Knowing Jesus, Not Just Serving Him

We are in a series called Kingdom Wisdom, looking at the wisdom Jesus gives us for living in the Kingdom of God. Last week we talked about fruit and how what is happening inside a person’s life eventually becomes visible in what that life produces.

This week, Jesus takes us even deeper. He invites us to consider the most important relationship in our lives.

Those are sobering words. Jesus describes people who know what to call Him. They say, “Lord, Lord.” They sound sincere. They sound passionate. They sound religious.

And they haven’t simply been saying religious things. They point to impressive spiritual activity. Prophecy. Deliverance. Miracles. All done in Jesus’ name.

Yet Jesus says something is missing.

That should get our attention because it is possible to know the language of Christianity without actually living in relationship with Christ. We can know Bible verses, worship songs, and all the right answers. We can be busy serving, helping, and participating in ministry.

None of those things are bad. But knowing the language of faith is not the same as knowing the Lord of our faith.

And doing things for Jesus is not necessarily the same as spending time with Jesus.

Sometimes we can become so busy with the activities of Christianity that we begin measuring our spiritual lives by how much we are accomplishing. We feel spiritually successful because we’re busy. We feel close to God because we’re doing important things.

But busyness isn’t necessarily fruitfulness. And spiritual activity is not necessarily spiritual intimacy.

Jesus reminds us that the Christian life is about something much deeper than religious accomplishment.

What we accomplish for Jesus must never become a substitute for knowing Jesus.

So perhaps we should ask ourselves a simple question this week: Am I spending time with Jesus, or am I only doing things for Jesus?

When was the last time I simply spent time with Him? Not preparing something. Not accomplishing something. Not checking another spiritual activity off my list. Just being with Him. Listening. Reading His words. Talking with Him. Learning to trust Him.

Join Us This Weekend

We’ll explore what Jesus meant when He said, “I never knew you,” and discover why knowing Jesus is at the very heart of Kingdom life. Join us in person or online.