Following Jesus

“Come and follow me,” was the phrase Jesus used to invite His disciples into a life changing experience. He invited them on a 3 year adventure that would not only change their life but would rock the world. It was simple request, but it was costly. These first followers of Christ walked away from their homes, from their careers and they stepped out into the unknown.

They had no idea what they were in for, but they trusted the One who called them. Their faith in Jesus led them to be world changers, yet they had learning curve to get there. They lacked courage, understanding and experience. But that’s what Jesus gave them. Even after three years, they still didn’t fully get it, until they met the resurrected Lord.

It was after the resurrection and the giving of the Holy Spirit they began to make an exponential impact on the world. And they did this by telling others about what they had witnessed. They began to just go places and where ever they went they talked about Jesus.

You see that is the call of Jesus, “come and follow me and I will make you fishers of men,” He said. Somewhere along the line we have forgotten to follow Jesus and we certainly do not look like fishers of men. When did Christianity turn into a social club movement? It was never intended to just gather as a holy huddle. We were ransomed from the fire with the mission to rescue others from the fire.

If you are a Christian reading this, when is the last time you have told someone about Jesus Christ? When have you taken the opportunity to invite someone into the love of Jesus? Explained how God created us to be in a relationship with Him, but we are born into this world as sinners far from Him. Sin is a huge problem, it is the reason for all the evil in the world and no amount of good behavior will overcome it. But God loved us so much He sent His Son Jesus to pay our debt on the cross. Jesus died and rose again to pay for our sins and show us how much He loves us. And anyone who believes in Jesus alone will have new life, eternal life. That means we have a relationship with Jesus, we have been restored and reconciled?

When’s the last time you said more then “God loves you,” or “God bless you”? Followers of Christ need to be fearless, and they need to speak the truth of God’s love to this world. Start today. Pick up the phone, call or text someone. Begin a conversation to see if someone would be interested in hearing the greatest news of all time.

I’m not advocating forcing the Gospel on people. I’m encouraging conversation about thing that really matter. There is helpful and hurtful ways to share the Gospel. It is why we need Gospel fluency in our lives. So maybe the next step for you is to start talking with your Christian friends and share the Gospel, learn from each other and learn to converse about it. When talking to a non-Christian, ask questions, engage the conversation and paint a picture of who Jesus is. Don’t force it. If they don’t want to talk right now, move on. Wait until they are ready, but be in prayer.

So the strategy you need is to pray for your friends who do not know Jesus. Bring God up in conversation and see if they want to talk about Him. Paint a picture of who Jesus is by telling them why you believe in Jesus. Listen to their story and ask questions. Introduce them to Jesus and invite the to follow Him.

If your faith is lacking excitement and passion, fearlessly step out and tell someone about Jesus. It is the most exciting opportunity in the world!