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WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

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Luke 9:23–24 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

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John 10:27 - My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

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John 12:26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

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Would you leave everything for Jesus, if He had called you to go into the mission field? In Matthew 4, Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John to be his disciples. All of them immediately left behind their family, their fishing business, and everything they knew and loved and followed Jesus. They give up everything for Christ. It was no accident that Jesus chose twelve. As God’s chosen people, the Israelites, were divided into twelve tribes. And as Jesus calls out a new people for Himself, He starts with twelve men who will form the basis of a new Israel. Yes, it was a sudden, drastic decision, but they knew it was necessary to follow the Messiah. When someone makes a decision to follow Jesus, it is impossible to live an unchanged life. 

 

Name 3 things that have changed in your life since you gave your life to Christ? Write on line below.

 

When we come to Christ there has to be change, because God is a God of change. Following Jesus and remaining the same is an impossibility. Because Jesus brings change to our lives. It’s impossible to follow God and there not be change in your life. It’s just like getting in the shower while the water is running over your head and remaining dry. It cannot happen. There has to be change! 

 

Name 1 thing you are praying for God to change in your life.

 

If you want to be a disciple of Christ, you too are going to have to do what these disciples did. When we follow Jesus, we must be ready to leave some things behind - at a minimum, they do not get to be our first priority in our lives any longer. The disciples decision to follow Christ forever changed their lives, and God used them to change the course of history. When we gave our life to Christ, we put our flesh (self) to death. Our old self dies and our new self comes to life. But not only do we die to self when we are born again, but we continue dying to self as part of the process of sanctification. 

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When we are called to follow Christ, we will go through a process that will require us to be cleansed from anything that will hinder our calling that God has called us to walk. The Bible says in Matthew 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Do you know that many Christians have found that by putting God first, the difficult circumstances they are in start to come together in a divine way? 

 

Answer the Question: 

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• Do you go to God first when making a decision? 

• Or do you go to a person, your husband, mother, sibling, friends, pastors, etc.? 

• Who do you go to and why? 

 

JOURNALING QUESTIONS

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• What did Jesus call Peter, John, and their brothers to do? 

• What did the call mean for them? How did they respond? 

• What did Jesus promise he would do for them? 

• What did these four men have to leave in order to follow Jesus? Would you do the same? 

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Following the master disciple Jesus requires us to do some things on our part. Following Jesus involves spending quality time with Jesus. It’s learning from His examples and teachings by studying His word. And it’s having a desire to become like Him, and the desire to make disciples for His kingdom. Jesus promised His disciples that He would make them fishers of men and He promises you the same, which requires your obedience and trust in Him. Will you follow Jesus' footsteps in becoming the disciple He has called you to be? Are you ready to deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow Jesus?  Will you answer THE CALL today? 

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