Knowing a book is different from knowing a person, simply because a book is not alive whereas a person is.
Knowing a book involves reading. Knowing a person involves a relationship.
A teacher might ask you to read the book, but the teacher is not the book. The book might tell you about a person and even tell you to get to know the teacher, but reading the book is not knowing the teacher. Try reading the book then just show up at their house for thanksgiving trying to explain you are their good friend because you read the book.
That this seems all self-evident, but I regularly run across people who think they know the Lord because they read the book. They even get zealous for God, but honestly, they don't know Him!
This is nothing new, Paul had to discuss it with the church at Rome.
Rom 10:1,2 Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.
Now we how really are Christians, do honestly and truly know Him! I know I do, because we talk. Now it happens that the very first words I heard from Him were, "Read You Bible". My mom had given me a Bible long before that (at least 10 years, and maybe 20 years earlier) and so I did read the Bible, but it was not knowing the Bible with is amazing, it was coming to actually know Him through conversation which still amazes me to this day.
I am also amazed at the people who say they did read the Bible and didn't decide to actually know Him. I mean - if they liked the Book written about Him you would think it would occur to them to actually seek a personal relationship with Him! Indeed, it is even more amazing because the Bible is telling them that they need to get to know Him - and that just takes a little faith that He is there to be heard from. The Bible explains that and tell us that people still do not seek Him.
I tell them that the Bible is right, that He is there to be heard from, yet amazingly people will not even consider that!!
Of course, I did consider that, and my parents took me to church when I was a child. As mentioned, I even had a Bible somewhere around the house when He told me to "Read Your Bible". Of course Him being God, had taken that Bible and somehow put it right behind by alarm clock, so that when He told me, "Read Your Bible", He also gave me a vision of my Bible behind my alarm clock. So, I turned and looked, and there it was. He is amazing, because it had to have been packed away is some box in the garage or a close, before that. The Spirit of God had actually gotten it from where it had been and put it behind my alarm clock.
So, it amazes me when people write that they will follow the Scriptures, because the Scriptures tell you to follow the Lord who can simply have His Holy Spirit move things around! The Scriptures even explain that His sheep hear His voice and that He leads them with His voice. The Scriptures explain that His words are spirit and are life, but people keep thinking the ink on the pages are spirit. The writings I read were ink on pages, the voice of the One who first told me to "Read Your Bible" were spiritual words. He had gotten personal with me. He had shown me that He was the Lord and God, but that did not come from knowing the Scriptures, that came from hearing from Him.
So it is that I know Him. We talk! Everyday we talk! I have lot to do today, but He personally asked me to post this information.
So I have a question from Him for those posting on this forum: It is a multiple choice question.
Which of the following statement best describe you:
A. I personally know the Lord Jesus Christ and personally hear Him talking to me in words everyday via His Holy Spirit talking to my spirit, so I try to follow the directions my Lord Jesus Christ personally gives Me. .
B. I know the Bible, so I am going to follow the Bible and what I believe it tells me, because I believe the Bible has all the words He has to say to me. until I get to heaven. Therefore I don't believe the people saying they hear from Him everyday do know Him.
C. I don't hear the Lord Jesus Christ talking to me and I don't study the Bible. I came to the Christian forum to just to read what people think.
D. I have some other thoughts about all this.
Knowing a book involves reading. Knowing a person involves a relationship.
A teacher might ask you to read the book, but the teacher is not the book. The book might tell you about a person and even tell you to get to know the teacher, but reading the book is not knowing the teacher. Try reading the book then just show up at their house for thanksgiving trying to explain you are their good friend because you read the book.
That this seems all self-evident, but I regularly run across people who think they know the Lord because they read the book. They even get zealous for God, but honestly, they don't know Him!
This is nothing new, Paul had to discuss it with the church at Rome.
Rom 10:1,2 Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.
Now we how really are Christians, do honestly and truly know Him! I know I do, because we talk. Now it happens that the very first words I heard from Him were, "Read You Bible". My mom had given me a Bible long before that (at least 10 years, and maybe 20 years earlier) and so I did read the Bible, but it was not knowing the Bible with is amazing, it was coming to actually know Him through conversation which still amazes me to this day.
I am also amazed at the people who say they did read the Bible and didn't decide to actually know Him. I mean - if they liked the Book written about Him you would think it would occur to them to actually seek a personal relationship with Him! Indeed, it is even more amazing because the Bible is telling them that they need to get to know Him - and that just takes a little faith that He is there to be heard from. The Bible explains that and tell us that people still do not seek Him.
I tell them that the Bible is right, that He is there to be heard from, yet amazingly people will not even consider that!!
Of course, I did consider that, and my parents took me to church when I was a child. As mentioned, I even had a Bible somewhere around the house when He told me to "Read Your Bible". Of course Him being God, had taken that Bible and somehow put it right behind by alarm clock, so that when He told me, "Read Your Bible", He also gave me a vision of my Bible behind my alarm clock. So, I turned and looked, and there it was. He is amazing, because it had to have been packed away is some box in the garage or a close, before that. The Spirit of God had actually gotten it from where it had been and put it behind my alarm clock.
So, it amazes me when people write that they will follow the Scriptures, because the Scriptures tell you to follow the Lord who can simply have His Holy Spirit move things around! The Scriptures even explain that His sheep hear His voice and that He leads them with His voice. The Scriptures explain that His words are spirit and are life, but people keep thinking the ink on the pages are spirit. The writings I read were ink on pages, the voice of the One who first told me to "Read Your Bible" were spiritual words. He had gotten personal with me. He had shown me that He was the Lord and God, but that did not come from knowing the Scriptures, that came from hearing from Him.
So it is that I know Him. We talk! Everyday we talk! I have lot to do today, but He personally asked me to post this information.
So I have a question from Him for those posting on this forum: It is a multiple choice question.
Which of the following statement best describe you:
A. I personally know the Lord Jesus Christ and personally hear Him talking to me in words everyday via His Holy Spirit talking to my spirit, so I try to follow the directions my Lord Jesus Christ personally gives Me. .
B. I know the Bible, so I am going to follow the Bible and what I believe it tells me, because I believe the Bible has all the words He has to say to me. until I get to heaven. Therefore I don't believe the people saying they hear from Him everyday do know Him.
C. I don't hear the Lord Jesus Christ talking to me and I don't study the Bible. I came to the Christian forum to just to read what people think.
D. I have some other thoughts about all this.