able to say, “I love Jesus as my Lord,” without any ifs, ands, or buts. Some people are content with a shallow experience that tries to make Jesus an add on to their lives. They have the work persona, the after work persona, the church persona, and then the real persona. He will have none of it. The missionary Hudson Taylor said: “If he isn’t Lord of all, then He is not Lord at all.” The times we live in require us to be sold out for The Lord Jesus Christ. Are you fully committed to Him, or is your experience a shallow one?

Those of us to profess to be teachers, pastors, ministers (which includes all believers) should not compromise our message, when we don’t give the truth how can we expect others to obtain the truth? I remember when the “seeker sensitive” movement entered the scene. Let’s try to make the sinner comfortable. Let’s get them in church and after they have been here a while, they will change. I stated, the seeker sensitive movement tries to get people saved without them knowing it. That is not the Gospel message. The Gospel message is to repent of your sins, bend your will to God and come like the prodigal son seeking forgiveness. Someone said to me, “Brother, that is too hard and demanding.” My response: “Well you and the devil agree.” What person who claims to be a Christian would not want people to repent now. Today is the day of salvation. We that are the church must stand up and proclaim the Gospel message. No compromise. No worldliness. No salvation without repentance.

So today, can you sing the hymn? Do you really know Him?