Pastor's Corner - 6/3

Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” — Luke 9:20 

One detail from Luke 9 has been lingering in my mind.

When Jesus sent out the disciples, he gave all twelve of them power and authority. All twelve preached. All twelve witnessed God’s power at work. All twelve saw miracles. All twelve helped distribute the bread when Jesus fed the crowd. All twelve experienced things most of us can hardly imagine.

And yet one of them missed it.

Judas experienced the power of God, but he did not truly know the Son of God.

That is a sobering reminder for all of us.

It is possible to be around spiritual things without truly knowing Christ. It is possible to witness answered prayers, attend church faithfully, serve in ministry, and even see God at work, yet still miss the most important thing.

The greatest need in our lives is not to experience God’s power. The greatest need is to know Jesus.

The crowds were fed, but they became hungry again. The sick were healed, but they eventually died. Even Lazarus, raised from the dead, died again. Miracles are wonderful gifts from God, but they are not the ultimate goal.

The ultimate question is the one Jesus asked his disciples: “Who do you say that I am?”

Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” He recognized that Jesus was more than a miracle worker, more than a teacher, more than a prophet. He was God’s Messiah, the suffering Savior who would give his life so that sinners could receive eternal life.

That is what matters most.

One day every earthly blessing will fade. Every problem will either be resolved or become irrelevant in eternity. The question that will remain is whether we know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

My prayer for you this week is not simply that you would experience God’s power. My prayer is that you would know him. That the Holy Spirit would deepen your love for Christ and give you confidence in the depths of your soul that you belong to him.

Jesus loves you. Jesus died for you. Jesus rose for you. And through him, eternal life is yours.

Know him.

Dear Church, seek Christ above his gifts. Treasure the Savior above the miracles. And may the Holy Spirit lead you into a deeper knowledge of Jesus, the Christ of God, who loved us and gave himself for us.