I have been trained in multiple techniques of evangelism over the years and although I am not a gifted evangelist, I try. It has become clear to me over the years that my work and gifts function better in the second wave than the first. I am most effective when I follow evangelists and teach the new, the young, and the immature what the bible says and how to properly interpret it. My goal is to teach them how to read it through the eyes of the author and the original audience, then to apply that truth today.

Over the last 20 years of doing this there are a couple of things about the way Jesus interacts with people that I find a bit jarring. To start, let’s look at a couple of typical instances of Jesus interacting with would be followers.

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,

And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him,

To Follow or Walk

In these two stories it is the similarity of Peter and Andrew with the young man in the second story that jumps out at me more than the difference. They both had lives, jobs, and possessions yet Peter and Andrew walked away from their possessions(and family) and the second young man walked away from Jesus though this unnamed young man was actually given better promises than Peter and Andrew.

Let’s think about this from the standpoint of Jesus first. In both cases Jesus did not try to coerce them he simply invited them. Jesus seemingly did this a lot. Some followed him and some did not. But Jesus did not shape his message or his ministry based on the results of any one individual. He obeyed his Father, spoke the truth, and walked on. People either followed or walked away.

As a teacher and a missionary this is challenging. So many forces are constantly trying to push you in one direction or another. You have literal crying needs on the one hand constantly tearing at your heart. You have people back home expecting certain “results” pulling in another direction. You have your own insecurities as a human being pulling at you in yet another direction. You have your ego that want’s its own results. And then you have your basic human desire that wants nothing more than to sit on the porch with an iced tea and play with your grandkids. In the middle of all this noise you have Jesus through his Holy Spirit speaking, asking you, to simply follow him.

The question is, will I follow or walk away? In essence we all make that decision many times a day as we walk along. That is challenging, but when we walk with Jesus we never walk alone. And as we walk with him we learn that most of our fears are baseless, and the strength we fear that we lack is miraculously supplied by Jesus.

So, what makes a person cling to their possessions while another walks away? Only the one being asked to follow can really answer that question. Are rich people really more attached to their possessions than poor people? I’ve never been rich so I don’t know, but I have been poor and I don’t remember any urge to dump what little I had.

So what is it really, that holds us back? Is it the urge to control our own lives? That feels more likely if I’m honest. Is it that I don’t actually trust God? Am I struggling to believe that God loves me? Or do I believe that only I can get what I want and need? That “grab it if you want it” attitude didn’t work out too well for Adam and Eve. Life at its core really is that basic. The choice is the same as it has always been ever since Eden. Trust in God’s love or walk away and try to grab it for ourselves.

The Body of Christ and Following

My first point was personal and individual, my second point is more about our collective ministry as the body of Christ. As the body of Christ we are the physical manifestation of Jesus on the earth today.

What is our message and our method? Is it the method of Jesus? It should be if we are his body. Do we demonstrate the truth and invite people to join us? Or do we threaten and coerce? Do we look for ways to demonstrate the love of God or do we look for ways to demonstrate our political power? Do we point to Jesus as the answer or do we point to the government as the answer? God’s power or human desire and effort? Put in these extreme terms these questions may not even seem fair. But, is this extreme or fairly accurate? I think about this a lot and think we should all think about who and what we believe really has the power.

The history of the Church is and has been deeply colored with human error. Today is no different, however throughout history there have always been those that simply follow Jesus, loving each other and showing the love of God to a world that does not know what love truly is. Then inviting others to follow along on the way of Jesus.

The Body of Christ has succumbed to the temptation of using compulsion and coercion many times in its past, using slick marketing, fear, threats, or even co-opting political power to get people to comply. Sometimes well intended and sometimes not. All of those times are black eyes for the Body of Christ as we look back. We must follow, and as the current Body of Christ we must demonstrate the reality of the Kingdom of God and simply invite people to join us, just as Jesus did. Some will follow and some will not and we need to be OK with that. We need to learn to trust God with the outcomes of truth and our love.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace, to follow him is to follow in his ways. This week we will not change the world, but we can change our world and the lives of those in our world, by following Jesus when he calls. Then, as we follow, we can invite those we meet to follow along with us.

Join me this week as we prepare our hearts to drop what we are doing when Jesus calls and simply follow.

Have a great week!