To lead a significant life

All true Christians have the same relationship with God, but not the same knowledge of Him or fruitfulness for Him.

Why?

In one word, fellowship.

Some believers will draw near to fellowship with their Lord regularly, while others do so irregularly.
Or rarely.
Or never.

Why is intimate relationship with Jesus important?

Our closeness to the Lord determines our knowledge of Him and the determines our fruitfulness for His kingdom.

When we walk closely with Jesus daily, the Holy Spirit blesses our study of Gods Word by giving us an exceptionally deep knowledge of Jesus, His ways and His plan.

It is from a deeply rooted tree of knowledge that the exceptional fruit of Jesus Spirit and works spring.

But if our fellowship with Him withers, so does our knowledge of Him and fruitfulness for Him. So some Christians have a superficial, incomplete, and unsatisfying knowledge of Jesus, while others enjoy an accurate, rich and growing understanding of Him. And some are very fruitful, while others bear Him little or no fruit.

During Jesus earthly ministry there were various circles of fellowship with Him, from the outer fringe to the “inner circle.”

The outer fringe of believers were made up of the local crowds. They saw Jesus when He visited their village or region to teach, heal, and deliver, but only for a few hours. So they knew Him, but in a very limited way. Many believers in the Church have chosen to exist in this fringe as the only knowledge they want of Him, can be garnered in an hour or two on Sunday Morning or Wednesday Night.

Moving closer there was a larger body of followers.

This consisted of believers who, like the twelve, followed Jesus on His ministry tours. The many women who supported Jesus ministry were among these (Luke 8:1-3), as were many other men, of whom Judas replacement was later selected (Acts 1:21-22) These experienced not one but many of Jesus meetings, teachings, and miracles. So they knew Him better than the local crowds.

Drawing nearer still, there were the twelve.

Jesus handpicked these future church leaders, calling them from the larger body of disciples. They, too, experienced many of Jesus messages and miracles. But, unlike the other disciples, they had special access to Jesus.

The were privileges that allowed them to lodge, lunch, and linger with Him daily, they frequently asked for and received special insights from Him: “When they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples” (Mark 4:34).
So they knew not only the public, but also the private Jesus, the miracle worker and the man as well.
They closely observed His reaction to prosperity and adversity, fame and shame, and His private habits of prayer, worship, and meditation. So they knew Him better than the other disciples.

But even they were not Jesus most intimate followers.

That distinction was reserved for His “inner circle”---Peter, James and John.

These three apostles enjoyed several intimacies denied the other nine.

They alone witnessed the raising of Jairus` daughter.
They alone witnessed the unspeakable wonder of His transfiguration.
They alone observed the intense agony of Jesus pleading with God during that final night in Gethsemane.

Why were these extraordinary privileges granted to the three of these?

From Jesus perspective, He was preparing the “inner circle” for the top level of church leadership. Jesus knew well that extraordinary intimacy with Him would lead to extraordinary knowledge of Him and extraordinary fruitfulness for Him.

And He was right.

Consider the exceptional fruit born in spirit and in works.

The three were the first to be transformed in character as He had been in appearance.
They were the first to work miracles like His miracles.
And they were the first to suffer as He suffered.

From our viewpoint, there is another key fact here. The “inner circle” drew near and fellowshipped with Jesus more than the other nine.

Why?

They loved Him more: “Simon, lovest thou me more than these others do?” (John 21:15).
They loved His words more.
They loved His presence more.
They loved His approval more.
And they loved His people more.

How can we prove these statements?

Simply by seeing that, they labored more for His gospel, and for His kingdoms sake---and suffered more!

“We have left all and followed thee” (Mark 10:28)

Let their example probe you.

Do you love Jesus more than others do, or less?
Enough to seek Him daily?
To work hard to accomplish His will?
To suffer for His sake?
Then let their example also prompt you.
Don’t be satisfied with the outer fringe.
Rise up and seek the “inner circle.”