Followers of Christ in a Christ-less World
by Dr. John Barnett

Jesus said that eternal life is all about following Him; and He summarized His entire plan for the disciples in just two words: "Follow Me" (Matthew 4:19). Those two words were what He spoke to Peter, Andrew, James and John as they fished and to Matthew as he sat at the tax office (Luke 5:27); and those two words are what He still calls for as He walks through this world.

Are you personally following Jesus? Does your day revolve around Him: as you start the day with seeking Him, as you go through the day serving Him, and end the day with thanking Him? Believers are Christ's personal followers in a Christ-less world.

Jesus explained as He taught, that His disciples were those who heard His voice, became His sheep, and "followed" Him (John 10:27). Jesus called those followers His disciples or "learners". The Gospels are a record of how disciples spent time with Jesus for over 3 years watching, listening, and most of all "following" Him.

Jesus called Himself the "Way"; and described salvation as the beginning a life-long journey of following Him (John 14:6). This call to a life of following needs to at times be renewed as Jesus demonstrated after His resurrection, when Peter was restored to ministry as Jesus again said "follow" Me (John 21:19).

Are We His Followers?

So Christ's plan was to have close, personal "followers" who were also learners and doers of His Way. They listened and followed Him as they learned from Him how to do what He did.

The book of Acts goes on to describe the early believers as those who were "followers" of Christ Jesus, the Way:

• Acts 9:2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. NKJV
• Acts 22:4 "I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, NKJV
• Acts 24:14, 22 "But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets. 22 But when Felix heard these things, having more accurate knowledge of the Way, he adjourned the proceedings and said, "When Lysias the commander comes down, I will make a decision on your case." NKJV

The Church at the beginning was simple, everyone was following Jesus, acting so much like Him they were described by unbelievers as little-Christ-imitators or "Christ-ians". As the church gathered, they were taught that every facet of their lives were to be reflective of what they learned while following Jesus personally.

Learning by Example

This "learning and doing by example" model was the key to Titus 2 discipleship; Paul described a plan for having each person in Christ's Church actually involved in a life-long learning process of following Jesus Christ. In fact, believers are called little imitations or "mimics" of Jesus Christ. The Greek word in the Epistles for "follow" and "followers" is mimetes (literally "mimics").

Listen to the clear call we have all been given by Christ's Apostles to follow or "mimic" Christ:

• 1 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me. NKJV

• 1 Corinthians 11:1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. NKJV [That is the clearest description of what Titus 2 discipleship is all about!]

• Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. NKJV

• 1 Thessalonians 1:6 And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, NKJV

• 1 Thessalonians 2:14 For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, NKJV

• 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; 9 not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us. NKJV

• Hebrews 6:12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. NKJV

• Hebrews 13:7 Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. NKJV

• 1 Peter 3:13 And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? NKJV

• 3 John 11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God. NKJV

God is looking for those who will not merely hear God's Word, study God's Word, memorize God's Word, master the content of God's Word - He wants those men and women, and boys and girls who will follow Christ.

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Monday, June 15, 2009