I want to know Christ...

- from Philippians 3:10

C'mon, Paul. If anyone knew Christ, it was you. Okay, maybe the twelve disciples and his friends who traveled with him and his mama ... but you've got to be near the top of the list. How can you say, after all you've done and been through with Jesus, "I want to know Christ"?

All who've walked with Jesus for years have learned this truth: knowing Jesus is something that develops over time and it never, ever ends. He's a real person and it takes time to get to know real people--and even after you know them, there're always surprises.

So he's like a real person, but then he's not. He's been around since before time began. So getting to know Jesus is like plumbing the depths of a bottomless ocean. There will always be an infinite number of delightful, surprising, awe-inspiring discoveries ahead.

But this raises a question: "How do we know we've known Christ?" To paraphrase an old theologian, perhaps when we look into the deep well of the evidence for Jesus, we only see a Jesus who looks alot like our own reflection. How do we know we've met the real Jesus and not just a figment of our imagination?

Here are our top-four signs that the Jesus you've met is the real Jesus--we're sure that there are others, but we're the ones writing this post so you have to put up with our top four :) ...

• Your life begins to bear the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23)
• You experience correction ... God's gentle "No" to your misguided ways
• You receive the comforting joy of his hand redeeming your past, his graceful and peace-generating presence in your present, and some confidence in his hand holding your future
• You are connected with a community that traces her roots back through history to Jesus' friends and family

What are some ways you've gotten to know Christ ... the real Jesus?

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