THE ROAD TO THE KINGDOM IS TO “FOLLOW ME”

June 2, 2014

THE ROAD TO THE KINGDOM IS TO “FOLLOW ME” ALONG THE PATH OR JOURNEY I SET YOU ON, AS YOU TRANSFORM INTO MY LIKENESS WHILE SERVING AS I SERVED.

“For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” 2 Cor.4:5

“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Christ goal here is to place a few “peasants of Galilee” on a path or process that will allow them to make “extraordinary things happen” as He motivates and “transforms their values, into action, vision into realities, obstacles into innovations, separateness in solidarity, and risk into rewards.” (Kouzes & Posner The leadership challenge pp 2)

But it all begins with a Path or Journey Christ places each of us on. The key words is “Follow Me” meaning “conform to” or “comply with” and since He is God and God along He knows the path He places each of us on for “You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.” Psalm139:2-3 (ASV)

In addition, when Jesus calls His Children he does so with a sense of urgency that will also convict and motivate His Children not only in achieving one’s goal but also in allowing His Spirit to transform our life in the image of the one who has motivated us to “follow Him” even to the cross.

Consistent with this, Christ must  first “create a connection with His disciples that raises our level of passion and motivation to want to transform our character as He effectively communicates His vision and path as he reassure us that He will do with His Children “as the potter does,” “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hands, Jer. 18:6 (NKJV)

as I mold your character to be humble servants which is the foundation of everything a Christian stands for along with the faith and endurance that will allow us to continue to “Follow Christ.” Paul tells us “Who, being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” Phil. 2:6-7 (NIV)

and Christ tells us directly as He sat down, “Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” Mark 9:35 (NIV)In addition we must also tell ourselves that a child of God must be a paradox to anything that we would like to be that the world deems as success, because success to a Child of God has nothing to do with what we can accomplish in this world if it is not all about Christ and what our responsibility is to “our Father which art in heaven.”

Today as a “chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession,”  our Character to be like Christ is shaped by loving as Christ loved, for “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Peter also tells us in 1 Peter 4:8-10 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” as we FOLLOW CHRIST ON THE ROAD TO THE KINGDOM”

So my friends today. Stay focused, remain faithful, love one another and endure till the end and never forget to STUDY&PRAY