That may seem like a redundant title, but I know I’ve been drawn to write about it, so consequently I’ve given it a good deal of thought. To me… saying, “I am a follower of Jesus Christ” speaks much louder than saying, “I’m a Christian” or even saying, “I’m a Believer.” I say that because to make the statement, “I am a follower of Jesus Christ” means whoever is making that proclamation has also given some serious thought to its subtle implications. For many of the Christians and Believers I know, going to church on Sunday and checking the “Done” box pretty much sums-up their commitment. When they walk out of the church, the remainder of the week is “business as usual”. But the truth is…if you walk out of church with the same mind-set as when you walked into the church, you just attended a “social gathering”. Perhaps that is the root cause for one of the most common criticisms of us Christians; “Well, I know he claims to be a Christian, but I don’t see anything different about him. He still acts like everyone else!” Wow! That’s quite an indictment. If there is one thing Christians should not be, it’s “just like everyone else”.
To be a “follower of Jesus Christ” makes a much bolder statement. I have heard people ask in various situations, “What would Jesus do?” Well…you can be sure he would do SOMETHING! Jesus was anything but a pacifist. He came to change the world, and you don’t do that by sitting on the sidelines watching life go by and expecting someone else to “do it”. He challenged the hypocrisy and erroneous teaching of the religious elite, and his preaching was contrary to the world’s view. Can you imagine listening to his first sermon: “blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven; blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5: 3,5) No one had ever spoken like this before. And he also boldly spoke the truth to his followers about the conflict they would have with the world. In Matthew 10:28, Jesus tells his Disciples, “All the nations will hate you because you are my followers.” That’s hard to misinterpret! But he also goes on to tell them why they would make the choice to follow Him; “But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.” Jesus came to save the world, and as his followers we are charged to follow his example. Therefore, sitting idly by and pursuing “life as usual” is not the answer. He wants us to be active…to be participants in this endeavor.
That is, no doubt, a daunting challenge. I also realize how it can strike fear in people. But regardless of those two “minor” details, this is the truth you must never forget: God’s salvation plan for us is perfect! As we are told throughout the scriptures, whatever God expects from us, he will equip us to complete successfully. His promise to us time and time again has been, “I will never leave you or forsake you”, Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5, etc. When we stand on that truth we are ready to be “followers of Jesus Christ.”
HOW CAN WE POSSIBLY DO IT?
When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, a transformation takes place, and to reference Bob George again, author of Classic Christianity, “You can’t have a changed life until you experience an exchanged life.” How true that statement is, and contained therein is the “how” part of being a “follower of Jesus.” 2 Corinthians tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; the old has gone, the new is here!” The “old” referred to in that scripture is our “old self (our “sin nature”, or as our culture calls it, our “human nature”). The “new creation” means we now contain the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to empower us to accomplish our new purpose in life, and that new purpose is to become more Christ-like. Apostle Paul clearly states this in Galatians 5: 16-18:“So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to your sinful nature.” That is HOW we live the life we are called to live.
The sad reality is, I’ve seen and heard want-to-be Christians throw up their hands in exasperation and exclaim, “I just can’t do it!” And the truth is…they (we, I) can’t do it of our own volition. It’s as though they have never heard about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and what it means to be “empowered” to live the new life we are called to live. While churches teach forgiveness of sin and eternal life when talking about salvation, not all teach about the power of the Holy Spirit and the freedom we have as new Christians. It is that part of the Salvation package, the power of the Holy Spirit, which, in my opinion, makes this plan so incredible. Now we are empowered to be Christ-followers in this fallen world. Now we are empowered to begin living the life Christ modeled when he was walking the earth. This is the meaning of 1John 4:4, “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won your fight…because the Spirit that lives in you (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the spirit who lives in this world.” (Satan) My friends, you have to get this! This is Key!! This is a promise from a loving God who wants YOU to be his light in this fallen world.
Unfortunately, as new Christ-followers we have no mental delete buttons to push. We still have our past to contend with; we still have relationship issues to deal with; we may still have crabby bosses, crappy circumstances to deal with, etc. The list can go on and on, but make no mistake about this: once you make a decision to change your life, Satan is going to go into warp speed to try to shipwreck you new pursuit. He is going to come after you in every way imaginable because he knows your every weakness, and he is relentless! He is the father of lies; the master manipulator and the great deceiver.
But…take solace in these scriptural facts from a loving God who has made it possible for you to become the person he created you to be: He will never leave you or forsake you (paragraph 3); you are no longer a slave to your sin-nature (paragraph 4); and you are already victorious because the Spirit in YOU is greater than anything Satan can bring your way. (paragraph 5). Once these truths get from your head to your heart and you stand on them because you KNOW and BELIEVE they are true, you are in the process of becoming more Christ-like.
ONCE AGAIN…WHAT DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT DO?
The Holy Spirit does not do these things for you. The growth and maturity of a Christ-follower takes place in the process itself. Therefore the Holy Spirit empowers YOU to accomplish the tasks. Your role is to see the temptation; the relationship issue; the addiction; the behavior or anger issue; whatever it is you are facing, and simply ask: “Holy Spirit, help me overcome this issue so I can continue becoming the person God created me to be. Please give me wisdom; give me patience; give me strength; give me courage; give me perseverance, WHATEVER IT IS I NEED to tackle this problem. Then tackle it with confidence knowing that you are already victorious. Keep at it, keep praying and asking the Holy Spirit to guide you until you are victorious. Remember…that’s God’s promise to you! It’s his promise because you are now his child; you are in Christ. Jesus made this all possible because of his sacrifice on the cross. As a Christ-follower, you are covered with his blood and committed to following his example in both word and deed. You are to actively carry a message of hope and salvation into a dark world.
I would like to close with this personal story. I was driving back to St. Louis from Crooksville, Ohio two summers ago, and once I got around Columbus and was heading west on I70, I was committed to turning off the radio, my cell and concentrating on this predetermined question: “What does it mean for Jesus to be Lord of my life.” It took no time to become thoroughly immersed in that thought process and I gotta tell you, about two and a half hours later when I finally snapped out of my “trance”, I was crossing from Ohio into Indiana, wondering who had been driving. I was in the Thunderbird convertible, so the top was down, sun was shining and I became aware of the scenery. If you know that part of I70, it is very wooded on both sides of the highway from the Ohio border to Richmond, IN. About ten miles down the highway (on the south side, my left side) was a clearing, and in the middle of these dense trees was the biggest bright white billboard I have ever seen with this message in crimson red: JESUS IS REAL. Not a scripture…but a message. Jesus IS real!!
I have since talked with people I know who are traveling in that direction, and have even asked truckers who have made that trip many times, but so far, no one else has seen that billboard with that message. But it was there when it needed to be there, and it was the perfect affirmation for my decision that day… . to make Jesus Lord of my life: to put Him first; to make Him my number one endeavor, knowing full well that this process is all about progress and not perfection. The perfection part will only come on the other side, but the more prominent He becomes in my life now, the more I can experience the Kingdom of Heaven right here, right now, and the more I can share this message with others.
So my question to you today is: Is Jesus Lord of your life? And why?
May God Bless Ya, and feel free to respond to this posting.
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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