Disciples Follow

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”—Matthew 16:24

I began dating my future wife the junior year of high school. Her parents were very upset that their daughter was dating me. I really didn't understand, because I thought I was a pretty good guy. When I asked Darlene to explain this, she said it was because I was not a Christian. Now I was really confused for at that time in my life I thought everybody in America was Christian.

Just as swimming in the ocean doesn't make you a fish, so living in a country where the most practiced religious faith is Christian doesn't make you one. By the way, some people believe “none” is now the largest religious preference in America. “None” is the response on a religious survey question when you check, "None—no religious affiliation."

Jesus said if anyone wishes to be His disciple, they must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him. Christian disciples follow Jesus. It is not just a matter of going to church. I was lead, forced, or at least expected to attend church each week of my life until I was 18 years old. But for all those years, I would have to admit, I was not really following Jesus. My salvation rested on the fact that I felt I was a pretty good egg. I never intentionally tried to hurt anyone, but Jesus’ measure of a disciple is drastically different from mine back then.

Disciples follow Jesus. If you claim to be a Christian, when was the last time you read your Bible? Recently on the way home from a Baptism service at the Quemahoning Lake, one passenger quoted several verses from John 3 that she learned by watching the Jesus Film. Later she quoted a large portion from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Amazed, I asked if she had learned all those verses from watching the Jesus Film. “Yes!” was her reply. If you’re not a good reader, have you watched the Jesus Film or listened to the Bible on media enough to memorize the scriptures? When was the last time you prayed? I'm not talking about a simple “help me” prayer but a prayer of serious communion with the Lord or lifting someone else's name to the Lord.

After Jesus washed the disciples’ feet at the Last Supper, He told them, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14).  After telling the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus asked which was neighbor to the man who was mugged by robbers. “The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’ Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise’” (Luke 10:37). Have you shown your love for God by serving your neighbor in love?

Jesus told the disciples, “You shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). Have you ever told someone else about your faith in Jesus or, at least, invited someone to church? Disciples follow Jesus. Can anyone tell by your life that you are a follower of Jesus?

Jesus invites us to follow Him. If we follow Jesus through prayer, Bible reading, and serving the way Jesus did, our lives should naturally declare our faith without saying a word. We needn’t worry about someone questioning our Christianity.