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-[[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/de/jn_de_2020_01_17|Deutsche Version]] [[Start|| Wiki Start]] [[topics_collection_ix|| Themen Kollektion ix ]]
+[[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/de/jn_de_2020_01_21|Deutsche Version]] [[Start|| Wiki Start]] [[topics_collection_ix|| Themen Kollektion ix ]]
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-======  ... ======
+====== Knowledge of God ?!... ======
-Tuesday, Jan 21, 2020.
+Tuesday, Jan 21, 2020. What is it that humans can know about this world? What is it that we
+can know about ourselves? Where do we come from? How did we come into being? Why are we
+what we are? What is the world composed of? How does it work? How does it function? What
+can we know and recognize about nature, about our mind and reason, about spiritual things?
+We also ask: is there a God, and what can we know about him? What about the various experiences
+and ideas humans have developed about God? Is it that all what we deal with is an illusion,
+merely the outer shell of something deeper inside? What about the spirits and beings which
+are worshiped here and there on this planet? What about the spiritual experiences of people
+who start to explore the spiritual world? And what about the one God of the three big world
+religions: Jewish faith, Christian faith and Islam? Who is God? What to know about him?
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-**  ... **
+** How to know about God? ... **
+It is indeed an important question to ask for God. Is there a God? What can we know about him?
+What is the approach to know about God? Let us briefly look at approaches which are offered
+to us. How to approach the question?
+First, the bible tells us that God can be recognized from all of his works. He can be recognized
+from his creation, from the whole of creation, including the stars, the earth, plants, animals
+and humans. So how much can we learn about God from nature? Is it a trivial route, that you
+look at nature and say: "ah, of course, this is how God is"? This does not seem the typical
+way. Usually, people first get to know God through other routes, and then they realize that
+nature tells us a lot about him.
+The bible also tells us that mankind has lost its contact to God. We have lost our knowledge of
+him. So we are lonely in a world which does not recognize him. Mankind has chosen to
+live without God, and by its own decision has denounced knowledge about God. This is, first of
+all, a strong statement. Can we see it to be true? If you look around and check the knowledge
+of humans about God, you will realize that usually we do not know much about God. That is true
+for most humans. And from a Christian viewpoint it might even be true for many who believe in
+some God, but do not know the God Christ Jesus has been preaching.
+But can we know about God? Is it a deception of some mad people who think they could know
+about God?
+The answer starts already in the early days of the Old Testament tradition. It starts with the
+experiences of the Jewish fathers, of Abraham, Isaac and Moses. It starts with the prophets such
+as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. They claim to experience God, and to know him, and to talk
+about him. They claim that God wants to show himself. So the knowledge about God comes from God
+talking to us through, through his own revelation.
+The biblical route to knowledge about God is to listen to what God is telling you through
+the prophetic books of Moses and the Prophets. Then, when you listen and follow what you hear,
+you will experience God yourself in your life, through your spiritual dimension and through
+your own experiences. The claim is that you can know God and know about him. Just listen.
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-**  ... **
+** Your way ... **
+In the second book of Moses, known as Exodus, we hear about the prayer of Moses, who is keen
+on knowing the ways of God. Let us have a look into this prayer, and the answer which Moses
+got.
+<color #aa0000>
+Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.”
+And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
+</color> (2 Mose 33, 13-14)
+For Moses, his desire to know God was deep. So he prayed to God to grant him the favor to learn
+about his ways. And God granted the favor to him, and gave him peace!
+The story of learning about God and of getting to know him does not end with Moses, nor does
+it end with the large or smaller prophets of the Old Testament. God has shown himself through the
+son, who is Christ Jesus. This is the claim of the Gospels and of the apostolic writings in
+the New Testament. God is showing himself fully through the son Jesus.
+We can know a lot about God. When we meet Jesus through the New Testament, through prayer and
+the Holy Spirit, and then through experiences in our own life, we are able to learn all about
+God, all we need. God wants to be an open book to us. He wants us to be with him, to understand
+his mercy, his truth, his way.
+When you want to know whether it is true, just seriously start to pray. Start to ask God, to show
+you all you need to know. Ask him to show you the truth. Ask him to show himself, to be able
+to see and to discover him, his mercy, his justice, his presence, his hope and love and truth!
+When you approach him seriously, he will answer.
 (Roland Potthast)