We (Christians) often speak of being followers of Christ. But, how far are we really willing to go with that statement? How far will we follow Jesus?
If we are willing to follow Jesus anywhere that he goes we will find ourselves in some undesirable locations. It is easy to follow Jesus to church on Sunday. It is easy to follow Jesus to a midweek Bible-study. It is easy to follow Jesus to your bed in evening prayers. But is it easy to follow Jesus everywhere that he goes?
If we are willing to follow Jesus wherever he goes we will have to go to the sick, poor, and oppressed of this world. We will have to go into gang infested neighborhoods of Southern California. We will have to go into the starving villages of Africa. We will have to enter into the world of the sex-slave trade of Eastern Asia. We will have to go places which will make us uncomfortable. We will have to go places which will cause us harm. We will have to go places which will get us killed!
Are you willing to take up your cross and follow Jesus? Am I willing? Will we truly risk our lives for the sake of following after Jesus? Will we risk shame for the sake of following after Jesus? Can we really be called followers of Christ, with how we currently live our lives?
It is my desire that this post makes you and I think about what it means to be following Jesus. I desire that that thought would then turn into action, the action of following Jesus. Will we become Christians?
2 comments:
Hey Scott,
I have no problem with your actual post the only question I have for you is are not some people more called to reach some of those people than others?? I would say that some people feel called to serve in those aspects and some are not. Does God not instill in us different ways of spreading His love? At least that what I got from this post, you are pointing more towards the evangelistic portion of following Christ?? Right??
Beckie (Henopp) Cochran
I am not saying that everyone needs to go to Compton, Shambu, or Putrajaya, in order to follow after Jesus; we are all called to love our neighbors. However it is necessary for ALL believers to feed the hungry, heal the sick, free the oppressed; we are all called to love our neighbors. All Christians are called to this by Jesus himself (Matt. 25:31-46 among many other places). All of us are called, there is no excuse to not do these things. The area I am most gifted in is teaching, this does not mean that I am to remain behind a pulpit or in front of a classroom full of students. I have been called to teach, but as a follower of Christ, I still need to love my neighbors. I still play a role in Christ's redemptive work in this world, and so do all Christians.
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