“Don’t be a follower,” says the father to his son. “You have to be a leader.” The father knew that his son had some bad apples in his class. “Good advice,” we’d say. And it is! The world glorifies leadership skills. Those who can lead are often the most successful in life. Is it ever bad to simply follow the leader, though?
I suppose that depends on who the leader is. It’s amazing when you read the accounts of Jesus calling his disciples how it seemed that they jumped into following Jesus wholeheartedly without hesitation. “Good move,” we’d say. And it was! Take the call of Matthew for example:
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. (Matthew 9:9)
So simple. So straightforward. Yet so hard to do. By nature we are all followers. Unfortunately, it is so easy to follow the “bad apples” of our world, our sinful self, and the devil. We need to follow a better leader!
“Don’t be a follower,” says the Father to His Son. “You have to be the leader.” The Father in heaven knew that because we were following all the wrong things, he had to send his Son to defeat them all for us. Jesus took the lead by paying for every sin we’ve ever committed by giving his life on the cross. Now, as his forgiven children, he gives us an invitation:
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)
And because of Jesus’ cross for us, we willingly do just that. We follow our leader through the crosses and trials that come with the Christian life, knowing that we will receive a crown of glory from our leader. And you know what, that means that by your life you get to lead others to follow Jesus as well! There’s a lot that goes into following our leader. That’s why this summer, we’re starting a new worship series (see below). Come and follow the leader with your fellow members and friends at Immanuel!
Followers of Christ…
6/27 Expect Persecution
7/4 Understand the Call for Total Commitment
7/11 Support Kingdom Work
7/18 Love their Neighbor
7/25 Listen When God Speaks
8/1 Pray Boldly (Mission Festival)
8/8 Know Earthly Wealth is Meaningless
8/15 Find True Treasure in Trusting God’s Promises
