If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (John 14:15, ESV)
Chapter Ten - Now What?
Perhaps the biggest hole in a Christian’s life is the answer to the “What is next?” question. If going to church is not the total answer, what is? This is where the ‘rubber’ of a Christian’s shoe meets the road or perhaps the difference between being ‘just’ a believer and being a true disciple. To follow Jesus begins with learning all one can about God, our Savior Jesus, and the Bible. But until one applies what they have learned, they are not truly following Him. So what does that look like?
First a quick assessment, do you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind? (See Matthew 22:37) Not sure how to answer that question? Then ask yourself how many times do you think about and pray to God in one day? Is that number greater than thinking about some other person or object in your life? If so you can go to the next paragraph. If not, why? Are you a parent and are concerned for your spouse and children? Then ask yourself who is better at provision and guidance than Jesus? Let Him do that job! Are you in need of something? Are you just starting off, going to school or otherwise on your own? Again I ask, who would be better than Jesus to provide, to guide or to talk to? It may be difficult, or perhaps awkward, to begin talking to Jesus all the time, but it is worth it! How? Well, to begin with, you will sin less, and secondly, as Paul wrote, “pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18a, NIV) the process would help you focus on Him and not the world.
Our focus should always be on Him as this life is only temporary and all believers have things to do while we wait to enter the permanent eternity in heaven. What things? Remember the Great Commission, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20, NLT) You might be asking, “What does that mean for me?” Evangelism can be applied in a number of ways, including (but certainly not limited to): through living a true Christian life that reflects Biblical values, talking to others about Jesus, help meet the needs of those less fortunate, etc. All while going to church, praising God, Bible study, praying (especially for the lost) and fellowship with other Christians.
The most important element of following Jesus is keeping your eyes on Him and actually follow Him. The author of the book of Hebrews relates our time in this world to a race and offers the following advice on how to run in that race: "Since we are surrounded by so many examples of faith, we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially sin that distracts us. We must run the race that lies ahead of us and never give up. We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith. He saw the joy ahead of him, so he endured death on the cross and ignored the disgrace it brought him. Now he holds the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne. Think about Jesus, who endured opposition from sinners, so that you don’t become tired and give up." (Hebrews 12:1-3, GW)
Every believer will likely have different ministries and responsibilities so it is vital to know what He wants you to do. How is that determined? First, be willing. Second, listen and watch carefully. He may lead in a subtle way (various situations or people come into your life, an idea comes to mind that clearly is not from you, etc.) or perhaps more direct in a vision, dream or through Scripture. If you need confirmation don’t feel bad, He is happy to verify. Still not sure? Perhaps He wants you to wait. Just keep your eyes on Him and your mind in the Word. Everybody is different, meaning that if someone is communicating with God one way, that doesn’t mean He will talk to you in the same manner. Sometimes He just wants us to be still (see Psalm 46:10). It is important to not “just do something,” while you wait on the Lord. Many try to mimic others, but this can be problematic quickly, as believers are given different gifts to make their ministries possible.
Just as every building needs a foundation that connects to or interfaces with the earth in order to provide stability, believers require a “spiritual foundation” to interface with God while in the world. This foundation begins with the Word of God, where not only has He revealed Himself to us, but has clearly laid out what is acceptable and what is not acceptable to Him. If we remain Biblically ignorant we will likely slowly compromise who we are and end up conforming more like the world than like Jesus. We need to understand that we may be in this world, but our citizenship is of a future world we call heaven. Therefore, we should always base our decisions on our future occupation, not our current temporary location.
Jesus during His “Sermon on the Mount,” taught: "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24-27, ESV) Throughout Scripture Jesus is identified as a Rock, the firm foundation (see Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 28:16; Luke 6:46-48; 1 Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 2:20; 2 Timothy 2:19), here Jesus is saying that He is the rock on which believers are to build on and promises to protect during adverse conditions. Our spiritual foundation in life is also to be attached to Jesus.
Attached to Jesus, what does that mean? You might be asking, “What percentage of my life is really mine and what percentage belongs to Him?” First of all, as a believer we have all been bought (like a slave) by His blood (see Matthew 20:28; Acts 20:28; Romans 6:4; 14:8; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Galatians 3:13-15; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:12; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 5:9), so we truly do belong to Him and as our Lord and Savior, He is also our Boss. When we read the gospels and the various epistles we see that there are distinct commands and other requirements that literally intersect every part of our lives. Are you now asking if Jesus truly expects us to give up those things we want to do? Well, hold that thought for a moment. The famous Christian apologist and author, C.S. Lewis wrote that Christianity to him seemed to be a “transcendental Interferer,”[1] that bound believers with barbed wire to prevent one from doing something wrong. And since no one likes to be told all the time how to obey and behave, even when it benefits us, the commands in the Bible can be viewed with distain. But what is really going on? Actually the battle is in our own minds, we want what we want, period. Nobody likes to be interfered with, including believers.
