Through the Knowledge of God/ with Baptisms

What does it truly mean to know God rather than simply know about Him? That question sits at the heart of everything we explored in this gathering, anchored in the opening verses of 2 Peter. Peter, writing what he likely knew would be his final letter before his execution, wastes no words. He opens by holding two names at once, his birth name and the name Jesus gave him, reminding us that our past and our transformed present are both part of who we are. He calls himself a servant before he calls himself an apostle, placing humility at the foundation of any authority or purpose we carry. And then he delivers something remarkable: the faith we have received is equal in worth and honor to that of the apostles themselves. Not earned, not achieved, but received, assigned to us by divine appointment. Grace and peace, Peter prays, be multiplied through the knowledge of God. Not a static, fixed portion, but a growing, deepening supply that increases as we move from knowing facts about Jesus to actually knowing Him personally. Two young people stood before us and told us the same story in different words: they were surrounded by the truth their whole lives, and yet the moment of real encounter came suddenly, unexpectedly, when their hearts were made ready to receive it. That is the God we serve, the one who meets us where we are and opens what only He can open.