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Following Jesus

What does it mean to Follow Jesus?

Simply put it means you have put your faith and trust in Jesus, believe in His teachings, and recognize Him as the leader of your life.

A follower of Jesus has decided to become a disciple of him. A disciple is a learner and follower.

Here at RC we define a disciple of Jesus as:

Someone who is committed to following Jesus, being changed by Jesus, led by the Spirit of Jesus, and living on the mission of Jesus.

How do I begin following Jesus?

  • RECOGNIZE that you are separated from God because of sin, but Jesus restored the ability to be in relationship with Him by taking our place of death on the cross. (Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8-10)
  • REPENT of your sins and commit to following Jesus as the Leader of your life. (1 John 1:8-9; Acts 2:37-39)
  • RECEIVE His grace and forgiveness and begin a new life in relationship with God your creator. (Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 John 1:8-9)

If you desire to begin a relationship with Jesus and begin following Him, we encourage you to take time to read the Bible scriptures that are referenced in the above section.

Why should I begin a relationship with Jesus?

That’s a great question and one that requires us to understand the big picture of life. The message that explains the big picture of life is called the Gospel. The gospel means “good news.” So this message is the good news that God has for everyone in the entire world.

 

What is the Gospel?

The essence of the gospel is found in these 2 verses. “Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God…For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:3,16

From these 2 verses we see the 5 main components of the Gospel:

  • GOD
  • MAN
  • JESUS
  • ME
  • KINGDOM

Those 5 words essentially summarize the entire message of the God’s good news. This is the message that God has given us through His Word, the Bible. There is so much depth and power to this message that it is hard to summarize, but here is a brief description as best as we can do:

  • GOD (Creation) – God, in His infinite love, created us in His image. (Genesis 1-2; John 1:1-4)
  • MAN (Rebellion) – Starting with Adam, we have all sinned and rebelled against God; causing a separation from Him and a punishment of eternal death. (Genesis 3; Romans 3:23)
  • JESUS (Redemption) – Jesus, in the greatest act of love, paid the penalty of death for our sins by dying on the cross; and proved He is God by rising from the dead. (John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 1 John 3:16; John 1:14)
  • ME (Confession) – God restores our relationship with Him and makes us a new person when we accept work of Jesus on the cross, repent of our sins and commit to following Jesus. (Romans 10:9-10; 1 John 1:8-9)
  • KINGDOM (Submission) – We now live in the God’s Kingdom experiencing His Presence and Power; and continue the mission of Jesus to announce and advance His Kingdom until He comes back to fully restore His Kingdom here on earth. (Psalm 145:13; Matthew 6:33; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 1:14-15; John 3:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

So, to answer the question “Why should I begin a relationship with Jesus?” – you can experience life with Him in His Kingdom. What an amazing thing that you and I can be in relationship with the One who created the heavens and the earthThose who choose not to follow Jesus, choose to spend eternity apart from Him in a place called hell. We wish we could do away with this reality, but Jesus spoke much about the reality of hell. That is why He freely gave His life on a cross for you, so that you wouldn’t have to go there.

 

Why not begin now?

We encourage you to consider following Jesus and allowing Him to be the leader of your life. Pray the prayer of repentance, commit to following Him, and we know that you will not regret this decision as you begin living the life you were born to live!

Please let us know if you are deciding to follow Jesus. We’d love to help you move forward in the greatest decision you have ever made, and we’d love to help in any other way that we can. Feel free to reach out to us via our contact page.