On his heels

“If anyone would come after me…” (Mark 8:34).

What would I have done if I had heard this live? If Jesus had looked directly at me and invited me to follow Him—“come after me”—I sure hope that I would have done so. What an amazing, real-time journey it would have been!

Think about it—if you or I had followed Jesus’ heels, where would it have taken us?

First, it would have taken us away from people to a place of solitude. Repeatedly the Gospels describe Jesus getting away from people to spend time with His Father (Luke 5:16). This is an essential habit of His disciples–a reality that Branson and other church teachers constantly remind us of. Time alone with God is the lifeblood of discipleship, and without it, it is impossible to enjoy the soul rest that Jesus invites us into (Mat 11:28-30).

Another place we would have ended up is with people in need. Jesus had a nose for pain, and He was attracted to hurting folks who had been marginalized by society. We would have hung out with the least and the lost, and been condemned for it.

Following Jesus’ heels would have also led us to the established community of God. In His day that meant the synagogue, even with all its flaws. In fact, this was one of the first places He went to as His ministry began (Luke 1:21). True, He was very frustrated by the institution it had become, but He loved it all the same and sought at every turn to reclaim it for its rightful purpose. Jesus continues to do this today with the Church He birthed.

Finally, your intentional following of Jesus would have lead you to a group. Jesus started and cultivated an intimate gathering of people wherein they poured their lives into one another. This strategy is obvious in Jesus’ calling of the “Twelve,” and in time, this little community of men changed the course of human history. It’s no surprise that these same men accelerated a group-based strategy when the Spirit arrived after the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:42-47). What else could you possibly do to nurture thousands of new believers?

On the heels of Jesus’ example, Covenant is ramping up all kinds of groups so that you can follow Him intentionally. All shapes and sizes. All kinds of choices. All kinds of times.

So where is the best place for you to follow Jesus these days? Dig into this fall’s catalog, visit this weekend’s group rally before or after worship and make a few phone calls to group leaders as needed.

Jesus set the example; now its time for us to follow the Master.

Intentionally prioritizing His way,
Charlie