CHAPTER 1: WHY THIS BOOK? ========================= Book: Knowing God, Loving God Umushumba Fidele Bolton URL: https://kgm-school-preview.netlify.app/library/en/knowing-god-loving-god/01-why-this-book/ CHAPTER 1: WHY THIS BOOK? ========================= FAITH AS SIGHT Faith is to the heart what understanding is to the mind and eyes for the human body. They both serve as a kind of sight—faith enables believers to perceive God spiritually (Heb. 11:1; 2 Cor. 5:7), while understanding allows the mind to conceptualize His nature and attributes (Eph. 1:18). Without sight, one stumbles in the dark. Likewise, without faith and understanding, our relationship with God remains shallow, reducing our walk with Him to rituals, obligations, or selfish pursuits rather than an intimate knowing. STORY TO ILLUSTRATE Imagine a man born blind who hears countless stories about the sun. He’s told it’s warm, bright, and gives life to the world. He can feel its warmth on his skin and appreciates its effects, but he cannot truly grasp its visual splendor—the brilliant orange of a sunrise, the golden hue of midday, the soft glow of dusk. For him the sun is a concept, a source of benefits. Then imagine a miracle grants him sight. Suddenly, the intellectual knowledge and felt warmth are explosively combined with a direct, personal experience of the sun’s majesty. In the same way, faith and spiritual understanding open “the eyes of our heart” to behold God, moving beyond just knowing about Him to truly experiencing Him. APPLICATION: OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND The saying “out of sight, out of mind” often applies to our relationship with God. If we don’t actively seek to “see” Him through faith and understand Him with our minds, His presence and love can fade from our awareness. Reflection: On a scale of 1–10, how vividly do you feel God’s love in your heart daily? What practical steps can you take to increase this awareness? Reflection: How much time do you dedicate to understanding God’s nature through Scripture and thoughtful reflection, compared with other pursuits? Observation: When you look at nature, what specific aspects remind you of God’s beauty, power, or wisdom? (Ps. 19:1) This book is written with a simple but crucial aim: to help believers love God by knowing Him. True love is rooted in knowledge, and a deeper understanding of God leads to a fuller, more genuine love for Him. Many believers seek to serve God, receive from Him, or obey His commands, but fewer actively seek to know Him deeply. This book is an invitation to lift our eyes above the blessings, above the miracles, and above even our devotion, to focus on the beauty and majesty of God Himself. A BALANCED MEAL FOR THE SOUL I started writing this book when I realized that a crucial message had been missing from my spiritual upbringing. Throughout my Christian life, I had been taught many valuable truths—how to pray, read the Bible, fast, evangelize, and exercise faith for breakthroughs. I learned how to seek the Holy Spirit, give generously, and live in Christian community. But one foundational teaching had been largely absent: Who is God? Christian teaching should be like a well-balanced meal. We don’t feed our children only sweets, even if they enjoy them. We don’t serve only carbohydrates while ignoring proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Yet in many churches, spiritual nourishment is often one-dimensional. Some focus exclusively on faith and miracles, while others emphasize intellectual theology but neglect passionate devotion. Some seek experiences of God’s power but fail to pursue an understanding of His character. STORY TO ILLUSTRATE Consider a renowned athlete. Some fans might only be interested in his record-breaking statistics and championship wins (the “miracles” and “power”). Others might study his training regimen and diet meticulously (the “how-to” of Christian living). A few might delve into his biography, learning about his childhood, his struggles, his character, and what truly motivates him (understanding “who he is”). While all these aspects are part of the athlete, knowing his character and motivations provides a much richer, more complete picture than just focusing on his achievements or methods. Similarly, our spiritual lives are incomplete if we only focus on God’s power or Christian duties without deeply seeking to know His heart and character. This book is not meant to replace any other messages in the Christian faith but to complement them. It is one of the missing voices in the church —a call to return to the greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30; also Deut. 6:5). A Christian life that pursues God’s power while neglecting the knowledge of His person is incomplete. This book seeks to restore balance by bringing believers into a deeper understanding of the God they serve. APPLICATION: SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT “TASTE AND SEE THAT THE LORD IS GOOD” (PS. 34:8) Just as our physical bodies need a balanced diet for health, our souls need balanced spiritual nourishment. Focusing on only one aspect of faith can lead to spiritual malnutrition. Reflection: What has been the “main course” in your spiritual upbringing or current church experience (e.g., evangelism, miracles, social justice, doctrinal study, worship experiences)? Observation: What signs of spiritual “malnutrition” (e.g., emotionalism without understanding, knowledge without passion, service without love, weariness in well-doing) do you observe in the broader church or even in your own life? Action: What is one area of spiritual “nutrition” (e.g., studying God’s attributes, contemplative prayer, serving sacrificially out of love) you could intentionally add to your “diet” this week? THE STUDY OF GOD MUST COME FIRST All knowledge must begin with God. The Bible itself opens with God as the first subject: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). Before there was anything—before time, space, or matter—there was God. This means that before we seek to understand anything else, we must seek to know Him. The pursuit of divine knowledge is the foundation upon which all wisdom, theology, and spiritual growth rest: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Prov. 9:10). KNOWING GOD: THE HIGHEST CALL The greatest commandment given by Christ is not merely to serve God, believe in Him, or even worship Him—it is to love Him with all that we are: “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’” (Matt. 22:37). But love is always preceded by knowledge. You cannot truly love what you do not know. If we do not pursue an accurate understanding of God, we risk worshiping a false image—perhaps one shaped by our personal desires, culture, or misconceptions. Jesus defined eternal life as the knowledge of God: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). This means that heaven itself will be an endless unfolding of divine revelation. The knowledge of God is not just for this life—it is the very essence of eternal life. Paul confirms this by stating that in eternity, we will finally see God with perfect clarity: “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Cor. 13:12). True spiritual strength comes from knowing God, not merely from religious activity. Daniel writes: “But the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits” (Dan. 11:32b KJV). Many Christians try to serve God but quickly grow weary because they do not know Him deeply. They strive to please God through works, but without true knowledge of His character, they lose heart. Those who have truly encountered God are unshaken by trials. Their faith is not rooted in emotions or circumstances but in the unchanging nature of God. Jesus exposed a major hindrance to faith: “How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” (John 5:44). The desire to please men and seek human approval weakens faith. But those who have truly known God care only for His glory, and this makes them unshakable. APPLICATION: IN MARRIAGE, WHO IS MORE IMPORTANT, THE MOTHER OR THE FATHER? This question is a bit of a trick, as both are essential and uniquely important. Similarly, in our relationship with God, both love (heart) and knowledge (mind/understanding) are vital and interconnected. Analogy: In the “marriage” of love for God and knowledge of God, which do you believe initiates the relationship? Can one exist meaningfully without the other? Reflection: Would you say your love for God (the heart’s response) is the “mother” of your desire for deeper knowledge? Or is your understanding of God (the head’s comprehension) the “father” that grounds and directs your love? How do these two aspects work together in yourfaith? DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR CHAPTER 1 1. “True love is rooted in knowledge.” How have you experienced this in your human relationships, and how do you see it applying to your relationship with God? 2. What does the “balanced meal” analogy for spiritual nourishment mean to you? What “food groups” might be overemphasized or missing in your own spiritual diet or in the church today? 3. Why do you think seeking to know God deeply is sometimes less emphasized than serving God or seeking His blessings? What are the potential consequences of this imbalance? ---------- KGM School of Service — Knowing God Missions · Tumenyimana https://kgm-school-preview.netlify.app