|
"Who do you say that I am?" (Matthew 16:15) Watch the Jesus Film here |
|
As Jesus began the public phase of His life leading to the cross and His self-sacrifice for us there, He was baptized (Matthew 3) and tested in the wilderness by Satan who sought to dissuade Him from His mission to bear the sin of the world (Matthew 4).
Jesus then begin to call disciples to follow Him: (Matthew 4:17-21, ESV):
"From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him."
The call is not a casual call but one which changes the course of life and eternity for all who follow (Mark 8:34-38):
"And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, Jesus said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
And Jesus continues to call each of us to follow Him. He did so after His resurrection as when He called Saul to turn from hostility to the Gospel to proclaiming the Gospel. Paul shares the experience in Acts 26 where you can read in context:
"...I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language,
'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'And I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles--to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'" (Acts 26:14-18, ESV)
Jesus continues to call you and me. His call is to discipleship and salvation.
I invite you to consider Christ's call and to count the cost of following. Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it this way: "When Jesus bids a man to follow, He bids him to come and die." (Bonheoffer's Cost of Discipleship was one of the first books I read after responding to Christ's call. I've posted a few lines from the book here.) The dying of which Jesus speaks is first of all to one's self (pride, agenda and will).
As you consider do not hesitate unduly; I invite you to accept Jesus' call now and follow. The decision is one to be made personally. If you are willing to begin, consider clicking here.
Murray Moerman (