One of the driving principles at New Hope Naz is our desire to know Jesus.
It is not enough to know that a man named Jesus lived. It is not enough to know that he was a good person and a teacher. It is not enough to know that he was crucified and buried. It isn't even enough to know that his followers claimed that he was raised from the dead...
We want to know Jesus! Consider the follow portion of Paul's letter to the church in Philippi. The title was added by the translators or editors, and it helps set the tone for these 11 verses. The bold typeface were added in verses 8 and 10 for emphasis:
The Priceless Value of Knowing Christ
"Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling youths things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.
"Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators you say you must be circumcised to be saved. For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could, Indeed, if other have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!
"I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamen - a real Hebrew idc there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.
"I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared to the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends upon faith. I want to know Christ an experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience there resurrection from the dead!"
Philippians 3:1-11 (New Living Translation)
