What is a Christian? Part 2 - Follow Me

In part one of this series, we learned that the first words Jesus spoke in the gospel of Matthew were, "Repent, which means to feel such sorrow for sin as to be disposed to change one's life for the better. It's easy to feel sorry for things, especially when we've been discovered and our sins begin to have consequences, but Jesus called us not only to be sorry, but to want to change. I say 'want to change' because, without miraculous intervention, we in ourselves cannot produce the change and maintain it. It takes something supernatural to turn our lives from one direction to an other. In this, part 2, we will now consider His next words, "Followers Australia"

In the gospel of Matthew chapter 4 verse 19, the next thing Jesus says to His followers is, "Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men." First He calls us to consider our wretchedness, then He asks us to come after Him. He does not ask us to imitate Him but to follow Him. He already knows that we are not able to walk as He walks and behave as He behaves. In Luke 5:32 He says, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." He knows what we are...sinners. Yet He calls us to follow Him.

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Many answered that call. Peter and Andrew, James and John, the rest of the disciple and many unnamed people felt the pull in their hearts and left their activities to follow. Those who chose to continue on with the Savior left ships, houses, occupations, servants, parents, friends, even spouses, according to Matthew 19:27. "Lo! we have left all things and followed thee." They left all that they knew to physically follow Jesus around the highways and byways of Israel. As they followed, Jesus formed a bond with them, a relationship of teacher and student, of father to children, of friend to friend. As they walked the roads with Him, He shared the secrets of the kingdom of God, He prepared them for the day He would go away, then send His Spirit to live inside them to transform them.

We cannot physically walk beside Jesus today, but that does not hinder us from forming that same bond, from learning from Him, and from allowing His Spirit to transform us. He is God and time and space do not stand in His way. He still wants to walk with us on a daily, moment by moment basis. It is a reality that is shown though the lives of those who have actually answered His call.

There's a 'but' to this however. He is still offering all of the blessings and the relationship 'but' we must be willing to do what the first true Christians did. We must be willing to let go of the things we are holding so tightly and follow Him. Everyone has goals, plans, hopes, dreams, and ideas of how their lives should look. We can hold onto our plans. We can struggle and strive to accomplish them, rising early and going to bed late. Or maybe our plans include not working, letting someone else do our part. Yet, in the end, often those who have achieved their dreams are left feeling empty. How often have you read of the suicide of a rich, successful, famous person and wondered why?

Our plans may look good but they do not fulfill the real desires of our hearts. We know instinctively that something is missing so we set about trying to fill the emptiness. If our own plans do not fill the void, we look for someone else to follow who seems to have the answers. There are many voices today calling out, "Follow me." We have the Oprah's, the Dr. Phils, the voices of evangelists and preachers, the famous authors, the beautiful people of Hollywood, even the best friend with the magnetic personality who always has such fun ideas. We need to be very careful not to fall into the trap of following anyone other than Jesus, even if they are one of His followers. Anyone we set up as an idol of 'worship' in our lives will disappoint us. There is no one who we can follow who is worthy of the homage that we pay them, Even a good man is still just a man.

Christ says, "Follow ME. He repeats it many times in the gospels, calling men from their shallow pursuits into a life worth living. In Matthew 16:26, Jesus reminds us of what little value the things we cling to really have.

Ask yourself today what is holding you back from really following Jesus? Is it your 'stuff'? Is it your relationships? Maybe it's that you want to hold onto what is 'yours'. The rich, young ruler is an example of a moment of decision in a life. This man came to Jesus feeling very spiritually righteous. He thought he had done the right things and that Jesus would commend him and send him on his way. Instead, when he asked what else he must do to attain the kingdom of God, Jesus told him to sell all that he had, then come and Followers Australia Him. The man turned away sadly and went back to his 'stuff.