"Follow Me"

This subject has been on my heart for quite a while, but I've found it exceedingly difficult to put it to words. I've seen people struggling with this very issue over the last few months and as I've studied the ramifications of our actions more and more, it's left me disturbed.

You see what I'm writing today is basic, remedial Christianity. In the past I've tried to keep a merciful outlook on anyone who professes Christ (Luke 9:50), however there comes a time to speak out boldly for the cause of Christ (Matt 5:16), not in defense of Christianity but instead in condemnation of heresy.

The foundational moment of our Christian walk began the same way it began for those who came before us two thousand years ago (Matt 9:9, John 1:43). One day, we each heard the call "Follow Me" and it changed who we were. I'm not talking only about our salvation experience in this post though; I'm also referring to the primary instruction that we are given as Christians on how to be this new creature that we have become. This directive to follow Christ applied when we first started our journey and it still applies today. When we were saved, we were forgiven of sin and covered by the blood of Jesus; of that there can be no dispute. Still, it seems to me that how we actually comport ourselves makes a difference and is important.

We as Christians have been constantly besieged with definitions of what it is to be a Christian and instructions on how we must live our lives in order to be in God's will. However well intentioned these directions may be, they have at their heart a carnal element that will usurp the roll of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As Christianity gets redefined along denominational lines, what has been said about Jesus becomes more important that what was said by Jesus, man's doctrines become more important than what is written in the Bible and dedication to the church becomes more important than faith in God. Herein lies a trap and it's name is religion. If we walk down this path we will find that we ourselves become the focus of our faith and not God. However if you discard the irrelevancies and background noise of the religion we call "Modern Christianity" and return to a personal salvation, what we are left is a very simple choice: Will you follow Jesus?

We are called to follow Him, and for some of us that's too simple of a commandment to accept. Albert Einstein once said "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." Have we become "intelligent fools" by taking the commandment "follow me" and making it bigger and more complex? Doesn't this definition describing exactly what the religious leaders in Israel had been doing for centuries by the time that Jesus arrived? Doesn't this definition describe exactly what religious leaders have been doing in more recent times as well?

I guess I can understand why people would struggle so much to understand everything about their faith; it is a very human tendency to want to analyze and categorize anything and everything and I can't see why this tendency wouldn't apply to faith as well. It seems logical to want to delve into the depths of everything and understand everything, but the truth is that this is not only not necessary, when it comes to following Jesus, it can also be detrimental if it leads us into a spirit of superiority (Prov 16:25). Having a perfect understanding just isn't a requirement of salvation (I Cor 13: 9-10). Still it seems that Christianity is not free from this natural tendency to understand and explain everything.

The real problem with advanced scholasticism when it comes to the faith is that if you are wrong on even a very small part of your doctrine, your error can skew everything else your faith is built on and who among us has perfect doctrine? A misunderstanding in one area will branch out into others and cause you be misled. This becomes extremely hazardous if you build your confidence on your understanding (Prov 3:5-6). This my friends is not how we are called to live our life even though it seems right to us. I'm reminded of the song "He Will Pilot Me", but isn't this reliance on our own understanding tantamount to saying, "Move over Jesus, I've got this"?

The very name Christian identifies us as followers of Christ or at least it should. It links us directly to Christ the same way that a surname links us to a family lineage. The scriptures talk of our adoption through Christ and how we have become sons and heirs of God (Gal 4:4-7). Christian is the only moniker I bear in regards to my faith; preference of any other descriptor in my opinion creates a subtle diminishing of what the title Christian implies.

Following Christ is our source of assurance, and our faith in this gives us hope for tomorrow. We are limited creatures who do not have the capacity to see into the future; we can only perceive our past. However we can trust in God when it comes to what our future holds. I'm reminded of financial investments that state "past performance is no guarantee of future results". In essence this says that you can't be assured of anything when getting involved with these products. When you get involved with Jesus however, the results are guaranteed and will not change (Heb 13:8, James 1:17).

It's one thing to say that you are a follower of Christ, but it is a very different thing to actually follow Him, and herein lies the choice. You see, Jesus called us to follow Him, but he gave us what amount to clear directions on how to do this if we are willing to actually see them (Matt 16:24). When Jesus said "let him deny himself", doesn't this imply that to follow Jesus means that you give up any agenda of your own and submit yourself to Christ's agenda for you? Jesus answered this in the preceding verse when He told Peter that he was focused on human interests instead of Godly things (Matt 16:23). I find it very instructive to delve into this a little deeper because what Peter wanted from Christ was for Him to set up an Earthly kingdom. This must be a common human fault because Paul also admonishes us to have our interests sorted out correctly (Col 3:1-2).

Unfortunately there are some that will not chose to follow Jesus. Some will come this way looking for what it offers them (Luke 9:57-58). Others will come, but make excuses that keep them from ever beginning their Christian walk (Luke 9:59-60). There will even be some that cannot stay dedicated to Christ (Luke 9:61-62). I am also reminded that not everyone will see Christianity to it's ultimate conclusion (Matt 20:16). It's a high calling indeed to be selected out as on of God's chosen ones, and it seems to me that if the called and yet not chosen are those who choose to not follow Jesus, then the chosen ones must be comprised of people who do choose to follow Him.

Perhaps it's harsh to call these people washouts, but the term fits. John records a mass of disciples that left Jesus because they had difficulty accepting the act of Communion (John 6:60-69). Interesting that we in our group also have some among us who have issues with this as well. Still, these men turned away from Jesus because they didn't believe. I want to reiterate this to make sure my point is coming across. These men's unbelief resulted in them not following Christ. If unbelief is endemic of turning away, then we see that belief is an integral component of following Him. Today, my prayer for all of us is that we have some of what the father of the son with the dumb spirit had when he asked Jesus to strengthen his belief (Mark 9:24).

Belief may seem like such a small thing and a simple directive to follow Jesus may seem almost wishy-washy, but I reckon that this seeming insignificance is our source of strength. I don't know why it is that it pleases God to use such weak vessels such as ourselves, but I know that He does. His strength can be our strength is we will rely upon Him (2 Cor 12:9,10). He will use us as He sees fit (Phil 2:13). And it's when we believe that all things become possible (Mark 9:23).

So as I come to the end, I have a question for you. Do you believe enough to let go of your own understanding? Do you believe enough to forgo your own abilities and strengths? Do you believe enough to set aside your own agenda and self-interests? Do you believe enough to dedicate your life to Him? Do you believe enough to follow Him?

Where He leads I'll follow,
Follow all the way,
Where He leads I'll follow,
Follow Jesus every day.