Jesus urged individuals He encountered in the Bible to follow Him over and over again. He still gives us this commandment today. What it means to have a proper relationship with the Lord is compatible with and dependent upon this. We are to adhere to Him.
.What Does It Mean to “Follow”?
Before we talk about what it means to follow Christ, Let us first discuss what following Christ does NOT mean:
— Following Jesus entails more than just coming to church.
Many individuals, I believe, would mistakenly claim, “Yes, I follow Jesus; I attend church.” However, simply attending church is not the same as following Jesus. Going to church is an important component of following Jesus, but there is much more to it. You may attend church and not be a disciple of Jesus. In fact, you may attend church while being possessed by a demon! The Bible states in Mark 1:23 that Jesus walked into a synagogue to speak, and that there was a man in the synagogue with a demon who screamed out against Jesus. So don’t take comfort in the fact that you are a Christian.
— Following Jesus does not imply just accepting who He is.
James 2:19-20 tells us “You believe that God is one? You do well; the demons also believe and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” James says the demons “believe” in who Jesus is.
John 12:42 tells us “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.” The Bible says these people “believed” who Jesus was; but they were ashamed to confess Him, and they were lost.
They did not get salvation because they did not FOLLOW Jesus. Simply “believing” is not the same as “following.”
– To follow Jesus is NOT the same as to “like” him.
So What Does It Mean to “Follow” Jesus?
For those early disciples, “following Jesus meant literally leaving where they were and following Him wherever He went. That was done by Peter, Andrew, James, and John.
— Matthew 4::20 says Peter and Andrew “immediately … LEFT their nets and followed Him.” They literally left where they were and walked with Jesus.
— Matthew 4::22 says James & John did the same thing: “Immediately they LEFT the boat and their father, and followed Him.”
— Matthew did the same thing in Matthew 9:9. He got up from his tax collector’s office and walked after Jesus.
All of these men literally abandoned what they were doing; left things behind, and began following after Jesus: they left their jobs, their nets, their families, their priorities, their plans, their appointments, and all kinds of things to follow Jesus.
As a result, we can see that following Jesus entails doing things differently, as well as leaving some things behind.
Today, we are in a little different circumstance than the disciples, in that Jesus does not physically stand in front of us, inviting us to follow Him. However, let us not lose too much in the translation. “Following Jesus” still entails leaving some things behind in order to follow Him in a whole new life:
When Jesus dealt with the adulteress in John 8, it was one of the most remarkable examples of His grace. Jesus said to the woman after being exposed for being caught in the act: “Neither do I condemn you.” Just as the hymn claims, this is Amazing Grace. Don’t overlook His final admonition to her, though: “Go, and sin no more!” Truly following Jesus does NOT entail doing anything you want because Jesus will still pardon you. Instead, imitating Jesus—who “was tempted in all everything, just as we are, yet without sin”—means following Him. To follow Jesus is to live a holy life, just as He did by departing from your sins.
A good question to ask yourself is, “What have I left for Jesus?”
— Is there anything you no longer do because you follow Jesus?
— Do you have dreams that you no longer have because you follow Jesus?
— Are there people with whom you can no longer connect because you follow Jesus?
If you are truly following Jesus, you will leave everything behind on the way. It just makes sense: if you follow Jesus, you are NOT following anything else. It implies that you are leaving something behind. What do you have left for Jesus? What SHOULD you LEAVE BEHIND as you pursue Jesus?
And although there is not a “physical Jesus” for us to follow here on earth like Peter & Andrew & James & John did, we see in some other places in God’s word what it means for us to “follow” Jesus.
Following Jesus means spending time with Him
That is one of the most crucial aspects of following Jesus. Walking alongside Him. Investing time in Him. That’s exactly what Jesus’ earliest followers accomplished. They simply walked alongside Him, asked Him questions, and listened to His responses.
Mark 3:14 says that when Jesus called the 12 to follow Him, He did it: “SO THAT (the purpose) they would BE WITH HIM, and that He could send them out to preach.” Jesus called His followers to minister.
In fact, this is the definition of salvation. God created us to “be with Him” eternally, but we have all sinned from the time of Adam and Eve, and our sins have separated us from God. Because we have all sinned, if God had not done anything for us, NONE of us would have ever been able to be with Him in heaven. But Jesus came to die on the cross for our sins, to reconcile us to God, not only to be “saved,” as I Peter 3:18 explains, “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unjust, THAT HE MIGHT BRING US TO GOD.” The entire reason we are “saved” is so that we can be saved that we might come back to God, to be WITH HIM.
So one of the great benefits of being “saved,” of “following Jesus,” is that we get to be with Him. That is why we were spared. We shall “be with God” in heaven forever, but we may START BEING WITH HIM RIGHT NOW, by faith, as we walk with Him every day in His word, prayer, and worship.
