It's a routine, and not a bad one to have.
This fall we're reading the book of Mark, which truth be told, is a distant fourth in "gospel popularity." Most folks I know cannot quote a verse from Mark, and none have studied the book in detail. It's the Jacksonville Jaguars of the New Testament.
We're just getting into the first chapter, but I was intrigued by a question that was presented in the material. It was this.
What does being a follower of Christ mean in today's world?
Does it mean tithing? Church attendance? Religious Facebook posts? Does it mean that you read the Bible everyday? A member of a church? Of the Republican party?
After I thought about this for a while, I decided that it could not possibly mean less than it did the day that Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James, and John.
It's a simple response, but one that is rarely if ever seen across the landscape of comfortable American churches.
He says FOLLOW ME. We follow. Let me repeat it for you. He says FOLLOW ME. We follow.
That's what these fishermen did. For when Jesus called them, "they left everything and followed Him immediately.
They didn't stack up retirement funds, vacations, security, and comfort as idols before the Lord. They cast everything aside and followed him.
In my group, I offered this opinion, and it was soundly rejected. "We're not all called to full-time Christian service," they said. "For some, it could mean helping out a neighbor, or simply attending church."
Perhaps, I would say, although somewhat reluctantly.
But let me say this. I'm only looking for one. One that I can write about. I'm just looking for one person in the multitudes of self-proclaimed Christ-followers who have "left everything" to follow Him. I'm just looking for one who would be willing to go the distance with Christ. Just show me one.
You can keep your collection plates, Christian aerobics, and potlucks. I'm looking for a Christ-follower.
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