Jesus warns in Matthew 7:21 that not every one that says to Him, "Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of heaven.
" He clearly states there are those who prophesy, cast out devils and do many wonderful works in His name, but they don't really know Him.
"I never knew you: depart from me...
" He will say to them when "that day" comes.
It's so important that we, as the Body of Christ, understand that having a relationship with the local church does not constitute having a relationship with Christ.
Doing work - serving in the nursery, ushering, attending regularly on Sunday, teaching a mid-week Bible study and volunteering in the community, though they are "wonderful works" - does not mean you know Him.
Having a personal relationship with the Lord is a matter of the heart.
Do you love Him? Do you long for His presence? Do you have an intimate, personal connection with Him? This is the kind of bond that Christ desires - a deep, personal, voluntary, heart-to-heart connection with you.
It's this kind of personal connection that Paul refers to in Philippians 3:8 when He says "I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
" He counts his greatest gain as deeply knowing Christ intimately.
The Amplified version of the Bible illustrates it as "that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly" (Phil 3:10).
Jesus desires a personal connection with you.
He wants to know your thoughts and your desires, your troubles and your joys.
He wants you to know His! He wants to be your friend, your "Wonderful Counselor"! Jesus wants to truly know you and for you to truly know Him - the same way you would a spouse, a sibling or a best friend.
Once you get to know Him, an intense love for Him will fill your heart! And that is the ultimate goal...
for you to love Him.
His first and most important commandment is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
" (Matt 22:37) With everything within you, He wants you to love Him! It's not at all about your attendance on Sunday or how often you serve your local church, it's about giving your heart to him, loving Him, and getting to know Him personally.
Once you do, you will want to please Him and congregate with others who have those same desires (only then you will want to attend church and Bible studies and serve in the kingdom - not out of obligation, or fear of repercussion, or guilt, but solely because of your love for Him!).
So, the question remains, does your heart belong to Christ or are you merely deeply connected to your local church? Like Paul, let's desire to know Him above all else.
Let's work toward first and foremost becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and then out of that love for Him, let us serve His kingdom and build His Church.