Following in Your Footsteps: And the answer is...

I've been wanting to write this post for awhile, but for some reason, it seemed to continually be put on the backburner. You know what? I'm glad it did!

 Raise your hand if you know the answers for...
How do we gain world peace?
How do I love my sibling who annoys me?
How do I forgive?
How do I see eye to eye with someone who I disagree with?
 

I just started a new book and as I read the intro  I realized that it could be a huge tool in opening my eyes even wider to what the answer is in terms of being a better Christian.

 Each page turned in Red Letter Revolution, my eyes watered and my heart stretched.

It dawned on me that my attempt of being a Christian hasn't earned me a gold star or an A+. I have failed to really follow what Jesus has taught me. My eyes have skimmed over the red letters in the New Testament (the red letters being Jesus' words). Yes, I may have read His teachings but my reaction most likely resembled, "Wow, I wouldn't be able to do/say that" or "Aw, how nice...Jesus sure is an amazing guy!" Instead, I should have reacted in a way of, "That's the answer...that's how I reach my hurting sisters and brothers...thank you Jesus for showing me the way to their hearts...I can't wait to go out and serve them, just like You have served us."

 

The Gospel is all about love, service, and redemption. I believe that Jesus didn't serve those people just so we could read about it and adore Him. [Yes, we should definitely adore Him for who He is because He is amazing!] Instead, we should take one step farther and not only adore Him, but follow in His footsteps. He has shown us how to reach people. He wants to use us to represent the kingdom of God. Jeremiah 29:11 says that He has great plans for us and I believe that the number one plan He has is that we embody the kingdom of God.

You know those questions I asked in the beginning of the post?

Jesus has given us the answer.

Jesus is the answer.

 

When deciding what to do for the homeless & poor...Jesus is the answer.

When talking about war...Jesus is the answer.

When fighting with a friend...Jesus is the answer.

When in contact with someone different than us (whether it be color, orientation, religion)...Jesus is the answer.

 

Love, service & grace is who I see Jesus as. That's what He was and is about. So many times I have chosen the wrong answer. I have answered in a way that religion and legalism (not Gospel based) would have me answer or I have acted out of own self-interest, but guess what? Jesus would have never answered in that way. More times than not, I think we answer to situations based on our comfort level, pocket book, and traditions that have been passed down. We fail when we do that.
We aren't representing the kingdom of God when we find our answer apart from Jesus.

 

Now, the last thing I want to do is to make us feel like failures in our attempt to be Christ-like. I'm writing this as motivation, as a reminder of what our motives should be. We talk so much about what we should do and search for the answers, when all along the answer has been standing right in front of us...Jesus.
Thank God for His loving-kindness and forgiveness towards us. Now we can step forward and follow in Jesus' footsteps, rather than walking in the opposite direction.
 

1 John 4:7-12 says, "⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹ By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us."

 

 Friends, if we know that God is love and that when we love one another, God abides in us, that should give us the motivation and confidence to live our lives in the shadow of who Jesus is. He loved the down and out. He even loved the people who nailed Him to the cross.

Do we have enough faith to turn the other cheek?
Do we have enough faith to give the coat off our backs?
Do we have enough faith to love our enemies?

 Tony Campolo has asked himself and I think we can ask the same question...
"Do we have enough faith to live this radical lifestyle?"

I challenge you to read the red letters of the Bible (Jesus' words) not as a story, but as a lifestyle...as an answer to change the world.

 

 

 Will you join me in following in Jesus' footsteps?

Check out www.redletterchristians.org or read the book Red Letter Revolution by Shane Claiborne & Tony Campolo about the many controversial issues that the church faces today.

Following in Your Footsteps: Anyone can do it

 

Last time we talked about what the common perceptions of a Christian and what it really means to be a Christian...a Christ follower.

 

A lot of people have this idea that only "good" people can be Christians.

Only people that have it all together can follow Christ.

Only people with money can be Christians.

Only people who have never said or done anything bad can follow Christ.

BUT, I tell you, none of that is true.

 

Jesus doesn't ask for only people with money to follow Him.

He doesn't ask for perfect people to follow Him.

INSTEAD, He asks for ALL people to follow Him.

 

Maybe you think that you have messed up too many times to follow Jesus

or maybe you don't feel like you're good enough, but the good news is that Jesus doesn't care about that. He wants you...all of you...flaws, past mistakes, everything. He wants you to follow Him where you are, right now.

 

In fact, Jesus could have picked rich, educated men to be His disciples while He was here on earth, but He didn't. He chose fishermen and one tax collector. He chose simple men who were not perfect, but imperfect. Acts 4:13 says, "Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus."

 

Jesus didn't have requirements like:

-You have to go to church every Sunday.

