Proverb: It’s not WHAT you know but WHO you know that matters. I disagree. Here’s another one: Who you know gets you in the door. What you know keeps you there. Wrong again.
There are a lot of people I know. People who are influential, powerful, and some in relatively high places. I “know” some politicians… well connected people who could be considered movers and shakers. But that doesn’t matter one whit! What is really important is WHO KNOWS ME!
Life Truth: It’s not who YOU know, but who knows you that matters. The person in power… the person who has connections… the person of influence must KNOW YOU… AND be willing to assist you in what you need before anything of substance can take place.
Consider the eternal truth of “It’s who knows YOU” that matters. This is found in Matthew 7:21-23 (Jesus is speaking):
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
I call this passage The Judas Factor. Judas walked with Jesus for three years. He proclaimed the Gospel. He performed miracles. He cast out demons in Jesus name! But he was not saved. He was not a genuine believer. He knew Jesus but Jesus didn’t “know” him. And that is the difference between us knowing someone and them knowing us. Only in this case the results are eternal.
Personal Illustration. My dad was a pastor. He preached the Word… taught the Scriptures… did baptisms… performed weddings… officiated at funerals… and led people to salvation in Christ. And he was not a Christian! He hopefully came to Christ about six weeks before he died. All those years he was a pastor, he knew Jesus but Jesus didn’t know him! It was only at the virtual end of his life that the situation changed.
Salvation is NOT predicated on us knowing Jesus. It is not based on anything we do in Jesus’ name. It is based on Christ knowing us and saving us from God’s wrath to come.
“Doing the will of the Father” is NOT preaching… giving… or performing miracles. It is believing in Jesus Christ as is found in John 6:40… “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”