The kind of knowledge God wants us to receive is a knowledge based on experience.

The Greek word for knowledge (gnṓsis) is “a knowledge gleaned from first-hand (personal) experience, connecting theory to application; “application-knowledge,” gained in (by) a direct relationship“. [Definition from LOGOS word help, accessed through biblehub.com for free].

This is a word used in the New Testament, this word is used many times.

This is the kind of knowledge Jesus wants us to have.

His first followers gained knowledge of Jesus by relating to Him on a daily basis, and therefore knew Jesus personally. They also knew the value of Jesus’ teaching because they had put it into practice. A disciple or follower of a Jewish rabbi would do everything the rabbi did, and thereby learn. This kind of learning, therefore, was very practical.

Jesus Himself said: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24.

Jesus distinguished between those who actually did what he said, and those who didn’t. Learning but not doing has little value: you cannot learn without doing, and without being in relationship.

We only get to know Jesus through being in a relationship with Him: through praying to Him, listening to Him. But we also know Jesus by putting those things He says into practice. By experiencing the same things Jesus did, we get to know Him.

Paul says in Philippians 3:10-3:11

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  and so … attain[ing] to the resurrection from the dead.

The word know Paul uses here is that practical relational gnṓsis (verb here: γνῶναι) mentioned earlier. He wants to know Jesus through experience: sharing in his 1) sufferings, 2) death, and 3) resurrection.

The people we know and understand best are those we have similar, shared experiences with. That is why knowing Jesus is never just a head-thing, though our minds are involved as well (e.g. Romans 12:1). It is a heart thing. When we accept Jesus into our hearts, spiritually we share in Jesus’ death and resurrection. This can be an amazing emotional, heart experience (Even if we do not feel the ‘feels’ initially, I do believe our emotional connection to God usually grows with time). As we speak and pray and read about Jesus, we get to know Him more deeply.

Besides in the heart, in the spiritual dimension, these truths can also be lived out practically. Paul physically lived out these experiences in his life as well, and thereby he very likely deepened his knowledge of Christ. He experienced many physical sufferings. He went to Jerusalem, like Jesus, in full knowledge he would suffer. He constantly preached the good news just like Jesus did. He lived out a life like Jesus: He is an amazing example of a disciple.