Discovering Who Jesus Is And What It Means To Follow Him

This title is taken from the mission statement of my church Life At The Ridge. It has been a really great experience so far being a part of a brand new church.  I have been thoroughly challenged and continue to be; and I also have been learning a lot from the experiences.  I am enjoying this season of life especially because I am constantly discovering who Jesus is and what it means to follow Him.  I know God is shaping my heart and mind.

I have been thinking about the term "discovery" recently; partly because I have been following a little bit of the suit between the City of Seattle and the Seattle Supersonics.  In a lawsuit, there is a pre-trial process known as "discovery" where evidence is complied and depositions are given, etc.  I was reflecting on that in my own life's journey.  The past few months have been quite a process of discovery for me.  I have been wrestling with some ideas that have come up in the church world and in the life of a Christ-follower.  I must preface this by saying I am by no means making any judgement, these are my personal thought process and convictions - my discovery process if you will.

Being a team member in the leadership core of a church has been an amazing learning experience, mostly because I come from a traditional pastor's family and a relatively traditional church background.  I am enjoying the process of breaking it down and getting to the essence of what it is all about.  It has also caused me to put certain convictions I hold to the test which is a huge growing experience.  The biggest part of my internal wrestling match these past few months comes from the second part of the title - what it means to follow Him.  I truly believe that everyone should ask themselves that question; especially those of us who are Christ-followers.

So, what does it mean to follow Jesus?  Lately I have observed, heard, and been around people who I know love Jesus and are passionate about following Him but at the same time have indulged in habits that I don't think are necessary, especially not to fit in with the "world."  Jesus set some high standards for His disciples and followers.  Sure, He hung out with people from all spectrum of life and He had compassion for them, but He never compromised His standards.  People were drawn to Him because He was different - there were things that set Him apart.  To me, that is a critical discovery point.  Those things were not rules and regulations in place to add to the religiosity of our faith, but I believe Jesus set these standards for us to become more like Him.  The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:2 (NLT) Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

I have noticed that in the recent paradigm shifts in the church world, like how we approach living the missional life, and being Christ in the market place; we have started to do things that "copy the behavior and customs of this world" in hopes of being authentic.  My fear is that we don't set really set ourselves apart and we don't pass on the higher standards that Jesus calls us to.  In Matthew 5, Jesus talks about how He came to the earth not to abolish the Law (10 Commandments) and the Prophets, but as the fulfillment of them.  He goes on and addresses some of the laws and He sets the bar even higher than what people were already adhering to. I believe that Jesus wants us to be set apart, to live holy lives and through that, people will see a difference.  I want to lead a life that is active in this world but not of this world.

What does it mean to follow Jesus?  I was reading in Luke 14:25-33 (NLT) where Jesus talks about the cost of being a disciple and it caught my attention.  Jesus lays it out this way:

25 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

31 “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? 32 And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. 33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.

This is one area that I constantly struggle with.  I grew up with parents that were and are still devoted to the cause of Christ.  Parents who are pastoring and in ministry at a local church.  Parents who, in my opinion, have lived up to the cost mentioned in this passage and yet have a healthy family by God's grace.  Often times I hear my friends and others in ministry share their priorities in life and I am torn.  The reason I am torn is because I have seen the effects, both positive and negative, on the lives of families in ministry, so is that the cost of being a disciple?  Apart from the basic principle of loving God and loving people, following Jesus according to what He said in this passage means we are to give up everything.  One commentary I read said "Jesus teaches that whoever desires to follow Him and be His disciple should first decide whether he or she is prepared to pay the cost.  The cost of real discipleship is to give up all relationships and possessions, i.e., all that we have: material things, family, our own lives, desires, plans and interests (v.33).  This does not mean we must reject all we have, but that all we have must be placed at Christ's service and under His guidance."

In my own life's experience, I see my parents living out this explanation.  They gave up many things in life and they placed them (like the lives of their kids) at Christ's service and under His guidance and I know God has blessed them in return beyond measure.  I guess the tough part for me is combining being a private Christian and being a "professional" Christian (i.e. being in ministry) and how the cost of being a disciple is calculated.  Another commentary puts it this way: "Jesus demands that our loyalty to and love for Him be greater than every attachment, even to our own families."  It sounds like all of Jesus' disciples back in the day carried out this principle.  I guess this is one where I will have to keep working on reconciling the ideas.

My discovery process continues.  I know I want to be set apart and I am striving to live a holy life.  I want people to see Christ in me and see the difference He has made in me.