I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3:10-11 NIV
This verse is divided into four parts :
I want to know Christ.
To know the power of his resurrection
participation in his sufferings.
Becoming like him in his death.
We want to agree with the apostle Paul in establishing that our singular purpose in becoming Christians is to become like Jesus himself.
These words are not mere words. A careful study reveals that as Paul was writing these words, he was already a head pastor with junior pastors underneath.
This should make us realise that even as we progress in Christ, we need to periodically take stock of our journey to make sure we're on track.
Knowing Christ shouldn't be for us, just about how long we have been in church but for how much of a relationship you have with Jesus. It is not communal but a personal experience. It is not congregational, neither is it in fellowship but to have an individual and personal relationship with Jesus.
Paul wrote these words even when he was imprisoned.
Paul, a learned person who loved God so much that he perused Christians in order to make Judaism stand.
We want to establish that without the Damascus experience, no one person can become a Christian. The Damascus experience means that you should have met Christ.
This is quite humbling because, this Paul at the height of his ministry still wanted to know Christ.