What Does It Mean To “Follow Jesus”?
“Following Jesus” can be a phrase that Christians tend to throw around a lot. For those who are not from a Christian background, it may sound like a suggestion to just follow some dead guy’s teachings. For those who are from a Christian background, it may sound like a suggestion to just follow Jesus’ example. “Following Jesus” has many synonymous phrases like “committing your life to Christ,” “getting saved,” “Jesus coming into your heart,” “being converted,” or “becoming a Christian,” but it is much more than that. It is first about accepting Christ’s gift of grace, and then committing to join in his mission and LIVE it out in your own life.
The Good News
When we look at the world around us, we see BROKENNESS. People get sick, people hurt people, natural disasters happen, and eventually all people face death. This is not part of God’s original design. He originally created all things to be good and God repeatedly calls the things he created good in Genesis 1. The problem is, human beings have rebelled against God and sinned continuously throughout history. You can see this all through the Old Testament starting in Genesis 3. The result of this rebellion is that humans are inherently separated from God and cursed.
Even though humans have rebelled against God and continue to do that today, God still LOVES us. All throughout the Bible, God promised that a Savior would one day come so people could be reconciled back to God. Eventually God himself came down in the person of Jesus Christ to save us. He lived a sinless life and was condemned to die the death of a sinner in our place. He then rose from the dead after three days to conquer sin, death, and the curse that separated us from God. God now offers all people salvation as a gift of grace and we receive that gift through faith or believing in Christ as our substitute. If we turn or repent from our sin and submit our lives to Jesus, we will receive forgiveness, be reconciled back to God, and adopted as his children for eternity.
Living It Out
Following Jesus does not stop at repenting and believing in what Jesus did. It only begins there. If you consider yourself a follower of Jesus, I encourage you to seek out these FOUR things in your life:
Find A Church:
Don’t just assume that all churches are equal! You want to find a church that actually teaches the Bible. If a church doesn’t teach the Bible, that is a red flag that they do not honor God’s plan or mission for his people. You also want to make sure that the church teaches the things I mentioned in “The Good News” section above. If they do not teach that, they are not a TRUE Church and you will not be able to grow there.
Once you find a church, don’t just attend; GET INVOLVED! If you like welcoming people and being hospitable, join the team that does that. If you like working with kids, help out with kids or student ministries. Or if you like working with the poor or people from other cultures, learn more about care ministries or missions. Find a place to serve! Jesus constantly emphasized the importance of serving others in his ministry. If all you do is show up to church, you are not Following Jesus as he intended.
Find A Group:
Next, find a group to be part of. My church calls these groups Life Groups. We meet once a week for a meal, social time, Bible study, and prayer. We also seek to do LIFE together by serving and spending time together outside of our weekly meetings. Find a community of Christians to be part of and commit yourself to those relationships as if they are family, because in Christ, they are your FAMILY!
Find Accountability:
It is incredibly important to find people to hold you accountable. In my church, we have Core Groups which are groups of 2-4 people of the same gender who meet together for accountability, Bible reading, and prayer. Following Jesus should never be done alone apart from community. We need one another, so find a group of people who can CHALLENGE you in the areas you need to grow in and pray for you when life gets rough.
Find A Mentor:
Jesus mentored twelve guys to carry on the mission after he was gone. He has called us to do the same. But in order to be a good mentor, it is helpful to have a mentor. Seek someone older and wiser in the faith who can help you grow in your faith. You never outgrow the need to learn and grow. Then as you grow, you can seek to mentor others. This is DISCIPLESHIP, and it is God’s plan for the church and our growth.
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For more on the importance of joining a church family see: Can I Be A Christian Without Going To Church? For more on how to Follow Jesus, WATCH the video below!
