Will you follow me?

Will you follow me? It’s a simple enough question. But, it has far-reaching implications. There is a commitment attached to this question. “Will you follow me so I can drop my car off to get an oil change?” is far different from “Will you follow me leaving everything behind to help build the invisible and eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ which will cost you your life?”.

“For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.” (Luke 14:28, 33)

Possessions. Money. Wealth. Relationships. They all have some sort of control over us. To truly follow Jesus we need to leave it all and follow Him.

The actor who plays Jesus in “The Chosen”, Jonathan Roumie, shares his own struggle with being at the end of his resources and asking God for help:

As I consider what our future holds and it seems very uncertain (at the moment), many questions I have include:

• What do I devote myself to in these remaining years of my life?
• How will God provide?
• Can I live like George Mueller and trust God completely for my needs?
• Can I fully follow Jesus without giving up all my own resources?
• Can I even have faith if I don’t trust God with everything? “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

A couple of famous quotes come to mind as I consider these questions:

• “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” (Jim Elliot)
• “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.” (Jim Elliot)
• “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!” (Peter, Acts 3:6)
• “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Jesus, Matthew 6:31-34)

Will you follow me? It is a question when asked by Jesus requires abandoning this entire world and all of my resources to step out in faith. It feels crazy. It feels reckless. It seems so stupid by human reasoning. But, when I consider the crazy evil out-of-control world that we live in right now, is it really that stupid?

Will you follow me? Am I willing to take the next steps to follow Jesus including baptism (water and Holy Spirit), discipleship, study of God’s Word, prayer, fellowship with other believers, and sharing the Gospel with others?

Will you follow me? I feel truly alive when I answer, “YES! I will follow Jesus!“.

“Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.” (John 12:25)

“Wow! Was that your flash?”, my friend asked as I was coming up out of the water. Off in the distance a flash of light appeared in the rain storm when I came up out of the water. Was it lightning or a reminder that the Holy Spirit descends on us even today!

Adventures with the Holy Spirit: the first of many! (Linville Gorge River, April 15, 2018)