John‬ ‭8:55‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ [55] Yet you have not known(ginosko) Him, but I know(oida) Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. 

‭‭I Thessalonians‬ ‭1:5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ [5] For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know(oida) what kind of men we were among you for your sake.

Oida means knowledge that has progressed to a state where it can be perceived or seen. It is knowledge by observation, and it’s the 2nd level of knowledge.

At the inception stage which is ginosko, you have a fair idea of the thing but you haven’t seen or handled it personally. All your knowledge about it is hearsay. But at oida, you have handled and seen it yourself.  It’s like John said in

‭‭I John‬ ‭1:1‭-‬2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us”

Think about it like this:

A friend calls you and tells you she has sent a desired dress gift to you. It’s in a gift box and has been dropped at your apartment. At this point you KNOW of the gift but your knowledge is only hearsay and it’s not deep enough. That’s ginosko. But when you get home and open the box and see the dress for yourself and handle it, that’s OIDA. This knowledge you have of the dress is much deeper and relatable than the first.

This is how you must progress in all your knowledge of God and of the things of God. You must move beyond what someone said and experience God’s word for yourself. To some people, “And Pastor said” is a regular phrase. Though there’s nothing wrong with that, and that is usually the beginning, you can go a step better and begin to know God and perceive Him for yourself. YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF GOD MUST GO BEYOND HEARSAY. Hallelujah! Have a great week in Jesus name. Amen.

                GRACEFUL MORNING