Followers of Jesus

Right after Jesus proclaimed for the first time 'Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near' he called the first disciples:

[Matthew 4:18] As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. [19] “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” [20] At once they left their nets and followed him.

Come

follow me

Jesus said

and I 

will 

make 

you 

fishers of men

The following was written by someone, somewhere (I cannot find out who it was ) who understood the call to follow Jesus

"Jesus did not come to give us programs.  He came to give us life.  Jesus did not call us to a set of rules.  He calls us into a living relationship with him.  Jesus did not call on us to try harder.  He calls on us to trust him completely today.  Jesus did not call us to plant churches.  He called us to make disciples.

Jesus said, “Come follow me.”  He still calls. 

When we follow Jesus…

We follow a person not a set of teachings.

We depend on Jesus in the same way he depended on the Father.

We listen to Jesus and allow him to interpret and apply his teachings in our lives.

We make disciples.  We help others become followers of Jesus.

We do what we see Jesus doing.

We gather with other believers to understand, honor and practice obedience to Jesus.

Now, how do we move beyond platitudes to practice?"

The final line asks a tough question, one that has huge implications for all followers of Jesus, one that I need to grapple with myself. Being a Christian sounds far more nebulous than being a follower of Jesus. Being a Christian can almost sound like a lifestyle choice rather than the pursuit of a person. Interestingly, Jesus never told us to become a Christian, he simply told us to follow him.