WHAT WAS THE PASSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL? JESUSCHRIST! PAUL WAS OBSSESSED WITH THIS DIVINE PERSON. WE NEED THE SAME PASSION TODAY. WE NEED TO BE ENTRANCED WITH THE PERSON OF CHRIST. THE CHURCH OUGHT TO BE CHRIST-CENTERED, NOT TONGUE-CENTERED, POWER-CENTERED, SELF-CENTERED, MONEY-CENTERED, FAME-CENTERED, CLUB-CENTERED, SOCIAL-CENTERED!IT IS NOT ABOUT ESCHATOLOGY, SATANOLOGY, OR ANY "OLOGY". IT IS ALL ABOUT CHRIST. WE NEED TO REALIZE THAT THE MAIN POINT IS CHRIST, NOT DOCTRINES ABOUT CHRIST, NO CREEDS, OR DOGMAS. PAUL MADE HIS MIND TO ONLY PREACH CHRIST AND CHRIST AS THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB. PAUL SEEMED TO BE A BURNING FOLLOWER OF JESUS. HE WAS IN LOVE WITH CHRIST. IN PHILIPPIANS 3 PAUL DESCRIBES THIS HOLY PASSION THAT HE HAD FOR CHRIST. PAUL COULD HAVE BRAGGED THAT HE WAS AN ISRAELITE. HE COULD BE PROUD OF HIS JEWISH RELIGION AND SOCIAL STATUS AMONG THE JEWS. HE HAD A BIG REPUTATION AMONG THE JEWS. NOW, PAUL VALUED ALL THOSE THINGS AS NOTHING IN ORDER TO GAIN CHRIST. TO GAIN CHRIST IS TO KNOW HIM! PAUL'S HIGHEST PASSION WAS TO KNOW CHRIST! IS THAT YOUR PASSION TOO? TO KNOW CHRIST, NOT TO KNOW ABOUT HIM, BUT TO BE INTIMATELY RELATED TO HIM, TO KNOW DEEPLY HIS GLORIOUS AND INFINITE PERSON! PAUL COUNTED ALL THINGS AS NOTHING (PHILIPPIANS 3:8). COMPARE TO CHRIST, ALL ELSE IS NOTHING, WORTHLESS. BECAUSE WITHOUT CHRIST, LIFE HAS NO MEANING, LIFE IS EMPTY. OH THE PRICELESS TREASUREOF KNOWING CHRIST! PAUL LOST ALL THINGS IN ORDER TO KNOW MORE THIS CHRIST THAT WAS REAVELED TO HIM! THAT IS WHAT LIFE IS ABOUT: KNOWING CHRIST! EVERYTHING WAS CREATED TO REVEAL THIS GLORIOUS BEING CALLED CHRIST.WE NEED TO BE DEATACHED FROM ALL THINGS IN ORDER TO KNOW THIS CHRIST! UNLESS YOU STOP WORSHIPPING ALL OTHER THINGS, YOU WILL NEVER GET TO KNOW THIS CHRIST DEEPLY. YOU MUST COUNT ALL THINGS AS DUNG IN ORDER TO GAIN THIS CHRIST. TO GAIN CHRIST MEANS TO KNOW CHRIST! THIS WAS THE BURNING PASSION BEHIND THE LIFE OF THE GREAT APOSTLE. GOD SET HIM AS AN EXAMPLE FOR US, FOR US TO FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE. TO KNOW HIM, EVEN IF THAT COST ME TO SUFFER FOR HIS CAUSE (PHILIPPIANS 3:10). TO KNOW HIM AS THE POWER OF RESURRECTION FUNCTIONING WITHIN ME! TO KNOW HIM EVEN IF THAT INCLUDES TO BE HUMILLIATED, MISTREATED, PERSECUTED BY OTHERS. YET LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING: YOU CAN'T KNOW THIS INFINITE CHRIST BY YOURSELF. YOU NEED THE BODY OF CHRIST WHO IS THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST IN ORDER TO KNOW THIS CHRIST IN ABUNDANCE. WITHOUT THE CHURCH, YOU CAN'T FULLY KNOW CHRIST. YOU CAN'T KNOW THE HEAD WITHOUT HIS BODY. KNOWING CHRIST IS NOT AN INDIVIDUAL PURSUE! YOU NEED THE CHURCH TO FULLY KNOW CHRIST! THIS NEVER-ENDING QUEST OF KNOWING CHRIST CAN NOT FULLY START IN YOUR LIFE IF YOU DON'T GIVE YOURSELF COMPLETELY TO CHURCH LIFE. THIS IS WHAT THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS ALL ABOUT: KNOWING CHRIST MORE! MANY OF US SEEM TO BE SPIRITUAL, WE ACT RELIGIOUS, WE "GO TO CHURCH", WE ARE MEMBERS OF AN ORGANIZATION CALLED "CHURCH", WE READ (BUT NOT LISTEN!) OUR BIBLES, WE DO SHORTY PRAYERS, WE DO A LITTLE BIT OF GOOD SAMARITAN WORKS, WE SPEAK RELIGIOUSLY: BUT DO WE REALLY KNOW CHRIST? DEEPLY? SOME OF US ARE FULL OF RELIGIOUS INFORMATION IN OUR HEADS AND WE BRAG OF HOW MUCH WE KNOW OF THE BIBLE, BUT DO WE KNOW THE CHRIST OF THE BIBLE? IS HE A LEGEND FOR US, OR A LIVING ACTUAL PERSON INDWELLING US TODAY? DO WE EXPERIENCE HIM? YOU SEE TO GAIN CHRIST MEANS TO ENJOY HIM (TO EXPERIENCE GOD WITHIN US). PAUL'S HIGHEST PASSION WAS TO ENJOY (KNOW) CHRIST TOGETHER WITH THE BODY OF CHRIST. THIS IS WHAT THE CHURCH IS ALL ABOUT.IF WE MISS THIS, WE JUST MISS THE CENTER OF THE BIBLE. IS OUR PASSION TO GAIN CHRIST? OR TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE, FAME, APPLAUSE, MONEY, CONVENIENCES, OR POSITIONS AND TITLES? IT IS OUR PASSION TO ALSO HELP OTHERS TO GAIN THIS GLORIOUS CHRIST? TO POSSESS HIM NOT BY REFERENCE, BUT BY PERSONAL AND CORPORAL EXPERIENCE? OH THAT WE MAY PURSUE TO KNOW CHRIST! AND YOU CAN'T KNOW HIM UNLESS YOU GIVE HIM ALL YOUR HEART! YOU CAN'T KNOW HIM UNLESS YOU WORSHIP HIM AND LIVE FOR HIM ALONE! WORSHIP IS THE MEANS TO KNOW CHRIST! WORSHIP IS NOT AN END IN ITSELF, TO KNOW HIM IS THE HIGHEST END! IT IS HIS GLORY TO BE KNOWN! HERE WE SEE THE ALL-CONSUMING PASSION OF PAUL: TO KNOW CHRIST! MAY THE LORD GRANT US THE SAME PASSION! MAY THE SAME HOLY FIRE BURN WITHIN US FOREVER! MAY WE SINK IN THE INFINITE OCEAN OF KNOWING THE INFINITE CHRIST! AMEN!
