Christ Follower

I was in a worship service a few years ago, when I first heard the term Christ follower. Actually, I’m pretty sure I’ve heard the term before, but this time, I REALLY heard it. We had come to the communion part of the service, during the normal flow of the things. The worship leader spoke to the group attending, inviting us to partake of the “Lord’s Supper” if we were Christ followers.

What?!

I have attended church on a regular basis for most of my life. I have participated in way more times of communion than I could ever count, but to my knowledge I have never heard the words: “Christ followers‘ used in this way. At least they haven’t impacted me to such a degree.

Those two words alone sum up what a relationship with Jesus looks like. Christ follower paints a picture of someone who actively strives to live life as Jesus did, and as the Word of God clearly instructs. Being a Christ follower requires something of us. It is intentional, a decisive act of dying to self and having hope that others will see Christ in that decision.

Being a Christ follower means being Christ-like all the time, not just at church or around “church people”. It means loving where you are even when you don’t feel like it.

Being a Christ follower means seeing the bigger picture, and not losing focus when your life totally stinks.

Being a Christ follower means living with the end in mind; being fully aware that this is not our forever home. We are just passing through this life, and the decisions we make each day need to be weighed with eternity in mind, not just for today, although just for today serves a purpose. Living just for today helps us through rough and challenging times. Living with the end in mind means being conscious and fully aware of the higher reason for our existence. They each serve a purpose but only the latter serves others.

And that brings us full circle. Serving others is what being a Christ follower is all about…serving other people no matter where they fall on the spiritual, social or economical ladder.

The gift of salvation is free because of what Jesus chose to do on our behalf. But being a true Christ follower will cost you plenty.

And now the question begs to be asked; Are you a Christ follower?