WHO?
WHO IS JESUS?
Jesus is the Son of God in human flesh, who lived on earth without sin over 2,000 years ago. Jesus fulfilled a unique mission: He taught God’s truth with authority, demonstrated God’s love, helped and healed miraculously, sacrificed Himself on a cross to pay for our sins, rose again to life to assert His absolute power over even death, and commissioned His followers to share His love and truth worldwide so all people may be saved from the consequences of their sin and live a purposeful and everlasting life.
Jesus was a real person, with thousands of records of His life on earth. There is more evidence of His life, ministry, death, and resurrection than of any other person or event in ancient history.
But Jesus was not merely a great human being, born in a stable and killed on a cross. Jesus is also God Himself, part of the Trinity. (The Trinity is the triune God—one God in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All three are one God, and Jesus is a Person of this one triune God.) While He did come to earth as a newborn baby and live a real human life, He was also, and is still and forever, wholly divine. Jesus was a human person, for about 33 years, but He had always been, and will forever be, God.
WHY?
WHY SHOULD I FOLLOW JESUS?
Jesus has “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). He is “the way, the truth, and the life”—no one can go to heaven or be with God forever except through Jesus (John 14:6). He alone paid for all our sins, to forgive us and free us. He came to earth so that we “may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Thus, you would want to follow Jesus to attain abundant and eternal life—to live the good life God has designed for you!
Life is more than being successful or happy or kind; life has valuable meaning and purpose, direction and hope, which Jesus alone gives you—even when circumstances seem difficult or discouraging. The world does not accurately portray, or understand, the real reasons to follow Jesus; therefore, many people are confused or dissuaded because of misconceptions, misrepresentations, or even hypocrisy. Yet we all long for a deeper experience in life, a higher calling, a true path forward. That is exactly why we should follow Jesus, because in Him alone we will discover and live that new life. As you follow Jesus throughout the years, you will grow in wisdom, truth, faith, hope, love, peace, strength, and joy, even as you fulfill your divine mission. The world will oppose you and all Jesus followers, but God will sustain and reward you for your faithfulness.
HOW?
HOW DO I FOLLOW JESUS?
To follow Jesus, we must first respond humbly to God’s word and to the Holy Spirit as He convicts us and calls us to become followers. God loves us first, reaches us first, and offers us forgiveness and life by His initiative because of His love. We receive His gift of life by believing and trusting Jesus as God’s risen Son, as our personal Savior (the one who fully paid our penalty for sinning against God, so that God can forgive us), and as our Lord (our King, our Master). We must repent of our sin, submit our will to His, profess Him above all, and be baptized to identify with His death, burial, and resurrection.
Once we have started our new journey, we must live daily by the truth and love of Jesus, for His purposes. Following Jesus is basically imitating Him—living as He lived, for God, exhibiting godly traits, abiding by godly standards, inviting others to follow, and seeking God’s glory. This is a total life transformation.
We can begin learning more about Jesus and how to follow Him by reading and studying the Bible, praying, participating in a Bible-believing Christian church, analyzing additional Biblical resources, and connecting with faithful Christian mentors who will help us grow in the Lord and follow Him more closely. To learn more about following Jesus, please send us a message.
