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Bill Stockham | PentecostalTheology.com
What a joy I feel in my Spirit as I wake up on the 8th (for me) day of this 21 day fast, knowing that obedience to my Abba Father will be honored by Him. It is the desire of our Lord and savior, our brother (we are sons of the same Father) that we “know” Him. The word “know” comes from the Greek word “ginosko”. ] “Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be (how shall I have a child), seeing I KNOW (ginosko) NOT A MAN?” (Luke 1:34) [To know implies intimacy, Mary was covenanted to Joseph but they had not experienced the Jewish marriage ceremony yet.] “And to know (ginosko) the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might BE FILLED WITH ALL THE FULNESS OF GOD.” (Eph. 3:19) [For us to “know” the love of Christ means that we have sought an intimacy (spiritual familiarity, spiritually affectionate) relationship with Him. This is how we achieve being filled with ALL the fullness of God.] “For God SO LOVED (agapao “unconditional love”) THE WORLD, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) [Our Abba Father loves us so much and desires in return “our intimacy” for Him. God is a spirit, so how do we go about achieving intimacy with a spirit? By “knowing” His only begotten Son!] “And he gave some…For the perfecting of the saints…till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of THE KNOWLEDGE (*epignosis) OF THE SON OF GOD, UNTO A PERFECT MAN, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:” (Eph. 4:11-13) [*Epignosis (ep-ig’-no-sis) two words: epi – marked or upon) ginosko – a relation between the person knowing and the person known -or- connection, union as between husband and wife. i.e.] “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Pet. 1:2) [So what is the “mark” of our intimacy? MULTIPLIED GRACE AND PEACE with our Abba Father and His Son!] “And hereby WE DO KNOW THAT WE KNOW HIM, if WE KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth HIS WORD, in him verily is THE LOVE OF GOD PERFECTED: hereby know we that we are in him.” (1 John 2:3-6)
Be blessed as you praise The Lord, knowing that WE KNOW THAT WE KNOW HIM TODAY!
-Bill Stockham
