{"id":382,"date":"2010-10-18T08:04:00","date_gmt":"2010-10-18T14:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/69.195.124.95\/~redletu4\/the-four-words-i-dont-want-to-hear-i-never-knew-you\/"},"modified":"2010-10-18T08:04:00","modified_gmt":"2010-10-18T14:04:00","slug":"the-four-words-i-dont-want-to-hear-i-never-knew-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/the-four-words-i-dont-want-to-hear-i-never-knew-you\/","title":{"rendered":"The four words I don’t want to hear — “I never knew you”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
\n
He spent the dawn\u2019s early light walking, thinking, wondering.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
He wondered why this particular message had to be so hard, so grievous. It had been months since he had stood behind a pulpit. Why couldn\u2019t he have preached on something easier? Like love. Or faith. Or heaven.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

But he knew today, if he would be faithful to what was on his heart, there would be no stories about lions and lambs, lying down in sweet bliss. There would be no parables about little children tugging at Jesus\u2019 robe or girls filling their lamps with oil. This sermon wouldn\u2019t be about gifts or fruits or thinking missionaly.<\/span>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


<\/span><\/div>\n
The small group instinctively knew it too. The weight of the\u00a0message dripped\u00a0like water on stones with\u00a0every phrase.<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cI must confess something,\u201d this <\/span>preacher<\/span><\/a>, real and live said, the small group hanging on, \u201cI admit that I\u2019m afraid to meet Jesus. I don\u2019t always understand His ways. I don\u2019t fully comprehend His words.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
I thought to myself that I too am at times, afraid of His truth, His holiness, even His touch. The son of man, the son of God, is an enigma. I kind of like simple and this\u00a0causes my thinking to be rearranged.\u00a0He makes me uncomfortable.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cBut small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it<\/span>,\u201d the preacher said.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
I can appreciate that. Can\u2019t let everyone one. There has to be some criteria, right?<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cNot everyone who says to me, \u2018Lord, Lord,\u2019 will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven,\u201d<\/span> the speaker continued, his eyes narrowing through his round glasses.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
I like Jesus\u2019 answers about eternity, money and relationships. I like what he has to say about authority, work and caring for the poor. I appreciate his answers about evil, heaven and hell. But t<\/span><\/i>his \u2026.<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
The preacher spoke each word of the passage slowly, almost painfully knowing the impact. \u201cMany will say to me on that day, \u2018Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?\u2019<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
This probes my conscious, stirs my soul, and shakes my presumptions. Could this be me?<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
The preacher read the passage about, uncertain that we would even receive it. \u201c<\/span><\/span>Then I<\/span> will tell<\/span> th<\/span>em plainly, \u2018I never knew you. Away from me<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0But what about my church attendance and my tithes? I have hundreds of writings, 1,000\u2019s of readers. People actually like me! They tell me I am a good man, that I\u2019m a blessing. I talked about you to my friends. I studied you. What about all of that Christian stuff? Doesn\u2019t any of it count? <\/span><\/i><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cI never knew you.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span><\/b>These are the four words I don\u2019t want hear.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
So I\u2019m thinking I need to have a little less doing, and a little more knowing. <\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
\nAny ideas on how to get God to know me? I welcome your comments <\/strong><\/span>here.<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/i>

<\/span>

<\/span>
If you want to receive future posts in your in box, simply <\/em><\/span>click here.<\/em><\/span><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Please, share with a friend if you feel moved.
\nRead all past issues at http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

He spent the dawn\u2019s early light walking, thinking, wondering.\u00a0 He wondered why this particular message had to be so hard, so grievous. It had been months since he had stood behind a pulpit. Why couldn\u2019t he have preached on something easier? Like love. Or faith. Or heaven.\u00a0 But he knew today, if he would be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2375,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142,340,358,421],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church-attendance","category-goats-and-sheep","category-gordon-atkinson","category-i-never-knew-you"],"yoast_head":"\nThe four words I don't want to hear -- "I never knew you"<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"He spent the dawn\u2019s early light walking, thinking, wondering.\u00a0 He wondered why this particular message had to be so hard, so grievous. 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