And They Followed Jesus
What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus Christ? In John 1:29–51, we see that it means three things: (1) In Christ, you are loved; (2) you are called to follow Jesus; and (3) you will see greater things.
You Are Loved
In John 1:29, John the Baptist says as he sees Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Yes, you and I are sinners, and the only One who can deal with our sin is Jesus Christ. If you have repented and put your trust in Jesus, then you can know for sure that your sins are completely forgiven, because Jesus died in your place. Remember that in Christ, you are deeply loved.
Recently, I spoke with a man who is experiencing a major marriage crisis, and one of the things he said was, “I have a hard time believing that Jesus loves me.” I gently and yet openly shared with him that one reason that he is having a hard time enjoying the love of Christ and truly believing that he is forever loved by Jesus is because of his immature and half-hearted way of following Jesus.
You Are Called to Follow Jesus
When we read in John 1:37, “The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus,” and when Jesus calls Philip in John 1:43 by saying, “Follow me,” then we need to understand that Jesus was not talking about just giving a little bit of your time, talent, and treasure to Him. No, following Jesus meant for these first disciples that a radical shift had taken place: nothing and no one was more important to them than Jesus Christ and His kingdom. They spent time with Jesus, they walked with Him, they stayed with Him, they ate with Him. They studied Jesus, and thereby they were changed more and more into the likeness of Christ. In Acts 4:13, we read: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”
Are you skipping church because your son is having a football game or because you want to go to the lake? Are you not disciplined in reading the Bible because of pressures at work? Are you negligent in setting aside time for prayer? If you are, then you are missing out on the love and holiness of Christ in daily life. Reading the Bible, setting aside time for prayer, and being weekly in a God-honoring worship service are crucial ways of spending time with Jesus and experiencing His amazing love.
You Will See Greater Things
The man who is going through a marriage crisis rightly said, “It is hard to love others if you don’t feel loved by God.” Come and enjoy the love of Christ by following Christ, and you will see greater things that God will do in you and through you.
