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What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus?
Following Jesus is not primarily about embracing a religion (Christianity) or
participating in a series of rituals - it is about embracing a person.
Following Jesus is to experience the divine nature of God
Faith is being in a relationship with God, through Jesus Christ. It involves
accepting that God revealed his true Divine nature through Jesus and that
Jesus' work on the cross provided for our forgiveness and salvation.
Following Jesus means loving others as He loved us
Jesus led a life of love and self-giving and calls his followers to a similar lifestyle.
We are called to love as Jesus loved. "A new command I give you: love one
another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone
will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."(John 13:34-35)
Following Jesus is to embrace His two greatest commandments
Sometimes we assume that faith means "following the commandments" or
"obeying the rules." Jesus tried to make it as simple as possible - he said,
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second
is like it: love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the prophets hang
on these two Commandments." (Mark 12:30-31)
Love is an action we take, a deliberate choice that we make - it is more than
words or good intentions, it is revealed in our relationships with others.
Following Jesus leads to love, joy, peace, purpose and eternal life
The way of love is challenging, but for those who follow Jesus there is also joy,
peace, purpose and the final reward of eternal life. Jesus showed us the way
that we should go as children of God.
Jesus put a human face to God and having shared our humanity understands
what we experience in this life and wants to help us to experience life abundantly.
Jesus said "I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." (John 10:10)
Our faith in this reward is not in our own abilities or "holiness", but in the grace of
God, revealed in the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. He is our security,
He is our hope, He is our all in all.
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