During Jesus’ ministry He often encountered opposition from the religious leaders of the day because they thought they had interpreted Scripture correctly and that Jesus was wrong. But Jesus continued to speak with absolute authority and since this attracted the attention of other Jews, the leadership ultimately plotted to kill Him. Just like those religious leaders, we often prefer a spirituality that has been shaped and created by our own ideas, agenda and lifestyle. We begin to think things like: “But this is what I believe,” or perhaps, “This is what I cherish,” or maybe, “I have always done it this way,” or as I have heard many times, “This is my tradition!” My personal favorite goes something like, “You’re wrong, my Jesus would never say or do that!” But as we read the Bible, we see that Jesus disassembles and destroys those ideas, essentially turning everything upside down and effectively rejecting those pesky presuppositions and disposing of those man-made concepts. Since He doesn’t share the authority that was given to Him (read Matthew 28:18), especially to us humans (since no intermediaries are required), our lives do in fact belong fully to Him.
Since we can’t pick and choose how we want to obey (as the Bible is not a buffet line), we certainly can’t pick and choose what is truth and what is not. The Bible clearly states the truth. I know what you are probably going to ask, “How can I comply and obey if the many theologians can’t agree on everything? What chance do I have in interpreting the many commands correctly?” It’s a process that begins with bowing down before Him and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. As we allow Him to be Lord over our lives, we need to change how we think. We should no longer think as those in the world think but with our eyes on Jesus. The apostle Paul clarified this concept when he wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2) As we are being transformed, we do as He wants and the more we comply (through testing) the more we can see His way is better, that God’s will is indeed the correct and the proper way to live.
David wrote in the nineteenth Psalm, “The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living.” (Psalm 19:7-8, NLT) By using several synonyms to describe God’s directions to His people (words like instructions, decrees, commandments, commands, etc.), David makes the case that God’s ways are always perfect, soul reviving, trustworthy, simple, right, that which brings joy to the heart, clear and provides insight for living. That fact remains true throughout Scripture. But why then when we attempt to apply those commands, it doesn’t always seem so appealing? That’s because one word that David did not use is ‘easy’, being a follower of God has never been easy. In fact, Jesus warns that since the world persecuted Him, that His followers (true disciples) will also be persecuted (see John 15:19-20, see also Matthew 5:10-12). Real effort is required, if you are in a ‘comfortable’ spot in your walk with Jesus, you might want to check to see if you are on the right road! There are no easy routes nor are there any shortcuts.
Sadly, there is one word in Christianity that often causes people to break out in cold sweat and make them nervous. That word is ‘evangelism’, and as a result they will either compromise their witness (doing something that is contrary to what a Christian should be doing) or desire to take a less-stressful approach and just be a good example to others. Of course Christians should always attempt to be good exemplary models to the world as that ‘difference’ may open doors that allow you to speak about the redeeming grace of Jesus. If you are not a good example then your ability to witness to others will be compromised. But we should strive to be more than just good citizens in a fallen world, we are to always be prepared to share the gospel message (see 1 Peter 3:15). God set up His “gospel message delivery system” to use people. That’s right, that would be you and me. Jesus gave us explicit instructions that evangelism is to be part of each Christian’s life (see Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15). Paul understood this when he wrote, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:14-17)
At this point you might feel somewhat overwhelmed. You might be surprised to hear that being overwhelmed is okay as that means we can't do what God expects of you without His help. God will indeed guide every Christian, but He will also provide all necessary resources. We need to have total reliance on Him. Earlier I mentioned the various pieces of God's armor as described by Paul in Ephesians chapter six. Two of those pieces were to be used both defensively and offensively, those being the Word of God and prayer. It is essential that Christians 'master' both of them.
As mentioned earlier, the Word of God, the Bible, reveals the nature of God and what He wants us to do. Which essentially identifies the 'who' (God) and the 'what' (evangelize), while prayer identifies the 'how' (tapping into the power of God). Since the Holy Spirit resides in each Christian, we are always 'connected' to God, and prayer is the way we communicate with Him.
Before teaching on the subject of prayer I often ask my students, "Is anyone satisfied with their prayer life?" No one has ever answered 'yes’, as we all have room to improve regarding prayer. It shouldn’t be puzzling as to why our prayer life often suffers. The devil and his minions (not the yellow variety) have effectively interfered in our lives to minimize the need and priority of prayer, they know where our power comes from. Pray right now and ask God for a closer relationship with Him and to make prayer a priority in your life.
I can’t tell you what your walk with Jesus should look like or what your ministry does as that is between you and God. But I can encourage you to walk with Jesus everyday. Take the time to pray, to read and study the Bible and be prepared to share the gospel with anyone God has placed in your life.
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[1] Lewis, C. S.. Surprised by Joy (pp. 211-212). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.