Following Christ

Do you think of "following Christ" in terms of giving up the "bad stuff"? Or for those who are more devoted to the calling...staying away from specific sins? No more wild parties...no more alcohol induced rages...no more porn...no more drugs...no more selfishness. Sounds harsh, I know...But as Christians, sometimes we think living out the Christian life means leaving out the obvious sins that are so damaging. Laying down a sinful lifestyle is definitely part of having a relationship with Christ. However, we face a serious problem as believers, if we define ourselves as His followers but only focus on the obvious sinful behavior...when the devil snookers us with the subtleties of sin. We must realize that Christ calls us to much more than just laying down sin...He calls us to a change of heart AND life.

He calls us to be "fishers of men".

In Matthew 4:18-20, Christ told brothers, Peter & Andrew, to "Come follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men". And they did...just like that! The Bible says they "immediately" left their nets and followed Christ. The first thing I notice about this testimony is that Christ didn't say, "Stop committing sins against God and THEN follow Me". He didn't say, "As soon as you have given up the bad stuff, THEN follow Me". Jesus realized that the core of our Christianity...that is, being a follower of Jesus Christ...does not depend on how well we can harness our sinful nature. If it depended on that, it wouldn't matter that He died on the cross to pay for our sins! Jesus knew that the most important thing about being a Christian, was for those men to follow Him and to serve others. And when He called them to do just that, they immediately obeyed Him.

Christ calls us to follow Him and to serve others, and He gives us many examples of each. Christ obeyed His Father and He led & taught by example. Some of the greatest advice for our Christian walk He's ever given us are found in Matthew chapter 5...

"Those people who know they have great spiritual needs are happy, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. Those who are sad now are happy, because God will comfort them. Those who are humble are happy, because the earth will belong to them. Those who want to do right more than anything else are happy, because God will fully satisfy them. Those who show mercy to others are happy, because God will show mercy to them. Those who are pure in their thinking are happy, because they will be with God. Those who work to bring peace are happy, because God will call them his children. Those who are treated badly for doing good are happy, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them." vs 3-10

Christ tells us exactly what the Christian life is all about...what the cost is for those who believe in Him, follow Him, and serve others. He explains to us that we have great spiritual needs...there are times we will be sad in which God will comfort us. He calls us to be humble and to do right. He calls us to show mercy and be pure in thought. And we are to work on bringing peace to ourselves and others. And He sees ALL things, and He WILL reward us! Notice He also says heaven is ours! God will comfort us...He will fully satisfy...He will extend mercy...we will be with Him...He will claim us as His own!

In verses 11 & 12, He promises this...
"People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do, you will be happy. Rejoice and be glad, because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did the same evil things to the prophets who lived before you."

So how can Christ say that when we're persecuted...we'll be happy...?!!!???

Because He knows that the most important thing in our life is to follow Him and serve others. In following Him, we'll be participating in a relationship with Him. And that is the key to happiness...joy...in this life. He doesn't promise us that we'll be happy due to our circumstances. He never said our happiness depends on how our day, week, or year goes. He says that we'll be happy if we follow Him...if we have a relationship with Him...and we'll find joy in serving others.

Simply put...the Christian life is
more about taking action to follow Him
and serve others...being "fishers of men",
than focusing on being "good".

We can't be good, anyway...no matter how hard we try! So He calls us to follow Him...

And guess what?

The "bad stuff" won't be as tempting if we're walking daily with Him...it just won't taste good.

"Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him." Psalm 34:8