Do You Know The Lord, Brother?
A.I. — Good Ole Boy Version
Do You Know The Lord, Brother? (Good Ole Boy Edition)
Now, I ain’t no fancy scholar, but I reckon if you’re gonna talk about something as important as knowing the Lord, you better be ready to think real good on it. Folks like to throw around words like “critical thinking,” but let’s just call it what it is — using that noggin the Good Lord gave ya to figure out what’s true and what ain’t.
That big ol’ definition of critical thinking says it’s all about sorting through the facts, asking questions, and not just going along with something ’cause it sounds nice. Well, let me tell ya, if that don’t sum up what a fella oughta do when it comes to faith, I don’t know what does.
“Do You Know The Lord, Brother?”
Now, if you’ve spent any time in church or had an old-timey preacher put a hand on your shoulder, you’ve probably heard that question before. It’s the kind of thing that makes a man stop and think. But here’s the deal — knowing the Lord ain’t just about saying you do. It’s about living like you do.
Ol’ John, one of Jesus’ closest boys, put it plain as day in his letter:
“And by this, we know that we have come to know him if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” — 1 John 2:3–4
Whew! That’s some strong talk right there. John ain’t mincing words — if you say you know the Lord but ain’t walking the walk, you’re fooling yourself.
So, What Are These Commandments?
Now, before we can say we’re keeping the Lord’s commandments, we gotta ask, “What exactly are they?” A wise old fella once told me that you don’t build a barn without first knowing where the posts go. Same goes for faith — you gotta lay it out straight before you start hammering.
Isaiah, one of them fire-and-brimstone prophets from way back, laid out a little secret about studying God’s word:
“Precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little.” — Isaiah 28:9–10
In other words, you gotta piece it together, like putting together Granny’s quilt — one patch at a time, ’til the picture makes sense.
So, let’s dig a little deeper. Revelation 14:12 says:
“Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.”
Alright, so we know saints are the folks who keep God’s commandments and have faith in Jesus. But who actually gave these commandments? Most folks might say, “Well, that’s easy — it was God the Father up there on Mount Sinai.” But hold on just a cotton-pickin’ minute!
John himself tells us something mighty interesting:
“No one has seen God at any time…” — John 1:18
“And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen.” — John 5:37
And yet, over in Exodus, it says plain as day that Moses and some of the elders did see God. Now, how can both be true? Well, Paul clears it right up in 1 Corinthians 10:4 when he says:
“For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”
You see where this is going? The one talking on that mountain, laying down the law, was none other than Jesus himself — before he came in the flesh. Ain’t that something?
So, What’s This Mean for Us?
It means that when Jesus said in Matthew 28:18–20:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
…he wasn’t just talking about being nice and saying your prayers at supper. He was telling us to live by the very same commandments he gave way back when. That’s what knowing the Lord really means — not just knowing about him, but living like he told us to.
The Next Time Someone Asks…
So next time some well-meaning fella comes up and asks, “Do you know the Lord, Brother?” — instead of just nodding and saying, “Sure do!”, maybe sit ’em down and lay this out for ’em. You might just turn the tables and get ’em thinking real hard about what it means to walk the walk.
And hey, ain’t that what it’s all about?