Follow Christ
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.” John 10:27-30
Comfortable Christianity
In the military, obedience isn’t optional, it’s a matter of your survival. Soldiers are trained to follow the voice and command of their assigned leader, because in the chaos of battle, one wrong step can cost lives. Imagine a soldier breaking formation and following the wrong commander. He might march straight into enemy fire, abandon his unit’s protection, or disrupt the mission entirely, which can have heavy consequences.
Spiritually, the same principle applies. We are called to follow Christ alone. Yet in the noise of culture, tradition, and human voices, it’s easy to veer off course and give our allegiance to someone other than the true Shepherd. Just as a soldier’s safety depends on hearing and obeying the right commander, our spiritual life depends on recognizing and following the voice of Christ.
Following Christ is not always comfortable, but it is necessary for professing believers.
“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
John 10:14-16 KJV
Are We Following Christ or a Pastor?
In today’s church system, there is no shortage of Pastors, Preachers, teachers, and churches along with a long list of denominations. These denominational divisions can cause confusion coupled with the lack of correction in the church at large portrays a distorted view as to what it is means to follow Christ. Some Pastors today offer a doctrine and/or messages that has strayed far from the early church’s example.
Many have embraced a “comfortable Christianity” focused on feel-good messages rather than true conviction and transformation. Now, there’s nothing wrong with a feel-good message, but the Bible warns us about being too consumed with messages that suit our liking only.
These messages are often responsible for the growth of a congregation, but many of these feel-good, entertainment-driven messages do not represent the entirety of the gospel. Embracing all of the gospel means we feel good at times, but we should also feel convicted and challenged to deny ourselves to live for Christ.
What’s dangerous is that some people solely rely upon the pastor’s message as their source of biblical truth rather than reading the scriptures for themselves. With that, you can see how this could cause many to go astray; often times following after the Pastor and their messages instead of the entirety of Jesus’ message.
Ask yourself: Are you following a pastor, or are you following Christ? Because truly following Christ may require embracing correction, even when it challenges your pastor’s message or practices in some modern churches.
“For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:10 KJV
Faith anchored in any human is risky because man is inherently fallible and several scriptures deal with this issue. The apostle Peter declared, We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29 KJV), highlighting that human authority can never replace divine obedience.
Psalm 118:8 (KJV) reminds us, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.”
Paul also addressed the issue with the Corinthian church following man rather than Christ. Paul writes: “Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians 1:12–13 KJV)
It is important that our faith is anchored in following Christ alone, not in man. To follow man is to risk confusion, division, or as the above example suggests, could cause us to march into enemy fire.
What Does Following Christ Look Like?
We believe it begins with understanding what the Bible says about what it truly means to follow Christ and that starts with obedience to his commandments. Scripture makes it clear that knowing Christ means keeping His commandments “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:3–6, KJV).
If you’re wondering which of the commandments mattered most to Jesus, He answered this directly in the gospel of Matthew when asked this question. “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:36–40 (KJV).
Jesus mentions love again in the gospel of John “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (John 13:34 KJV).
And again, 1 John 4:7–8 (KJV) reminds us, “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
I think you get the theme here is Love, which is at the foundation of following Christ. To follow Christ is to walk as He walked, in truth, in love, and in faithful obedience to the Father. Today, many messages of the gospel is often tailored to make it more comfortable, more appealing, and less demanding on the flesh. Some sermons are even designed to place more focus on entertainment and inspiration, instead of conviction and correction.
The truth is, following Jesus was never meant to be a casual event that we partake in once a week. It’s a call to radical discipleship, one that challenges everything that we learned from the world in our lives and it demands our full allegiance.
Following Christ Means Being His Disciple
“He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
Matthew 10:37 KJV
In Luke 14:26 (KJV), Jesus said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” Now, this is not Jesus calling us to literally hate our parents and children, the point here is a call to prioritization where Christ comes before even your closest relationships. Jesus continued, “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27 KJV). Following Christ means denying yourself daily and surrendering our will in exchange for His; that may be uncomfortable, unpopular, and even costly (financially, socially, physically). Yet, it is the only path that leads to true life.
True followers of Christ live differently. They deny themselves, obey His commands, love sacrificially, and care for the poor, weak and vulnerable. They come against the values of the world and pursue the will of God. As 1 John 2:15–17 (KJV) warns, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
Paul’s letter to the Galatians echo this sentiment; in Galatians 2:20 (KJV): “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” Jesus said plainly, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27 KJV).
So again, we see scripture telling us that we cannot love the world, instead, we have to take up our crosses daily by denying our flesh, making Jesus priority number one in our lives above all, and not loving the things of this world. To that end, the question is: Are we truly following Him, or a version of what we call Him that fits our comfort?
Following Christ Means Trading Our Possessions for His Promise!
In a world where Christianity is often portrayed (on some platforms) as convenient, comfortable, and lined with many traditions of men, it's important that we understand what it truly means to follow Jesus. The Scriptures are pretty clear that it is drastically different from what the world considers normal; therefore you will (and should) look different from the world when you follow Him. Following Christ is not about adding Him to our lives; it’s about living our lives entirely for Him.
Paul speaks about this in Philippians 3:7–8 (KJV): “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.” Paul’s words reflect a man whose heart has been completely changed where worldly things, status, and possessions are no longer the goal. Christ is the goal.
Jesus Himself made this clear when He told the rich young ruler, “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me” (Matthew 19:21 KJV). This wasn’t just about money, it was about the heart. Jesus was calling him (and us) to let go of anything that competes with our devotion to Him. Can we say we would give up our possessions if Jesus called us to?
Peter mentions the following in Mark 10:28–30 (KJV), “Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.” Notice how Jesus communicates a promise as a result of Peter and others trading in their possessions!
“Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?”
Matthew 19:27 KJV
Following Christ Means Surrendering Our Lives
The call to surrender is mentioned throughout the Gospels. In Luke 9:23–24 (KJV), Jesus says, “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” Similarly, in Matthew 16:24–26 (KJV), He asks, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
The early church understood this. Paul said in Acts 20:24, “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” In 2 Corinthians 5:15(KJV), Paul says, we are reminded that “ And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”
This is the heart of discipleship: no longer living life for yourself, but for Christ. In Romans 12:1 Paul writes “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
Following Christ requires the same obedience, courage, and faith.
Following Christ is not simply “Identifying” as Christian
Simply identifying as a Christian, does not necessarily equate to following Christ and does not guarantee you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus warns us that only those who do the Will of His Father in Heaven, will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:21-22
This verse should challenge us to examine our lives and ask: Are we truly following Christ, or just fitting Him into our lives? Are we willing to count all things as loss for the sake of knowing Him? Are we ready to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him? Following Jesus is not always easy, but it is worth everything. He is not calling us to comfort, but to commitment. And in losing our lives for His sake, we find the only life that truly matters.
An Invitation to Surrender
If the Holy Spirit is moving on your heart right now- that (I believe) is conviction and an invitation. Jesus is calling you, not to a life of perfection (because we will never be perfect on this earth), but to a life of surrender. Following Christ isn’t about having it all together; it’s about laying it all down. It’s about saying, “Lord, I will follow You, no matter the cost.”
Jesus is raising up a remnant, an army not bound by tradition but empowered by the Spirit. So count the cost. Lay it all down. And follow the only One who is worthy, Jesus Christ.
