Believers versus Followers

 If I asked you if you believe in Jesus, most of you would respond with a yes. It's the question most often asked when someone accepts Christ as their Savior. "Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God?"

The definition of belief is to accept as true. Belief is easy.

But let's take this illustration a bit farther. Imagine a chair. It looks like it's a pretty sturdy chair. It seems to be made by a reputable company. You might even see other people sitting in one just like it. But you've never sat in this chair before so how do you know it will hold you? You can deduce the reliability of the chair from what you can see. 

However, to really test this reliability, you have to DO something. You have to actually sit in the chair. Only then will your belief become justified.

Belief is important. It's the beginning of trust. Jesus talked about it multiple times. But listen to what Jesus said when he started rounding up His disciples:

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Matt 4:19

Notice He didn't say, "Come believe in me." In fact, the disciples' belief actually came later, after they had been following Him for a while and had seen His miracles.

The definition of follow is to engage in as a way of life. Following requires action. It requires engagement. It requires a life style change. I can believe in that chair all day long but until I take some action, I can not show my full trust.  

Repeatedly Jesus indicates that following is what He requires Matthew 8:22 "But Jesus told him, 'Follow me and let the dead bury their own dead.'" Matthew 9:9 "...'Follow me,' he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him." Matthew 10:38 "and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." Matthew 16:24 "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'" It's pretty clear that He expected action.

So how do we know if our belief has manifested into following? We have to know Jesus, trust Him, and show by our actions that we believe. Without a close intimate relationship with Jesus, we cannot be an effective "follower."

Following doesn't mean we have to be perfect. Jesus' disciples certainly weren't but when their belief caught up with their following, nothing could stop them from telling the world about Jesus.

The questions I've been forced to ask myself then is "What do my actions say about me? Am I just a believer or am I truly a follower? It takes courage to ask these questions and even more to listen to the answers.