First Notes: To Know Jesus Christ

Dear First Baptist Family,

Arthur F. Burns, the former chairperson of the United States Federal Reserve System, was a wise and impactful public servant. He served as an economic advisor to presidents from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Ronald Reagan.

Burns was also Jewish. Therefore, everyone was surprised when he started to attend a White House prayer group in the 1970’s. No one knew exactly how to include him. Whenever members were asked to end the meeting with prayer, Burns would politely decline.

One week, however, a newcomer who didn’t know Burns led the group. As the meeting ended, the newcomer asked Burns to close with prayer. Some of the old-timers wondered what would happen. But without missing a beat, Burns held hands with others in the circle, bowed his head, and prayed this prayer:

"Lord, I pray that you would bring Jews to know Jesus Christ. I pray that you would bring Muslims to know Jesus Christ. Finally, Lord, I pray that you would bring Christians to know Jesus Christ. Amen.”

The prayer startled those who were present. Burns expressed a desire for everyone to know Christ, but he especially pointed out that "Christians" need to know Him ever more fully.

A Christian is always a "follower" of Christ. None of us fully “arrive” in this life, but we always understand our need for grace and the daily experience of encountering Christ in a fresh, deeper way.

In fact, the first Christians were not called Christians, but "people of the Way.” We were made for traveling. Either we progress, however slowly and erratically, or we are not on the Way.

This concept of life and faith as a journey also means that we are at different points along the path. None of us alive has reached the destination. Jesus waits for us, offering us an eternal home, but He Himself is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6, NIV). He loves every traveler the same and journeys with us through life’s straits, turns, and obstacles.

I’ve been teaching for several weeks on the B.L.E.S.S. strategy for loving our neighbors and co-workers. It offers an excellent framework for understanding what a weekly flow of following Jesus looks like: beginning with prayer as He did, listening to others, eating together, serving one another in practical ways, and sharing our story.

Are you eager to know Him today, or to know more of Him? Will you lean in to hear His voice, encourage fellow travelers, and welcome interruptions for those He wants you to serve?

Here’s a prayer for the journey ahead, borrowed from the words of Paul in Philippians 3:10-11 (NLT): “I want to know Christ and 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 the resurrection from the dead!”

With you on the journey,

Pastor Brent McDougal

P.S. As we begin November, my next sermon series will be on gratitude. This week’s sermon is entitled “Living with Abundance” and will focus on 2 Kings 4:1-7.