Matthew 4 (NIV) 18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20At once they left their nets and followed him.
Since the time Christ walked the earth, we have searched for a concise understanding of what it means to be a true follower. The Apostle’s Creed lists specific beliefs about God the Father, Jesus Christ His Son, and the Holy Spirit. Teachings called catechisms have been developed to outline what it means to be a Christ follower. Some of them are quite long and take more than a year to fully study.
Beliefs are important, but being in a right relationship with Christ is simply, being in a relationship. It’s not what you do, or say, or know, or believe. It’s a relationship with God that is made possible through Jesus Christ. Jesus issues the same invitation to us as he did the first disciples, Simon and Andrew. He invites us into a friendship, mentorship, and leadership relationship. It is alive and organic. It is not scripted with rules and regulations. It isn’t based in being, doing, believing, or behaving rightly. It is a relationship much like all your other relationships; however, it supersedes and defines those other relationships.
Moving from the congregation to the committed means going from knowing the people around you to entering a Christ-like relationship with them. Consider how you can begin to develop relationships with people you know that will allow you to do life together.
No comments:
Post a Comment