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One of the pillars of the message and mission of this church is to engage God in a personal,

dependent, and intimate relationship.

But knowing and believing that it is possible isn’t the same thing as enjoying it.

In the last two years of my life, the Lord has been taking me more deeply into the reality of intimacy with God, and I am inspired to teach far beyond

the intellectual possibilities, to the hands on appropriation of it in exponential measure.

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Over the years I have learned that there are three kinds of Christians:

1. The legalistic Christians – who believe that God is impressed with the determined disciplines of the flesh to perform as righteous people.

2. The grace legalists – who have learned the biblical secret of the exchanged life at least intellectually, who love to pounce on legalists with what they believe is superior life.

3. The Christians who actually live the grace and the breath of Jesus, engaging the Father in ever-deepening revelation and intimate experience.

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The difference between the last two is profound.

Both are equally full of self much to the disdain of God.

The difference is that the legalist is proud of how he performs; the grace legalist is proud of what he

thinks he knows.

The grace legalist is actually in worse shape because he builds his pride on a truth that he abuses. With truth that is understood but not

engaged, the hardness of heart that impedes that truth is more destructive than not knowing it.

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The legalist goes through life trying to showcase his discipline and earn honor and respect.

The grace legalist loves to debate and demonstrate his “biblical mastery” over the poor

legalist to satisfy his pride in what he knows.

The legalist bastardizes the Law. The grace legalist bastardizes the grace message. It is only

the broken, the needy; those who are empty of self-confidence, who actually are empty enough to

be filled with the life of Jesus.

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“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Mt 5:3

What does it mean to be poor in spirit?

“πτωχός literally, of one dependent on others for support poor, destitute (MK 12.42); figuratively, of

those in special need of God’s help poor, lowly (MT 5.3);” ALGNT

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“To be poor in spirit is to be poor in the inward man, not in outward circumstances. Consequently, to be poor in spirit is to recognize one’s poverty spiritually before God. ...   What exactly did Jesus mean? We can see the answer to this question when we recognize that being poor in spirit is the opposite of being rich in pride. In fact, you might say that being poor in spirit is to be spiritually bankrupt before God. It is the mental state of the man who has recognized something of the righteousness and holiness of God, who has seen into the sin and corruption of his own heart, and has acknowledged his inability to please God. Such a person is poor in spirit. It is to such a person, Jesus said, that the kingdom of heaven belongs. Seen in this way, the first of the eight Beatitudes is one of the strongest statements in the Bible of the great doctrine of justification by faith in Jesus Christ alone, for it is a statement of a person’s complete inability to please God by any human effort.” Boice, J. M.

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Of course there are different measures of where we are in this progression, because all of the steps are seen as God takes us out of self-

reliance into absolute dependence.

The legalist is better than the lost pagan, and the grace exposed believer at least has the direction

clear, but they are often more legalistic and arrogant about what they think they know of grace and they nurture their pride in knowing what the

legalist does not know.

But the message of grace is only free to flourish in the heart that sees its own total impotence, that

desires to trust only in the Christ in us.

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Of course there are different measures of where we are in this progression, because all of the steps are seen as God takes us out of self-

reliance into absolute dependence.

The legalist is better than the lost pagan, and the grace exposed believer at least has the direction

clear, but they are often more legalistic and arrogant about what they think they know of grace

and they nurture their pride knowing what the legalist does not know.

But the message of grace is only free to flourish in the heart that sees its own total impotence, that

desires to trust only in the Christ in us.

Now that we have a working knowledge of things like emotional triggers that interrupt our

dependence and intimacy with the Father, let’s look more at the mechanics of how we may

nurture intimacy with God.

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“All social intercourse between human beings is a response of personality to

personality, grading upward from the most casual brush between man and man to the fullest, most intimate communion of which

the human soul is capable. Religion, so far as it is genuine, is in essence the response of

created personalities to the creating personality, God. “This is life eternal, that

they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John

17:3).” Tozer, A. W. (2006). The Pursuit of God (p. 13).

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“All social intercourse between human beings is a response of personality to

personality, grading upward from the most casual brush between man and man to the fullest, most intimate communion of which

the human soul is capable. Religion, so far as it is genuine, is in essence the response of

created personalities to the creating personality, God. “This is life eternal, that

they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John

17:3).” Tozer, A. W. (2006). The Pursuit of God (p. 13).