However, following Him entails more than just spending time with Him. In Matthew 10, Jesus discusses what it means to truly follow Him. Let’s take a look at some of what he said:
— :32 “Therefore, whoever confesses Me before men, I will also confess before My Father in heaven.” So publicly identifying with Jesus as your Lord and Savior is part of what it means to follow Him. (Recall that this is exactly what the Jewish leaders in John 12 were unwilling to do.) Today, we do so first and foremost through baptism, which serves as a “public notice” of our commitment to follow Jesus. Then, throughout our daily lives, God gives us opportunities to publicly stand for Him. Do not back down in those situations; publicly claiming Jesus is part of what it means to follow Him.
— :25 “It is sufficient for a disciple to imitate his teacher.” So following Jesus entails becoming like Him in two ways: first, in our character, as outlined in the Beatitudes of Matthew 5:3-12, and second, in our ministry. We are to replicate Jesus by DOING the things He would do in this world. But, make no mistake, “following Jesus” means doing what He did while on the earth.
— :37 “He who loves his father and mother more than he loves Me, and he who loves his son or daughter more than he loves Me, is not worthy of Me.” Because Jesus says we are not to love anyone or anything more than Him, loving Him is an important part of following Him.
Peter 1:8 says “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” When you really get saved, Peter says, you LOVE Jesus for who He is, and for what He has done for you. A big part of “following” Jesus is just LOVING Him. Just like Mary, whom Luke 10 says just sat at the feet of Jesus, loving Him, and listening to His word.
All of these things are part of what it means to “FOLLOW” Jesus: we leave some things behind; we publicly confess Him; we spend time with Him, becoming like Him; it means we do things that he did when he was here on earth that how we show we love him.
Can you say you “follow” Jesus today if that is what it means to “follow” Him?
— Have you publicly confessed Him in baptism, and do you continue to confess Him in front of others when circumstances arise?
— Do you spend time with Him reading His word, praying, and worshiping Him? Is there ever a time when you just “love Him” and sing to Him — not in church, but when it’s just you and Him, because you truly love Him?
— Are you becoming more like Him: more humble, reliant on Him, and holy?
— Are you acting in the way that Jesus would act in this world? Are you going to where Jesus would go? Listen, if you’re not going where Jesus would go in this world, and you’re not doing what Jesus would do in this world, how can you truly say you’re “following” Jesus?
“Following Jesus” entails much more than simply clicking a button on Twitter or Facebook. It entails leaving your old life — and everything else — behind as you confess Him as the Lord of your life and center your entire life on Him.
What Happens When You Follow Christ
“And I will make you fishers of men.”
Your life revolves entirely around Jesus as you follow Him. He will be the focal point of your life, I’ll turn you into men’s fishermen and PEOPLE will be the focus of your ministry.
Jesus experienced that while He was on this earth. He devoted his life to helping, educating, and taking care of others:
— He said “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)
— When James & John wanted to call down fire from heaven to kill some people who wouldn’t take Jesus & His disciples in, Jesus rebuked them and said “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of. I did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” (Luke 9:56)
— Jesus said He came for the purpose “to give My life as a ransom for many.”
And on and on. Jesus came to glorify God — He was all about His relationship with His heavenly Father. But His ministry here on earth was all about touching PEOPLE, in all kinds of ways.
We need to know that following Jesus will lead us to minister to the people Jesus loves.
— Following Jesus is more than just “learning facts.”
“The goal of our instruction is LOVE from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith,” says I Timothy 1:5. He claims that all of your reading and studying of God’s word is to help you grow in LOVE! If your study of God’s word does not increase your love for God and His people, you have missed the whole point!
— Following Jesus also does not entail ministering to a building. That is a common error among Christians. They make religion all about the building — building a beautiful facility, maintaining it, and making sure it stays beautiful — as if Jesus called us to minister to the “building.”
” He said, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of MEN.” Now: we DO use buildings for Kingdom purposes, and we should build them as we need them, and we should keep them as beautiful as we can for God’s glory — but we also need to make sure we don’t get distracted: it must never be about the buildings themselves but the PEOPLE God called us to reach, and teach, and care for, in those buildings.
The same holds true for money. Money, like buildings, is something we USE to do God’s work and minister to people. But we’re not here to amass wealth. We don’t live for the “bottom line” of the world. If you think our church’s “bottom line” is the amount of money in our general fund, you’re mistaken. The way we touch PEOPLE for the glory of God is our “bottom line.”
That is exactly what Jesus is saying to us here. “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men,” he says. And this is one of the ways we can truly assess ourselves. How are we doing in terms of following Jesus — how can you tell? One of the best ways to find out is to do the following: Are you fishing for men, as Jesus instructed us to do if we followed Him? Are you reaching out to people? Are you disciplining others? Are you concerned about others? Are you making a difference in the lives of others? That is what Jesus said about following Him.
God bless You