Philippians 3:10: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”
Whenever I read this passage, I hear this deep desperation to love Christ with every ounce of my being. It is like a clarion call to be so caught up in presence, that everything else pales in comparison.
With so much division at our doorstep, it blesses my soul to know that Good Friday is the one day of the year that we stand in solidarity as Sons, across denominations and other divisive holds, and have agreement concerning Christ’s intention in nearly every corner of the world.
So, I am guarding, nurturing, and maintaining my posture of prayer in this moment. I am standing in agreement with hearts IN THIS MOMENT declaring, “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection…”
As Sons, we understand that “knowing” is not simply about having knowledge of something. It speaks into a divine awareness of who Christ is and our own intimate understanding of who He is to us that gives way to a deep awareness of His significance in our existence and purpose.
It speaks into a place of our eternal mysteries of life where we compassionately hope to comprehend the loving ways and mind of God (Rom 11:34, 1 Cor 2:11). The place where David declared that such intimate knowledge of God was too wonderful for him (Psalm 139:6).
Knowing the Christ also indicates that we “know the power of his resurrection” and that we willingly enter into “participation in his suffering, becoming like him in his death.” I have greater knowledge today of what this means.
There is a cry within our sonship that is hungry to abide with Christ, enter into an eternal oneness with our heart and mind – right now. It is experiencing life where the bitter war between flesh and spirit no longer overtakes us as it did in our youth.
It is recognizing that our sufferings position’s us to be blameless on that day we touch eternity. It causes us to really understand the declaration of 1 John 3:6 declaring, “No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who died keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.”
You see, this knowledge that is too wonderful for us… this power of his resurrection and the acquaintance with his suffering produces a NEW man, a new woman.
It produces a heart posture that presents new life to us – one that is pleasing in the beauty of His holiness. It forces our nephesh to embrace the power of forgiveness, the deep depths of love and the eternal hope that exists for our awakening and oneness.
It positions an awareness before us that says: The breaking of day is supposed to take us deeper and deeper into unraveling the mystery of knowing Him and continuing in our journey to be like Him.
Romans 6:5 says, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.”
This knowing… this unity is not one that is coming for Sons, but one we have already accessed because of Him. It is my prayer on this Good Friday that we are a people who daily receive “a resurrection like this.”
