Introduction

Before Jesus began His ministry, He called to men to follow Him:

And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. (Mark 1:16-18)

As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. (Mark 2:14)

Jesus even calls to us to follow him, When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Mark 8:34)

However, there are those in the religious world who expect Jesus to follow them instead. They call themselves “Christians”, but they don’t want to abide in His teaching (John 8:31). That is, all of His teaching.

Saved by ‘Faith Only’

Too many people see baptism as an “outward sign of an inward grace” meaning that all you have to do, to be saved, is to simply believe. Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16).

King Agrippa believed but was he saved? Here’s the answer in Acts 26:27-28, “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.” Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

The demons believed in Jesus but are they saved? Here’s the answer in James 2:19, You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe–and tremble!

These people are telling Jesus to follow them as they don’t want to abide in His teaching on baptism. James goes on to say, You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only…For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.(James 2:24, 26)

You Can’t Fall from Grace

This group of people believe that once you are saved, you can never lose that salvation. Paul disagrees with the statement in Galatians 5:4, You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

A preacher once talked to a woman about this particular verse and she stated to him, “Well, that’s not in my bible!” He didn’t understand her response until he looked at her bible. Sure enough, it wasn’t in her bible as she removed the verse with a pair of scissors!

This is why people want Jesus to follow them. Suppose we decide to cut out the verse, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” How furious people would be if we made that statement? To them, that’s blasphemy!

If you’re going to cut out one verse because you don’t like it, why not cut out all of them? The psalmist writes, The sum of thy word is truth; And every one of thy righteous ordinances endureth for ever (Psalms 119:160, ASV). If it’s in the bible, it’s there for a reason. It’s not a buffet where you get to pick and choose what you want and what you don’t want.

Equal Rights for All

The Battle of the Sexes has been going on for decades. Equal rights for men and women in the workforce and other places of society. The problem is, though, that the idea of “Equal Rights” is permeating the religious world as well. Women preachers have become a common conception over the last 30 years or more.

But what does the bible say about this? The apostle Paul wrote, Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence (1 Timothy 2:11-12). Here it is, in plain English. A woman cannot teach or have authority over man. For a woman to be a preacher would be to violate this command by God. When it comes to the assembly, a woman is to be silent during the worship service, with the exception of singing songs. We know this from God’s command that everyone is to sing (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:18).

We’re not saying that a woman isn’t capable of preaching but, if we are to follow the bible as it is written, God does not allow it. Of course, that’s not good enough and the woman will say, “Jesus, Follow Me. I’m going to preach because it’s the right thing to do!”

The Lord’s Invitation

I’ve discussed this in a previous article. At the conclusion of every sermon, we offer what is known as The Lord’s Invitation. It’s an opportunity for the alien sinner to become a Christian, allow a wayward Christian to repent of their sins and rejoin the fold, or simply ask prayers from the saints of the local congregation for encouragement.

Jesus is telling us to follow Him! And if you want to go to Heaven, you have to follow Him and not the other way around. Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

Conclusion

Jesus, the Son of God, invites us in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

We should always strive to follow Him, as He will not follow us. Adhere completely to the Word of God and not just the passages that make you happy.