Philippians 3:10. “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;” EXPERIMENTAL KNOWLEDGE. I may say I know a person or a lot of things But I really don’t know that person until life brings The things they endured to pass upon me Then I will know by experience just what came to be Placed upon that person and how they coped What they felt physically and what was their hope When the circumstances they were called to, came to pass How they responded and how long it did last.
Positionally we have in Christ passed through death and resurrection But we really don’t know actually without personal participation Of what it is to leave family and friends, maybe even freedom And identify with the needs of others in order to bring them The message and blessings of a life that begins anew When we tell of the Lord Jesus and what He passed through That they can be accepted when they accept Him as Savior And know sin’s penalty is paid – brought into divine favor.
When we are united with Christ on the basis of trust Or really want to know about Him, there is a high cost There will be a sacrifice in order to experience resurrection power And fellowship with His sufferings follows what we endure How we apply crucifixion onto the circumstances of life Reveals through moral conformation there is a price I am willing to pay to know the victory of resurrection That in turn produces in me genuine consecration.
“I know Father, there is very little of what Christ endured that I have experienced. But there has been enough, that I can go confidently through misunderstanding and criticisms that at times come our way, to realize sacrifice is a blessing. It draws me nearer to His “wounded side,” and I praise and thank Thee. Amen.”
There is a spiritual and moral resurrection that took place when we were saved. We died in Christ and have been raised in Him to walk in newness of life. So now we are citizens of heaven though we are living here on earth. Paul was not doubting that at the Coming of Christ for His church he was going to be raised at the resurrection of the just. For all who are saved by God's grace, we will be raised from the dead physically. If we are alive, we will be instantaneously changed. But between now and then, we will be called upon to share in the "fellowship of His sufferings." When we follow Christ, we should be willing to accept what comes as a result of being conformed to Him. This resurrection "from among the dead" is similar to the resurrection of Christ when He rose "from among the dead." The second resurrection, the resurrection of the "unjust," will be after the millennium reign of Christ.