Knowing is the first step of Discipleship.
Without knowledge of God, Jesus, and the many things taught throughout the Bible. It is impossible to be a Disciple or to grow as a disciple.
Knowing Jesus As Your Personal Savior.
This is the crucial step and is a very simple step at its core. You can think of it as Believe, Ask and Receive the free gift that Jesus has offered you. For a more in-depth look at this check out The Romans Road page or click the Salvation link in the menu above.
Getting to Know God.
Can you know God?
Yes, you can. God wants to have a relationship with you. It is one of the things he designed us for.
"God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us." (Acts 17:27 NIV)
God did not stop there. He also sent his Son. In doing this He made a way to repair our broken relationship and allow us to know more about Him.
So how do you get to know God better? One of the best ways to get to know Him better and the many things that he taught us, is to read the Bible. It is full of information about God and his Character. It might sound strange, but you can also get to know God by simple observation. The Bible says, “The Heavens declare the glory of God.” (Psalm 19:1 NIV). As you come to realize God created everything directly or indirectly. It will add to your sense of awe in connection with God.
Another way to know God better is through prayer. Think of prayer as a conversation, where you talk to a heavenly father. When you have a relationship with a person, you talk to them. It should be much the same for our relationship with God.
Will you ever know everything about God?
No, we cannot know everything about God as we are only human. We are limited, so we cannot understand a limitless God. That is simple logic. In Isaiah 40:28 (NIV) it is stated like this. “… his understanding no one can fathom.” or in Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV) it says that God’s ways and thoughts are higher than our thoughts and ways.
Knowing What Is Taught.
What is taught by God and Jesus?
An enormous amount of things were taught to people by God and Jesus. Our primary source of these teachings is once again the Bible (noticing a pattern?). The Bible is full of information to help us live better more productive lives. In fact, you can find many of the principles taught in most of the "self-help" books in the pages of the Bible.
The second best way is to listen to a good Bible-based teacher or preacher. What do I mean by Bible-based? Someone who will tell you what the Bible says, not what a denomination says, and not just what they think. As my pastor says it, there are three types of Biblical teachings from the strongest to the weakest:
- Truths: Things that are clearly defined in scripture. Do not Murder, everyone needs salvation, etc.
- Principles: Thoughts and ideas that the Bible teaches for use in our lives. It may not say you should not go here or you should do exactly this. It is things like: Don’t intentionally go to places where you know you will be tempted to sin.... Be happy in every situation because of the assurance of your salvation....
- Opinion: These are things that the Bible may elude to but cannot be said with 100% certainty. It would be things like: Hell is in the center of the Earth. (is it, no one knows...). The interpretation of some prophecies: Such as the valley of dry bones relating to the Holocaust....
A good Bible-based teacher will tell you when they are giving you an opinion. They will tell you even if they believe that opinion to be the truth.