Thursday, March 28

The Power of Following


Jesus told us not simply to go and make converts but to go and make disciples.  A disciple is a follower.  Paul here reiterates the same concept directly to the Christians in Colosse.

There is a huge revolution that takes place in your heart when you first receive Christ, the old life is gone, the new has come, salvation becomes ours.  However, for a revolution to continue we must continue to follow.

Two things are needed in order for us to be following:  we need a leader (otherwise who or what are we following) and we need to take steps (otherwise we fall behind and can no longer see the leader).

WE NEED A LEADER

Paul said “Imitate me as I imitate Christ”.  That means that whilst disciplers are extremely important in our lives, their role is still to help us imitate Christ, or put another way : to help Christ be fully formed in us.

So the one we follow is Jesus.  So when we say to people watch me and do as I do, our intention is that they would see the steps we take to follow Christ and so do likewise. When someone takes a step that has helped someone else in their revelation of and discovery of and formation of Christ in them that person will also have a high chance of discovering the same.

You will never grow as a believer, as a minister or leader if you have not made the absolute, life devoting, sacrificial decision to put Jesus first in every part of your life at all times.  It should never be a question in our minds whether Jesus becomes 1st, 2nd, last … the decision needs to be made once and for all.  You will bear immense fruit in your life by living this out.

This was Paul’s call to the Church.  Stand strong in the gospel you first heard.  Regardless of what others say, what TV portrays, what temptations come along.  Stand on your bottom line – I follow Christ!

He wanted the revolution that they first experienced in them when the accepted Christ to continue and to grow deeper and stronger.  To know such a revolution we must take steps:

KEEP WALKING

When we keep taking steps, we keep a forward movement and stay close behind Jesus.  The moment we stop taking progressive steps we fall behind and after a while we settle in a complacent level and find it hard to see Jesus clearly, He seems far in the distance (even though He is actually near!)

When we talk about a revolution in us it sounds so dramatic.  At moments in our lives it is and feels that way.  However much of the time the internal revolution and transformation is created over time with every forward moving step we take.

Forward motion and momentum even comes as we take the same good steps over and over again, one foot in front of the other.  I prayed yesterday, I’ll pray again today, and tomorrow and on and on.  I meditated on a bible verse yesterday, I’ll do it again today, tomorrow and again, over and over again.  I committed myself to serve in an area of Church, not as a one-off experience, but as a continual lifestyle. These are life changing steps and decisions.

The moment we stop making decisions to take a step to stretch ourselves is the moment we stop growing as a follower, the internal revolution is put on hold, the formation of Christ ceases.  We must continue to follow Christ actively with the same intent, the same faith, the same sense of hunger and revolution that was in us when we first accepted Christ.

Be blessed today as follow Christ.

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