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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.

Paul shares the same attitude, concerns and warnings to the church of Philippi.

• I want to really know Christ.
• I want to experience the power of his resurrection
• I want to be in fellowship during the hard parts of suffering
• I have this tension of knowing I am saved, being saved and I will be saved but I still feel this insecurity about my security

God, take one of those hole-digging augurs and drill down deep through my doctrine, and through my theology, and through my religion and pour grace and mercy and love and faith deep longing to know Jesus though the power of the Holy Spirit and reading of your word. God, I want to know, see and be, drawn close to Christ.

Why is this important? Can we really know about Christ but Christ not know us?

What is this “Power of the resurrection?

The power of his resurrection is meant as the living power which proceeds from the risen Saviour and reveals itself in the believer by working a total renewal of life in him.

This does not mean Christians are sharing in the atoning and redemptive sufferings of Christ on the Cross, that would mean we had a part to play in salvation which is false. We bring only sin to the equation- its all Jesus, but it does mean a personal dying to sin, the crucifying of flesh and suffering for the sake of Christ and His Cause. 

One author says “That sharing in the sufferings of Christ is, therefore, not only suffering for the sake of Christ in tribulation and persecution, or in imitation of Christ- it means all suffering, physical and spiritual which over takes the believer by virtue of his new manner of life- his Christ life in a world unbelieving and hostile to Christ.  In this world you will have trouble both a war on the physical body because of sin and a war for your soul.

The agony of Gethsemane, not less the agony of Calvary, will be reproduced however faintly in the faithful servant of Christ. 

The Christian walk is always demanding more- its not just mastering scriptures and flawlessly executing patterns.

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