The fellowship of His sufferings

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death… Philippians 3:10

Paul didn’t want to know or experience anything independent of what Jesus presently knows and experiences. It was anathema to Paul to have a spirituality independent of the very heart beat of Jesus Christ, sharing both His joy and sorrow. To live is Christ and to die is gain. This is at the heart of Paul’s gospel.