Truth for Today - 18 September 2007

18 September 2007

Rhema Inspiration

Following Jesus

“The Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ is always looking for disciples
who will follow Jesus with their whole heart.”

Are you familiar with John 10:27? In this verse, Jesus says that His sheep listen to His voice; He knows them, and they follow Him. The song titled “Where He Leads Me” is based on this Scripture. The words of the chorus give us a powerful message: “Where He leads me I will follow; I’ll go with Him all the way.” Revelation 14:4 speaks of those who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. What commitment! What a challenge!

The Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ is always looking for disciples who will follow Jesus with their whole heart. Are you interested in being one of them? You may be a Christian who is not following Jesus with your whole heart, and/or who is not following Him wherever He goes. The present day Christian Church is filled with church members who follow Christ only in part, if at all. Many are more apt to make personal sacrifices to follow their church than they are to follow Jesus. Others make no sacrifices at all, or as few as possible. For them, belonging to a church is just something they do because they think they should, or it meets some kind of personal or family need or interest.

I heard a World War II veteran on a television program say that training to fight the war in the air was glamorous, but when the fighting started it definitely was not glamorous. I would say that reality set in! Many Christians are attending churches and involving themselves in church programs and activities because they meet a need. It seems glamorous to them. I would not consider it glamorous, however, to follow Jesus wherever He goes because there is always a cross to bear. There is a day coming down the road when many Church members are going to have a rude awakening. Some will wake up, shake themselves, open their eyes, and decide to really start following Jesus. Others will back away or fade into the shadows. Still others will compromise and even begin to fall away from following Jesus Christ at all.

I humbly and regretfully say that few churches, denominations, or non-denominational networks are presently training Christians to become strong, dedicated, and mature disciples of Jesus Christ. One of the major reasons is because their leaders are not strong, dedicated, and mature disciples of Jesus. Some people would readily agree with that statement concerning leaders of other groups, but they would defend their own leaders without really discerning the truth. I hope you have biblical cause, upon examination, to defend and support your leaders. Many leaders are good leaders of their group and its standards and beliefs, its doctrines and traditions, but are not mature followers of Christ and His whole Word rightly divided. That, too, will become clear in time, either in this life or when standing before Jesus Christ at judgment.

Most Christians are really not able at the present time to discern what kind of leader they have. They simply like their personality and feel good about what is going on. The Word of God, however, exhorts us to test the spirits to see if they are from God. Whether your leader is or is not currently a strong and mature disciple of Jesus, I challenge and encourage you to begin seeking God in prayer as never before; become known as a disciple who prays. I also exhort you to study the Bible diligently under the direction of the Holy Spirit, free from man’s traditions and doctrines; become known as a man, woman, boy, or girl of the Word.

If you will become a disciple of prayer and of the Word, you are on the path to becoming a strong, dedicated, discerning, and mature follower of Jesus Christ. Let it become true of you that you follow the Lamb wherever He goes. Your witness will shine the light as to where other church members are. To the real, true, and hungry church leaders and members, your witness will be edifying. To the church leaders and members who are not real and true disciples, your witness may bring conviction. To the lost, your witness will bring truth. To Jesus Christ, your witness will bring glory!

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BIBLICAL APPLICATION:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. Matthew 16:24-27 NIV

Pastor Wayne Wilson

New Covenant Church of Jesus Christ

3147 Klondike Road, SW, Conyers, GA 30094 USA

770-760-1101

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