Beauty in Following.

(http://epiphany-lutheran.com)

There is a beauty in following Christ than is near-indescribable. It is a complex thing when you scrutinize it, but a very simple thing when you take it for what it is.

Why it is complex:

God created man. Man sinned. Man plunged into revolving darkness. Hope disappeared. Darkness prevailed. Light was shadowed. But then Hope was born in the most hopeless of times and places. Hope rose to live a life that pointed to attainable perfection to the law. Hope was the Messiah, the Saviour of Man. Christ abode in God, pleasing the Father and embracing His love. Christ died for sin, though sinless was he. Christ was buried in the grave, fully dead. Hope was buried with Him and darkness filled the world again because the hope found in Christ died when He breathed His last.

Then three days later hope broke free from the clutches of despair and rose with Christ with radiant light, casting off the tendrils of darkness. Christ rose from the dead and brought with Him life everlasting to those who accepted His call to repent and follow. And that's a key thing to note. Christ died for our sins so that we could be reconciled with God and be restored into His Kingdom and be able to live with Him. But then He arose to new life. For one, it was to fulfill the word of God; and another, it was to enable us to walk in newness of life. When Christ died, we were able to die to sin. When Christ rose, we were and are able to rise up again to life anew. And it is with this new life that we can follow Christ when He beckons us.


Why it is simple:

Christ redeemed us. It is only logical to follow Him in respect of gratitude.

Satan wants us to turn that simplicity it to irrationality. He wants us to fear. What if Christ leads us to treacherous places? What if we go alone? What if we get hurt emotionally or physically? What if He leads us to a completely foreign place to our expectations? What if...?

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. --1John 4:18

We have nothing to fear. When we follow Christ, we follow love.

 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love. --1John 4:16

And that is the beauty. Wherever Christ leads us, we will walk in His love. Whatever we experience, we do so through His love. Whomever we meet, we encounter by the love of Christ. We have nothing to fear for what lies ahead or where we will end up because Christ is leading us in the love of the Father.

So follow Christ.

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. --Matt. 16:24

Repent and Follow: The Heart of the Gospel.

(http://foundurself.files.wordpress.com)

It's like driving on a highway. First, you need to change your
mind about where you are at and where you are headed,
then choose to take the next exit that leads you to a different place.

The moment John the Baptist stepped onto the scene to announce the Messiah's presence, his message was repentance. The very first message Jesus brings is "to repent." The word repent is an important one. Often we blow it up, making it more complicated than it really is. The Greek word gives the idea to go against a particular thinking pattern as well as going with another pattern of thinking. To change your mind. Thus, Jesus calls us to change our minds--our minds about ourselves, about God, about the future of mankind, and about God's love. Why? Because the Christ is about to reign as King in Earth and in our lives. We ought change our minds that we can live how we desire. We can no longer view ourselves as our own, but that we are property of King Jesus. Turn away from self-ruling and turn to Christ-submission.

The next message Jesus has is on a more interpersonal level. He visits two fishermen. He goes to them and tells them to follow, or to come after, Him. Jesus wants us to stop what we are doing and follow after Him and do things His way. Jesus comes to us in our way of living and gives us the opportunity to come after Him, to follow Him. He then speaks to us on our terms and uses our skills and knowledge to fulfill His kingdom, should we choose to accept His calling. Jesus told these fishermen that He had a task of fishing after men. Of casting out a net and catching people for the Kingdom of Christ. They would use their skills on knowing how not to scare fish (people) off. They would use their skills of patience and endurance. All the while, they would be following Christ. Learning new tricks, learning new methods on how to add to the Kingdom of Christ. And it all starts with changing your mind and following after Christ.

That is the Gospel. "Change your mind about sin and yourself and turn away from the worthless pursuits of darkness and instead understand that Jesus is your King and choose to follow Him, learning His love and experiencing the society of the Kingdom." It's like driving on a highway. First, you need to change your mind about where you are at and where you are headed, then choose to take the next exit that leads you to a different place. Understand where you are with sin and the direction it is taking you (death), and then choose to turn away from sin and follow after Christ and take the road to a different destination (life).