Who to Follow

In obeying Jesus's command to "Follow me," we often have difficulty not following someone else.

Some time ago, A Godly Mexican charismatic started laughing at me because I had never heard of a certain popular woman preacher. I looked her up on the internet and found that she lives in a mansion, has servants and expensive cars, and that all of this is being paid for by donors. She was currently being investigated by a Congressional committee for income tax fraud. To make things worse, when I explained this to the Mexican charismatic, she admitted that she knew of Mexicans who lived in concrete houses, whose main food was beans and rice,  who were sending this woman money.

2Pe 2:3 ¶ By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.

Preachers who teach "the prosperity Gospel" claim that their wealth (accumulated from donors) is proof of God's blessing. 1 Timothy 6:5 speaks of "men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself."

If you want to be used of God, you need to stop following glitzy performers and instead, closely follow after Jesus.

In obeying the command of Jesus to "Follow me," we often run into problems. What do you do if a successful pastor or preacher starts selling his own books and commentaries? How closely can you follow a man without disobeying Jesus's command to "Follow me"?

1 John 2:27 tells us: "...you do not need that anyone teach you..." The context of the verse tells us that God Himself teaches us, and when someone teaches us to go against God, we are to turn away from that teacher.

It is a common thing for "teachers" to arise within Chistianity who tell us to disobey the many commands to love one another. They warn and explain that if we do not separate from Godly people who disagree with these teachers, we will become corrupted. We must instead become close followers of these teachers, reading and listening to no one except those whom these teachers approve of.

But God's Word tells us differently. It tells us that God Himself teaches us. If you follow Jesus closely, He won't let you get corrupted and ruined; He'll make you a fisher of men. And following Jesus closely means that you love all of God's people.

Php 4:21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you.

Follow Who?

In Matthew 4:19, we have Jesus saying  "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." And, as teachers often do, I explained that the word "follow" means to "follow closely."  But we often miss the point, that Jesus said to follow "me."

Christians often decide that since their own group is correct, they should not listen to other groups. While there is some wisdom in this, there are also problems. I believe heavily in soul-winning and witnessing. What do I do if someone from another group is winning large numbers of souls, and he wants to offer me advice?

In Mark 9:40, Jesus said  "For he who is not against us is on our side."  Someone who couldn't get along with the apostles had been casting out demons in Jesus's Name, and the apostles had forbidden him to do it. But Jesus claimed that man as one of His own. Following Jesus closely means that you can get along with other Christians. It doesn't mean that you refuse to fellowship with, or have anything to do with them, because you think that your group is right.

Follow How?

In Matthew 4:19, we have Jesus saying  "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."

In the Greek, "follow" is actually two words. They mean "Follow closely behind." Half-hearted Christians have something wrong with them; they are not closely following Jesus. That's why they win few, if any, souls to Christ.

And there's something else in this verse that we often miss: it is Jesus's responsibility to make you a fisher of men. YOUR responsibility is to follow Christ closely. Then Jesus works in your life to make you more successful.

Something is Wrong Part 2

We're now going to tie in  2 Chronicles 7:14 with Mt 4:19:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."

If you are not a fisher of men, something is wrong. Jesus explained that if you follow Him, He will make you a fisher of men. The problem is not with your talent, ability, or even your spiritual gifts. It is the responsibility of Jesus (not you) to turn you into a fisher of men. If you are not doing this, then you are not following Jesus. You need to admit that something is wrong.

Some Christians turn to Calvinism, attributing their failures to the sovereignty of God. Other Christians point to the failures of successful Christians, praising themselves for not having fallen into the same sins, while ignoring the fact that they have not had the same successes. Some Christians turn to busy work, fumbling about church business without accomplishing anything that wouldn't have been accomplished without them.

Brethren, if you are not a fisher of men, you need to admit: something is wrong.

Admit That Something is Wrong

2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

We have seen some ways to humble yourself: seek lower positions, rather than higher ones; and submit to God's ordained leaders. Now, here is another one: admit that something is wrong.

The previous verse shows the context: 2Ch 7:13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;

 God told Solomon that if things were going badly, it was because God was not blessing His people. God wanted His people to respond by admitting that something was wrong, not pretending that everything was all right. If there were a drought, God didn't want His people pretending that everything was fine, because there was still water in some of the wells. When locusts devoured the land, He didn't want His people to pretend that everything was fine, because indoor plants were still growing. When people were dying in an epidemic, He didn't want His people pretending that everything was fime because someone just had a baby.

When people aren't getting saved, and Christians aren't growing, God doesn't want us to pretend that everything is all right. He doesn't want Christians to pretend that things are fine because they hold leadership positions. He doesn't want churches to pretend that things are fine, because they are giving spare money to the poor.

God wants His people to admit that something is wrong, humble themselves, and turn in the right direction.

What is "Grace"?

1Pe 5:5-6 ¶ Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.

We have seen that a key to success in serving Christ is humility: we are to seek low positions, not high ones; and we are to submit to the human authority that God puts over us. Doing this gives us humility, and humility gives us grace.  So, what exactly happens when God gives you grace?

Paul explained what grace did for him: 1Co 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Paul wrote that grace had changed him, and it made him work hard for the Lord; grace gave Paul the desire and ability to do God's work. Have you tried to serve God, but failed? Did you eventually give up trying? If so, you need grace, which God gives to the humble.