There are many people who walk with Christ without knowing him. There are millions of people who have been associated with the church, work in its ministries, sing, pray and even attend its worships but do not know him.
There are many who are church members but are not Christians. They are members of a church but they are not a part of the body of Christ.
Is it possible to walk with a person and not know him or her? Is it possible to live in the same house with people and not know them?
Often people live with each other for many years only to discover a side of a mate that they had never known because the situation had never occurred. There are many who have never seen their mate cry or handle a devastating defeat or a debilitating sickness. Some are surprised to learn that they have been living with a stranger.
Even family members can get to be strangers in our own houses. We become strangers when we know little about each other's dreams, aspirations. Parents who are unfamiliar with the social lives of their children soon become strangers. Children who don't know their parents as something other than simply "parents" usually are strangers in the same house.
Even in a church it is possible to sit on the same pew with a person for years but not know much more than the person's name and what kind of work they do.
The men on the Emmaus Road had an excuse for not recognizing Christ instantly; they had not been around him much. But what excuse do we have for not recognizing the person who lives in the same house with us?
In 1972 Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes wrote a song entitled, "If you don't know me by now, you will never, never, never know me!" The same message was contained in a song by Roy Orbison entitled, "You Don't Know Me!" He sang about man who was really the best person for the woman of his dream but she took someone else's hand because "You don't know me."
Husbands and wives should get to know each other.
Co-workers should get to know each other.
Church members should get to know each other. In so doing, we are all better able to see how each is trying to work out their salvation in light of the walk on the Emmaus road.
There are many who are church members but are not Christians. They are members of a church but they are not a part of the body of Christ.
Is it possible to walk with a person and not know him or her? Is it possible to live in the same house with people and not know them?
Often people live with each other for many years only to discover a side of a mate that they had never known because the situation had never occurred. There are many who have never seen their mate cry or handle a devastating defeat or a debilitating sickness. Some are surprised to learn that they have been living with a stranger.
Even family members can get to be strangers in our own houses. We become strangers when we know little about each other's dreams, aspirations. Parents who are unfamiliar with the social lives of their children soon become strangers. Children who don't know their parents as something other than simply "parents" usually are strangers in the same house.
Even in a church it is possible to sit on the same pew with a person for years but not know much more than the person's name and what kind of work they do.
The men on the Emmaus Road had an excuse for not recognizing Christ instantly; they had not been around him much. But what excuse do we have for not recognizing the person who lives in the same house with us?
In 1972 Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes wrote a song entitled, "If you don't know me by now, you will never, never, never know me!" The same message was contained in a song by Roy Orbison entitled, "You Don't Know Me!" He sang about man who was really the best person for the woman of his dream but she took someone else's hand because "You don't know me."
Husbands and wives should get to know each other.
Co-workers should get to know each other.
Church members should get to know each other. In so doing, we are all better able to see how each is trying to work out their salvation in light of the walk on the Emmaus road.
Sincerely,
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