Yesterday, I had several conversations with people who are responding to God's movement in their lives. With some folks, they have taken their time and asked questions and researched and come to faith over a long process. With others, God used a particular moment to really speak to them.
Interestingly, I found that the same question happened repeatedly yesterday, and I found myself giving responding with the same words, the same Scripture. This is very unusual for such a thing to occur multiple times in the same day, and I wonder if God is trying to get my attention. So, perhaps it's worthwhile to write about it.
The question came in several forms, but looked basically like this: "What, exactly, does it mean to be a 'Christ Follower'?"
Part 1: What it is NOT.
Being a Christ Follower is NOT:
- Keeping the 10 Commandments
- Being a good person
- Going to church
- Tithing
- Giving to the poor
- Helping little old ladies across the street
- Praying outloud in impressive ways
- Being a great dad, mom, husband, wife, son, daughter, friend, employee, employer, etc.
In other words, we often confuse being a Christ Follower with a focus on moral action. Jesus was exceedingly clear about this. In Matthew 5:20, He said, "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." (NIV) Well, from a strictly moral standpoint, you couldn't exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees. So, they met most of the criteria on the list above. They never missed church, they tithed, they gave to the poor, the prayed. They had a long and impressive list of do's and don't's and they abided by every single one of them. But they still missed the mark.
Is that what you think being a Christ Follower is about? Is your focus on being a good person?
In Part 2, I'll share more.
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