What does it mean to you to follow Jesus?

[Fiosh]

Now I consider myself to have vastly come short on both these things, but I think following Jesus really is summed up in , "Deny yourself and take up the cross and follow (Jesus).

Good thoughts, WSB. Can you say more about "how" we take up the Cross in our everyday lives?

Thanks,

F

I'll take a stab at answering that question, Fiosh. We take up our cross when we deny our natural man the pleasures it seeks, which Paul in Romans talked about as always being at odds with our spiritual man. Indeed, the entire 8th chapter of Romans deals with this royal battle being fought between our soul and our spirit. Paul states the heart of the problem thus "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live" (Romans 8:12-13, KJV, emphasis added). In his letter to the Galatian church, Paul tells them that he is crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20) indicating that he has,indeed, mortified or killed the wants and desires of the natural man and this has allowed him to mature in his spiritual man, becoming (as he pointed out in 2 Corinthians 3:18) more like Jesus as he goes from glory to glory.

Our cross we bear daily would be that maturation process whereby we deny our fleshly man the things he wants and allow the spiritual man to mature, going from one level of maturity (glory) to the next level of maturity (glory) so that in the end, we will actually look just like Jesus on the spiritual plane, where the demons of Satan (as well as Satan himself) live and carry out their work. This situation is illustrated in Acts 16 where the seven sons of Scvea tried to perform an exorcisim on a man possessed of a demon In the name of Jesus that Paul preached. The outcome wasn't pretty since the demon knew Paul and he knew Jesus, but he didn't recognize the seven sons of Sceva. The demon whipped the guys so bad that they fled the house they were in wearing nothing but their birthday suits, the first streaking event recorded in Scripture.

So it seems that the more we deny the deeds of our flesh (mortify or kill), the more we will mature in our Lord and the more the authority of Jesus will be recognized on the spiritual plane when we invoke it. This, to me, is what it means to "take up my cross and follow Jesus".

Beautifully said, Phil! It reminds me of the final witness of John the Baptist: "He must increase; I must decrease".

Just a thought...do you think that the more we are "recognized on the spiritual plane", the more we should expect to be attacked?

( I think this was actually the 2nd report of streaking. Joseph running from Potiphar's wife would have been the 1st )

[Phil.2:12]

( I think this was actually the 2nd report of streaking. Joseph running from Potiphar's wife would have been the 1st )

You are absolutely correct! (blush). Thanks for jogging my memory stick .

[EricH]

One would need to read the whole of the NT to come up with a comprehensive statement

Very true. But I'll settle for what you see as the "highlights".

It can all be summed up in:

He (Jesus) answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.

Luke 10:25 HCSB

[Phil.2:12]

Just a thought...do you think that the more we are "recognized on the spiritual plane", the more we should expect to be attacked?

Absolutely Fiosh, When the demonic forces on the spirital plane see us beginning to take on the appearance of Jesus, they began to pull out all the stops and come at us full bore, for we threaten their very existence. Not that we destroy them, but we can definitely make their lives quite a bit more miserable and prevent them from carrying out the plans of their master, Satan. This, in turn, causes them even more anguish and they will do whatever it takes to stop us. However, the more we look like Jesus on the spiritual plane, the harder it becomes for them to truly stop us.

Had not Jesus defeated their boss Satan, and by extension all of them, they would seem to have the upper hand in this spiritual war. But because Jesus defeated them on the spiritual plane, so can we when we fight them on the same plane. The more we mature spiritually, the more we look like Jesus to them and the stronger we are in the spiritual power it takes to defeat the most vicious of demons.

[Floatingaxe]

Just a thought...do you think that the more we are "recognized on the spiritual plane", the more we should expect to be attacked?

Absolutely Fiosh, When the demonic forces on the spirital plane see us beginning to take on the appearance of Jesus, they began to pull out all the stops and come at us full bore, for we threaten their very existence. Not that we destroy them, but we can definitely make their lives quite a bit more miserable and prevent them from carrying out the plans of their master, Satan. This, in turn, causes them even more anguish and they will do whatever it takes to stop us. However, the more we look like Jesus on the spiritual plane, the harder it becomes for them to truly stop us.

Had not Jesus defeated their boss Satan, and by extension all of them, they would seem to have the upper hand in this spiritual war. But because Jesus defeated them on the spiritual plane, so can we when we fight them on the same plane. The more we mature spiritually, the more we look like Jesus to them and the stronger we are in the spiritual power it takes to defeat the most vicious of demons.

