Are
you a follower of Jesus? When that question is asked, people generally give a
wide variety of answers. They may think it’s synonymous with believing in God,
attending church, participating in communion, giving to good causes, praying
when in need, living a good life, or being religious. But none of these
actually answer the question, nor do they prove that someone is following
Jesus. Engaging in certain religious activities is not equivalent to following
Jesus. Although these activities are generally practiced by Christians, not
everyone who does them is a Christian. To determine if we are truly following
Jesus, we must use biblical guidelines.
As
Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, He called Simon Peter and Andrew to leave
their occupation as fishermen and follow Him (Matt. 4:18-19). Their response
demonstrates what following Jesus involves: “Immediately they left their nets
and followed Him” (v. 20). This was a whole life commitment, not merely
religious activity.
In
order to evaluate whether we too are following Jesus, we must understand what
experiences are true of those who are genuine followers.
Born Again. “Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). This is
the first qualification to become a follower of Jesus. We must confess and
repent of our sins, by faith receive God’s forgiveness, surrender our lives to
Christ as our Savior and Lord, and start walking in His ways. Being a Christian
is not just becoming better or improving ourselves; it’s an entirely new life
born of the Spirit.
Prayer. “It was at this time that He went
off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God”
(Luke 6:12). If we follow Jesus, we will be a person of prayer just as He was.
In fact, it will be a major part of our lives, not just an occasional plea for
help when we’re in need. For prayer to become a priority, we must make it a
daily habit to have a quiet time alone with God. Starting and finishing each
day in prayer is a good way to make sure we are walking in Christ’s footsteps.
Listening. “While he was still speaking, a
bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said,
‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!’” (Matt.
17:5). Too often many of us begin the morning with thoughts of everything we
need to accomplish that day. Although fulfilling our responsibilities is important,
it’s more essential to spend time listening to the Father, asking Him to guide
us into His plan for our lives as well as for the day ahead, and not our own.
As the sovereign Lord and Master not only of the universe but of our individual
lives, God requires our submission and obedience to His will. That’s why we
must take time to listen to Him as we read His Word and pray.
Belief. “For God so loved the world, that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish,
but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Just as we trusted Christ for salvation, so
we must continue to live by faith as we follow Him. If we don’t believe Him,
we’ll live self-centered lives and won’t do what He says or walk in His ways.
But as genuine followers of Christ, we’ll trust Him with our difficulties,
pain, temptations, and needs, relying on Him to enable us to do whatever He
says.
Obedience. “I am the Light of the world; he
who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life” (John
8:12). Following requires obedience, and when this is the desire of our hearts,
we recognize how foolish it is to go our own way. Sin always leads to loss and
the death of something whether it’s opportunities or blessings (Rom. 6:23). If
we stubbornly refuse to obey God, He will send enough heartache and trouble
into our lives to correct us. It is always good to obey Him because He is the
source of every good thing.
Love. “You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and will
all your strength” (Mark 12:30). We can’t follow Christ with a divided
heart—half in the world and half with God. The love we are to have for Christ
involves our entire being. Therefore, we can’t allow impure thoughts, images,
and words into our minds and claim to love Him at the same time. Wholehearted
love for Christ affects what we think and watch, what we do, and where we go.
Sharing. “Go therefore and make disciples
of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19). This is Jesus’ command, and if we are going
to follow Him, we will share the truth of God’s Word with others, regardless of
whether they like us or not. In a world of hatred, bitterness, animosity, and
death, Christ’s followers are risking their lives to bring the gospel to people
throughout the world. Each of us can surely say something to spark the interest
of someone we know who is not following Jesus.
Service. “If anyone serves Me, he must
follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me,
the Father will honor him” (John 12:26). Jesus came as a servant, and as His
followers, that’s what we should do as well. All of us have the capacity to
serve the Lord in some fashion by serving others. Service comes in many
different forms: helping, caring, encouraging, comforting, giving, teaching, or
sharing God’s Word.
Suffering. “For to you it has been granted
for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake”
(Phil. 1:29). If we are following Jesus, we can expect to experience some form
of suffering. We may be rejected, suffer financial loss, or even lose
relationships because we make people feel uncomfortable and don’t fit in with
those who love the world. But this should not stop us from following Jesus and
sharing the gospel.
Although
we may be tempted to pick and choose which of these qualities we want to
pursue, all these practices are essential elements of our walk with Jesus and
should become an important part of our lives as we follow Him.
Are
you a follower of Christ? If you find any of these characteristics difficult to
accept and practice, go to God in prayer and ask Him to work them into your
life so you can follow Jesus more fully.
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