4. A Call to Follow (A call to go after. To pursuit. To move along in the course of. To go in the direction of and be guided by. To accept the guidance, command, or leadership of. To adhere to; practice. To take as a model or precedent; imitate. To act in agreement, compliance with, and obedience to.)
Matthew 4:18-20 18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
Luke 9:57-62 57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 59He said to another man, “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” 62Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Question: What does following Jesus look like?
Followers of Jesus pursue Jesus. They continue in Jesus’ course. They follow His direction and are guided by Him. Followers of Jesus accept His guidance, commands, and leadership. They adhere to what He does and practice what He practices. They model Jesus and imitate Him. A follower of jesus lives their life in agreement, compliance with, and in obedience to Him.
Question: Are you following Jesus?
If so, you are ready to move on the the fifth facet of of clarifying the call of God for your life.
5. A Call to Disciple (A call to lead others to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.)
Matthew 28:19-20 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
This word “go” in Matthew 28:19 means to travel, depart, take a journey. It literally means: “as you go.” Notice it doesn’t say, “Therefore go and get people to come to church.” Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is far more than being a casual church attendee or church member! The discipleship process may start with bringing someone to church but it is never intended to end there.
Matthew 28:19 says that we are to make disciples of Jesus Christ not make members of a church.
Question: What does making disciples look like?
To disciple means to teach and/or train by example. We lead or disciple others through our example. One can’t lead others to follow Jesus if they themselves aren’t following Him. We lead in the same manner that we follow.
Philippians 3:10-17 10[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [[a]which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope] 11That if possible I may attain to the [[b]spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body]. 12Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own. 13I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward. 15So let those [of us] who are spiritually mature and full-grown have this mind and hold these convictions; and if in any respect you have a different attitude of mind, God will make that clear to you also. 16Only let us hold true to what we have already attained and walk and order our lives by that. 17Brethren, together follow my example and observe those who live after the pattern we have set for you.
The apostle Paul said it best in 1 Corinthians 11:1 which states: 1Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
As Christians we are called by God to live a life that patterns the life of Christ so people who follow our example will become more Christlike.
