Grace United Methodist Church

In John 16:3, Jesus said, “They will do these things because they have not known the Father or me.” What are these “things” Jesus was talking about? Probably the best example of this would be Paul. Paul probably had more knowledge about God than 99 percent of the Jews of his day. Yet, he was a very dangerous man before his conversion on the road to Damascus. Paul had great zeal for God, as he understood God. He acted with religious conviction and had no idea he was doing anything wrong. Like all religious terrorists, Paul was doing his best to snuff out the early church because he had a sense of deep devotion and obedience to God, that is as he understood it. Sadly, there have been many other so-called Christians throughout history guilty of the same kind of religious terrorism. People filled with zeal. Zeal can be good such as when Paul (after his conversion) wrote in Romans 12:11, to “never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” However, it can also be bad as Paul wrote in Romans 10:2, “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.” So, what is the difference between good and bad zealousness? The difference is knowing God as God truly is verses knowledge that comes from knowing about God. In other words, either we have knowledge of or about God or we know God. I know some of you are asking, but how can we know God? We know Him through his Son, Jesus Christ. My primary reason for writing all the above is not only is it true and scriptural, but our human nature sometimes is to react in a zealous manner based upon what we have heard, read, or think we know. Sometimes we are quick to act, and to act in ways that are not of God, but harmful and hurtful to others. It’s funny how Paul’s Damascus Road conversion changed the focus of his zeal. Paul probably summed up his “good” (after coming to Jesus) zeal in Ephesians 3:17b-19 when he wrote, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Paul had made the journey from knowledge to knowing. How about you and me? Are you making progress on this journey? The secret to progress comes in the prayer just prior to the one above: "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith" (Eph. 3:16–17a). Love, Pastor Lee