-You have to obtain a 4.0 gpa.

-You have to wear Sperry's and have the latest gaming system.

-You have to have a clean record.

-You must have the Bible memorized and recite it forwards/backwards.

 

Whew! I'm glad He doesn't have requirements like that for us.

His only requirement is:

"And He was saying to them all, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me." ~Luke 9:23

(More on that later)

 

Kyle Idleman says in his book, Not a Fan..."When Jesus invited Matthew to follow, he was making it clear that this is an open invitation extended not solely to the religious elite , the morally upright, and those who have their lives together. But it is an invitation to all of us who are hiding some stains. Jesus throws out the elitist application process and gives you an open invitation."

He also writes...

 

"So who is invited to follow Jesus? Anyone.

Sexual past? Anyone.

Ex-con? Anyone. Current con? Anyone.

Recently divorced? Anyone.

Republican? Democrat? Anyone.

Alcoholic? Anyone.

Pothead? Anyone.

Addict? Anyone.

Hypocrite? Anyone."

 

You know what that means?

Jesus wants you to follow Him.

 

Next time, we'll talk about what it looks like to follow in Jesus' footsteps.

 

Reading plan for this week:

Monday: Esther 1-5

Tuesday: Esther 6-10

Wednesday: Job 1-4

Thursday: Job 5-7

Friday: Job 8-10

Saturday: Job 11-13

Following in Your Footsteps: What makes a Christian?

 

When you think of a Christian, what do you think of?

 

-A person who goes to church every single Sunday, including a Bible study every week.

-A person who puts money in the offering plate at church.

-A person who has a "Christian fish" on their car bumper.

-A person who has 75 Bible verses memorized.

 

OR maybe you think of a Christian as...

 

-A person who doesn't like to have fun.

-A person who forces their beliefs on others.

-A person who judges others in a hateful manner.

-A person who is hypocritical.

 

OR maybe when you think of a Christian, you think of all of the above.

 

If you were to look up "Christian" in the dictionary, it would probably say, "one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ". And if someone believes in something, in turn they would act on it or follow it, right?

So whatever Jesus teaches, a Christian should follow it, correct?  

 

Let's play a game of TRUE/FALSE...

-Jesus didn't like to have fun. FALSE, how could a guy not have fun with his friends (aka disciples) fishing on the boat?

-Jesus forced His beliefs on others. FALSE, of course, He told people what He thought, but He never did it in a condescending way, instead He lovingly spoke His mind.

-Jesus judged others in a hateful manner. FALSE, Jesus may have told people to repent, but He always did it in a loving way.

-Jesus was hypocritical. FALSE, what He said, He did and what He did, He said.

 

So if Jesus didn't do those things, Christians shouldn't either (but more on that on the next post). In Shane Claiborne's book, Irresistible Revolution, he said,

 "He saw Jesus in me. And I saw Jesus in Him."

That's how it should be.

If we are hypocritical, judgmental, and arrogant, people will not see Jesus in us.

Christians should strive to show Jesus to everyone around them.

Of course, because we are humans, we are not perfect, but we can still try our best to live the way Christ wants us to live.

 

 

Shane also talks about his search for a real Christian. He said, "I wondered what it would look like if we decided to really follow Jesus. In fact, I wasn't sure what a fully devoted Christian looked like or if the world had even seen one in the last few centuries. From my desk at college, it looked like some time back we had stopped living Christianity and started just studying it."

Like I said, this book may make you feel a tad bit uncomfortable, but it's so thought provoking.

 

I think many people think of Christianity as a religion, which it is; however, I think it should be seen as a way of life, instead of a list rules.

Let's eliminate the negative connotation of Christianity that our culture has created and let's simply follow Christ - loving God & loving others.

Today, I just started reading Kyle Idleman's book, Not a Fan, and  he says, "Following by definition requires more than mental assent, it calls for movement."

 

I don't know if you are following Christ, but either way, I'm so glad you are checking the series out! I hope you stop by again as we journey together about what it looks like to walk in Jesus' footsteps. I hope we can be challenged together to really, really follow Jesus. I know that I have been the opposite of Christ-like  many times, so I am thankful for God's grace and forgiveness.  

 

If you want, check out my post Are you a fan or follower? to see what category you may fit in.

 

Think about this & feel free to share below in a comment-I'd love to hear!

As Christians, what are some ways we have contributed to this negative perception? Where have we messed up and how can we shed positive light on Christianity?

 

Don't forget to pray for the unreached people group of the day!

 

Bible reading plan this week:

Monday: Nehemiah 1-3

Tuesday: Nehemiah 4-6

Wednesday: Nehemiah 7

Thursday: Nehemiah 8-9

Friday: Nehemiah 10-11

Saturday: Nehemiah 12-13