Amen! We need to be walking in such a way, actively warring spiritually, that the demonic forces know us...and shudder!

[Fiosh]

One would need to read the whole of the NT to come up with a comprehensive statement

Very true. But I'll settle for what you see as the "highlights".

It can all be summed up in:

He (Jesus) answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.

Luke 10:25 HCSB

Jesus does have a way of getting to the heart of the matter, doesn't He?

[Fiosh]

One would need to read the whole of the NT to come up with a comprehensive statement

Very true. But I'll settle for what you see as the "highlights".

It can all be summed up in:

He (Jesus) answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.

Luke 10:25 HCSB

Would anyone be willing to share what they think it means to love God "with all your strength" ?

Thanks,

F

[Guest yod]

One would need to read the whole of the NT to come up with a comprehensive statement

Very true. But I'll settle for what you see as the "highlights".

It can all be summed up in:

He (Jesus) answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.

Luke 10:25 HCSB

Would anyone be willing to share what they think it means to love God "with all your strength" ?

Thanks,

F

In the original hebrew it's a word that speaks of your "resources" which include your possessions (wealth) and energy (health)

as Yeshua said, "Your heart is where your treasure is"

If it can be summed up what it means to follow Jesus is one sentence, I'd have to say it means being faithful in all things, small and great.

What the Lord requires of me today is different than last month or 10 years ago. We won't be rewarded for how we started, but how we finished the race.

It changes every day...but He showed me a long time ago that I don't have to go looking for His will. It is right in front of me everyday no matter where I am.

We just need to take the time to "see" it.

[Fiosh]

One would need to read the whole of the NT to come up with a comprehensive statement

Very true. But I'll settle for what you see as the "highlights".

It can all be summed up in:

He (Jesus) answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.

Luke 10:25 HCSB

Would anyone be willing to share what they think it means to love God "with all your strength" ?

Thanks,

F

In the original hebrew it's a word that speaks of your "resources" which include your possessions (wealth) and energy (health)

as Yeshua said, "Your heart is where your treasure is"

If it can be summed up what it means to follow Jesus is one sentence, I'd have to say it means being faithful in all things, small and great.

What the Lord requires of me today is different than last month or 10 years ago. We won't be rewarded for how we started, but how we finished the race.

It changes every day...but He showed me a long time ago that I don't have to go looking for His will. It is right in front of me everyday no matter where I am.

We just need to take the time to "see" it.

Hi yod,

Thanks.

It took me a long time to realize that Jesus wants me to pour my energy into serving Him. I know that sounds obvious. But for too many years, I was content to go to work, come home and read novels or go to an exercise class, etc....doing nothing---or at least not much---for the kingdom. I tried to live a good life; wasn't that enough?

After hearing several sermons on Matt 25 and other Scripture that speak to how we are to live as disciples, my eyes were opened. I realized that I was not fulfilling my role as a follower of Jesus. I was content to try to "not sin"; but I wasn't using my strength to actually serve Him.

Then, after praying for nearly a year, asking what He wanted of me, things began to unfold. First He asked me to TRULY surrender my life to Him. Then through a series of events He led me to ways I could serve Him.

I'm still learning.

That is why I posted this question. To learn how others have heard and responded to His call.

It has never been easy for me to discern His will in this area i.e. how to serve. I get in His way. But I'm working on it.

I appreciate everyone's comments.

Peace,

Fiosh

[Joshua-777]

Let's get this out of the way from the start...Can we all agree that :

1. you can't "work your way into heaven" ? yup we are saved by his grace

2. there is no salvation without Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, yup

***************************************************************************

Ok, with that established, what, if anything, does Jesus expect from you as His follower?

Ok, this is honestly a question someone can spend their whole life learning, For me, it's hard to explain, he's beyond anything I can even bring an example with, I would have to say, is to be abundant in love.

As a follower, it has been a spiritual and emotional rollercoaster ride, Times i close myself off and just put up walls, then it builds up, and I break down in prayer, as he breaks down my walls. Times I get prideful about being a christian, and he breaks down my pride and humbles me, he is more intimate than anything I can ever say, I guess what he expects of me, I'm still learning, the more I submit to him and trust in him, the more he reveals to me, and the more he opens my heart to his love, and grace in my life. If I had to sum it up, I would have to say he expects us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and love him with all our heart soul and mind, for us to follow him even when we stumble keep our eyes on him, and trusting him with everything. He expects us to surrender.