This is the first post of my next series of unknown length. I debated what to write this next series about and after much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to undertake a very daunting series: “What Does It Mean to Follow Jesus?” When I first felt the Spirit leading me to this task I was taken aback! I looked at the task as a great mountain that I had no business climbing so early on in my blogging career but the Lord brought me to Matthew 28:20b, “…And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” and Hebrews 13:5 quoting Deuteronomy 31:6 and Joshua 1:5, “…I will never leave you or forsake you.” and verse 6, “Therefore, we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.” If nothing else, if this goes well, I cannot claim any part of the victory as mine. As Gideon’s army was reduced, “…or else Israel might brag: ‘I did it myself.'” (Judges 7:2b), I know that I, by myself, am totally inadequate for this task. But God. That is no typo; But God. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 where Paul is talking about the thorn in his flesh tormenting him so he would not exalt himself Scripture says, “But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures, because of Christ. For when I am weak, I am strong.” I pray we meet God on the mountain as Moses did in Exodus 20:20, “The LORD came down on Mount Sinai at the top of the mountain. Then the LORD summoned Moses to the top of the mountain and he went up.” Let’s climb this mountain we have been called up, seek the Lord and see what He has said it means to follow Jesus. Exodus 34:29, “As Moses descended from Mount Sinai – with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands as he descended the mountain – he did not realize that the skin of his face shone as a result of his speaking with the LORD.” Perhaps our faces will shine from a glimpse of the One we follow, Jesus Christ.
I posed this question to a small group of people in my life: What does it mean to be a Christian?
I have asked various people in my life, believers and non-believers alike. A wide spread as far as my circle of friends and family. One simply and candidly said, “I don’t know.” Another said, “Being a Christian is relative to each person. The followers of the belief system that puts Jesus Christ as the Messiah and accepts the Holy Trinity. Religion is a construct of man and I can no longer go along with it.” Another said, “To believe that the words written in the Bible are from God and to believe Christ is the only way to salvation.” Still another, “Do you believe Christ died for your salvation from sin? [If yes, then you are a] Christian.” Finally, a man in the ministry weighed in. “Simply put, salvation is the undeserved gift we receive from God when we turn from our sins, sincerely repent, and accept the gift of eternal life, made possible through Jesus’ death on the cross.” From an “I don’t know” to an answer from a pastor, there seems to be a wide view of what it means to be a Christian.
So, I am assuming you are now thinking, “Well, what does Ike think it means to be a Christian?” First, I used the specific wording of the original question because it is has a universal translation that doesn’t rely on any theological background or “insider knowledge”. I could walk up to any English speaking person on the street and ask this question and the core inquiry would be understood. I took time to pray and really think about what I think it means to be a Christian and this is what I think it means at this point in time.
Being a Christian means daily denying myself, picking up my cross, and following the person of Jesus. It is surrendering my life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, believing that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, lived a perfect life, died as the atoning sacrifice that paid the debt of my sins completely, and was raised on the third day for the glory of the Father. As a believer in Christ, I am sealed by the Holy Spirit who lives in me and acts as the down payment of the Father. The Holy Spirit enables me to obey and guides me in the ways of God revealed in His word, the Bible. As a temple of the Holy Spirit, I am no longer my own but was bought at a price. I learn and follow God’s commands not out of legalism or duty but because of the love I have through Christ Jesus. My ‘good works’ are as filthy rags for it is by grace that I am saved through faith, not of works, so that I cannot boast in anything except Christ. Every day I am called to kill the old Adam in me and become the new creation God is shaping me into. I am a child of God adopted into His household through Christ. I am unworthy of this gift of salvation but by God’s grace, I have been allowed to accept it. I am dead to sin, and alive in Christ.
I am excited to see how my original statement of what it means to be a Christian changes and/or stays the same over the course of this series. I am a mere man: fallible, flawed, imperfect. But I have surrendered my life to Christ because He is worthy! In this journey, I will delve into the Scriptures and attempt to mine out as much truth as I can to press deeper into the character of God and share with you. Come with me on this odyssey and by the grace of God, I pray we arrive at His truth of what it means to follow Jesus.
For His Glory!