So according to Jesus and Tozer, what is genuine religion?

Jesus said in John 17:3 that it is knowing the Father and Jesus. But is “knowing who God is”

the same as “knowing Him and His Son”?

If that were the case then Satan would be saved because he certainly knows who the Father is. So

“knowing the only true God” must mean more than a cognizance of and a belief in the existence

of God.

So we must ask again, what is it to “know the only true God and His Son”?

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“All social intercourse between human beings is a response of personality to

personality, grading upward from the most casual brush between man and man to the fullest, most intimate communion of which

the human soul is capable. Religion, so far as it is genuine, is in essence the response of

created personalities to the creating personality, God. “This is life eternal, that

they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John

17:3).” Tozer, A. W. (2006). The Pursuit of God (p. 13).

Do you believe that you can be God’s best friend, engage Him every day as a friend and really come

to know His personality and engage Him daily?

Is what Tozer describes the only “genuine religion”? There are lots of people doing things for God, who don’t know they can engage Him

intimately, personally, on earth. Is that “genuine religion”?

We really need to draw a line in the sand and decide which side we are going to take. Let’s look

at the quote again.

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“All social intercourse between human beings is a response of personality to

personality, grading upward from the most casual brush between man and man to the fullest, most intimate communion of which

the human soul is capable. Religion, so far as it is genuine, is in essence the response of

created personalities to the creating personality, God. “This is life eternal, that

they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John

17:3).” Tozer, A. W. (2006). The Pursuit of God (p. 13).

Which Greek word for “know” do you suppose is used in this text, and why is that word used

instead of others?

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Let’s look at four Greek words that mean “know”.

γινώσκω is, "a knowledge grounded on personal experience". It is often a process of

experience.εἴδω means "to see with the mind’s eye, signifies

a clear and purely mental perception”.

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“In the NT ginosko frequently indicates a relation between the person “knowing” and

the object known; in this respect, what is “known” is of value or importance to the one who knows, and hence the establishment of

the relationship, e.g., especially of God’s “knowledge,” 1 Cor. 8:3, “if any man love

God, the same is known of Him” Vines Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament

Words.

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“The differences between ginosko and oida demand consideration: (a) ginosko,

frequently suggests inception or progress in “knowledge,” while oida suggests fullness of “knowledge,” e.g., John 8:55, “ye have not

known Him” (ginosko), i.e., begun to “know,” “but I know Him” (oida), i.e., “know Him

perfectly”; 13:7”Vines Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament

Words.“and you have not come to know (γινώσκω) Him, but I know (οἶδα) Him; and if I say that I do not know (οἶδα)

Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know (οἶδα) Him and keep His word.” Jn 8:55

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“The differences between ginosko and oida demand consideration: (a) ginosko,

frequently suggests inception or progress in “knowledge,” while oida suggests fullness of “knowledge,” e.g., John 8:55, “ye have not

known Him” (ginosko), i.e., begun to “know,” “but I know Him” (oida), i.e., “know Him

perfectly”; 13:7”Vines Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament

Words.“and you have not come to know (γινώσκω) Him, but I know (οἶδα) Him; and if I say that I do not know (οἶδα)

Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know (οἶδα) Him and keep His word.” Jn 8:55

Did you catch the nuance in Jesus’ words?“Knowing God” has an absolute and direct result, which is proportionate to the knowledge that is

appropriated. What is it?

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ἐπίσταμαι means "To fix one’s mind upon, to understand, know how."

συνίημι means the natural insight that comes by the senses. You can see why Jesus didn’t use

that one. God is unavailable to the senses unless He chooses to reveal Himself in that dimension.

So Jesus used a word that often connotes a beginning process, that leans heavily on

“experience” with whatever is to be known. How has God chosen to give Himself for us to

experience?

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ἐπίσταμαι means "To fix one’s mind upon, to understand, know how."

συνίημι means the natural insight that comes by the senses. You can see why Jesus didn’t use

that one. God is unavailable to the senses unless He chooses to reveal Himself in that dimension.

So Jesus used a word that often connotes a beginning process, that leans heavily on

“experience” with whatever is to be known. How has God chosen to give Himself for us to

experience?

So the question really is, “How may I experience my Heavenly Father today; in what new way will

He reveal Himself to me, that I have never experienced with Him before?”

Am I really experiencing my God in “true religion” as He has prescribed, or am I fumbling along in some mongrel concoction of my own making?