27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. Luke 5:27 – 28 esv
disciple
Full Surrender
23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. Luke 9:23 – 24 ESV
Followers of Jesus
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We are followers of Jesus Christ. This sets us apart and makes us distinct from all the other people on the planet. So lets take moment and discuss what that really means.
Only Two Words
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In the days when He walked among us, it only took Jesus Christ two words to open the Kingdom of God to anyone with ears to hear. These two words continue to resound from His throne to us today, and we do well to pay attention.
We May Need to Change the Label
What do you think when you hear the term “Christian”? Do you think of someone who is “saved,” or “born again”? Maybe you think of someone who goes to church. The face of a relative may come to mind who you would think of as a Christian. You may even think of yourself! Regardless what comes to mind when you think of the word, an honest investigation will show that it has lost a good deal of its original meaning. For the sake of effective ministry in this post-Christendom era, we may need to change the label we wear.
The Difference
Jeff K. Clarke has written an excellent post entitled The Difference in Calling Jesus ‘Savior’ and ‘Lord’ and its Implications for Discipleship. It is one of those “must read” posts for anyone serious about following Jesus.
Allow me to provide you with a few quotes to whet your appetite.
“In short…
“… ‘Jesus is Savior’ emphasizes sins forgiven. ‘Jesus is Lord’ emphasizes a reorientation in life, which includes sins forgiven. I’m no longer the king of my domain, he is. This reorientation changes everything.
“… ‘Jesus is Savior’ impacts me. ‘Jesus is Lord’ impacts me and everyone around me.
… ‘Jesus is Savior’ is often deeply personalistic and privatized. ‘Jesus is Lord’ retains the personal dynamic, but spreads out to impact everything and everyone around me. It is mission oriented (as sent ones) and seeks to reflect Jesus to others.
“… ‘Jesus is Savior’ affects only the spiritual aspects in life. ‘Jesus is Lord’ affects all of life; it is holistic and all-encompassing. Everything is affected by it; everyday and in every way. It isn’t limited to Sunday, or a mid-week program, or more generally to the religious side of life. But, lays at the center of life and thereby orients, shapes and informs everything else.”
Jeff goes on to nicely sum up the call to discipleship,
“Discipleship is not optional. It is not directed towards the few who take Jesus seriously. With Christ (read the gospel accounts), it was all or nothing at all. It was a summons with expectations. ‘Jesus is Lord’ demands our everything. ‘Jesus is Savior’ does not. The first focuses on a lifetime. The second on a one time decision. Unfortunately, the second does not always lead to the first. In fact, only about 50% of those who make decisions actually become disciples. Why? Because we center the call to follow on Jesus is Savior and not Jesus is Lord. One demands nothing of us. The second demands our everything.”
I hope you will take the time to read the entire article. Jeff gets it. He truly understands what it means to live in the Reign,
M
Follower or Admirer?
