Could You, Would You?

Jesus commands those who follow him to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey him (Matthew 28:18-20). Not just some of us, all of us. He tells his disciples throughout the New Testament “follow me.” Here are a few of the times Jesus spoke these words:

Matthew 4:19 – “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

Matthew 16:4 – “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

Mark 2:14 – “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

Luke 18:22 – “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 10:27 – My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

The issue for all of us is trying to understand what Jesus meant when he said those words, “follow me.” I think this is where we pick and choose what it means and where we use our lack of “gifting” to keep us from doing the things Jesus commands. He didn’t say, “Could you go and make disciples, are you able?” He said, “Go make disciples…” He also didn’t say, “Would you follow me, are you willing, is it okay with you?” He said, “Follow me.” Following Jesus is having the light of life. Jesus says in John 10:10, “…the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

When we say “yes” to following Jesus in our baptism and we begin to fish for people, deny ourselves, sell our possessions, give to the poor, and listen to his voice, something changes. The “could you, would you” attitude changes as we allow Jesus to lead. We begin to truly understand and experience what it means to have life and have it to the full. Following is no longer a choice; it becomes a way of life. Every day begins with the words, “Jesus, whatever today brings, I’ll follow you.”

Some days are better than others, admittedly. Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:16 – 21 serve as reminder of what Jesus did so, in turn, we could show the world what it means to follow him:

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

I think about, wonder about and dream about the things of God most every day. It’s been this way for me since I decided to walk back into a church 12+ years ago. Sure, I’m in ministry professionally, but it’s not like I’m a nun who’s silent, praying and serving all day long. It’s just that the thread woven through my thoughts is what it would be like if things were working the way Jesus intended. You know…him first then everything coming from that starting place.

I write this because I had a fleeting thought this week that maybe I’m like that kid that tugs at your leg, taps you on the arm and then interrupts a million times because she has to say what she has to say! I’m just a nuisance. Maybe I’ve got it all wrong and I should stop concerning myself so much with wanting to help people as they navigate their faith journeys and let them figure in out on their own. After all, faith is something personal, right? It’s God who changes hearts, not us human beings.

I know our faith is our own. No two people work out their faith in Jesus the same way. I guess what I’m wondering is what happens to us after making the decision to follow Jesus? What leads us to a place of negativity, lethargy and disinterest? Why is it we lose sight of the things of God? We lose sight of the basic things like loving him and loving people and doing the work of the church. We, who follow Jesus, have been given such an awesome opportunity to share our own experience and in turn help others seek and find their personal relationship with God.

What keeps me from seeing my “things of God”; what makes me negative, lethargic and disinterested? Well, that “what” is me. When I’m all up in “me”, I can’t see anything or anyone else, there’s no God, no people. I’m simply unable to think of Jesus first. As I prayed about this thought earlier in the week, I remembered the man who was born blind in John 9. Remember the guy who Jesus made mud out of spit and dirt and put it in his eyes? After Jesus restored his sight, the Pharisees questioned him about what happened and he made this statement, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see!”

I was completely blind to the things of God before I put my faith in Jesus. Today, there are times when I’m as blind as I was all those years ago. I think blindness happens to all of us. On most days though, the reason I’m the little kid that’s the nuisance is because I was blind and now I see. I can’t stop thinking about how it could be if we put Jesus, his life example and teaching first. What if we just let him put mud in our eyes so we could see who he is and what he has for us to do?

The Bible says the Pharisees kicked the once blind man out. Sometimes I feel like some want to throw me out too. When I’m concerned that I’m being that nuisance, I need to remember the man’s response to Jesus’ question, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He said, “Lord, I believe.” I need to remember the one in whom I believe and what that means in my life and in the lives of others.

The Philly stop of the Women of Faith conference is this weekend. The first time I attended was in 2001 or 2002; I can’t remember the exact year. I have sketchy memories of putting the trip together, with Lisa Jones, for women who attended CCV. We advertised, recruited women, made room assignments, carpooled to downtown Philadelphia and proceeded to spend 2 days with a group of women who didn’t know each other all that well. I was seriously nervous! I remember thinking, “I’m sharing a room with 3 other women, what if I have to go number 2, what if I talk in my sleep or pass gas in the middle of the night?” I think I hung onto the edge of the bed all night, half asleep and half awake worried I’d offend my roomies.

Since then, there have been several more trips made by CCV women, not lead by me and Lisa, but by others who believe in what the conference offers women. Let me tell you, this is an amazing conference! Imagine, thousands of women in a huge sports arena gathered together to listen to some of the best women speakers you’ll ever hear talk about Jesus…there’s comedy, drama, and music…one minute you’re crying and the next you’re laughing hysterically. But the last time I attended with a CCV group, I was disappointed by the things our group didn’t capitalize on. What were they? They were missed opportunities. There we were, sitting in seats for the better part of 2 days listening, but with very little interaction with each other. Then it happened, the stage team made the plea for those interested in having a relationship with Jesus to go to ‘XYZ’ room so someone could talk to them. I got the panicked feeling and thought that we should be having these conversations with each other, not sitting here watching women from our church head up the stairs to go talk to some stranger! I decided then that I didn’t want to go back, it wasn’t for me. It wasn’t interactive enough.

This weekend a group of CCV women is attending again!! These women have faithfully attended year after year; they stuck it. When I heard this past weekend that there were 5 tickets left;, I would have purchased one of those tickets if I didn’t already have plans. I’d like to go back, but since I can’t this year, I have a challenge for those of you who are attending. If you’re staying in hotel rooms, when you go back for the night, talk to each other, when you’re on a break at the conference, talk to each other, when the stage team makes the plea to learn more about Jesus, talk to each other. And when you get home, share your whole experience with the women in your circle, both inside and outside of the church. Talk to them! I missed my opportunities at the conference and at home. We can’t let that happen again!

Whatever your experience, a rekindled fire, a new friendship, a nudge closer to a relationship with Jesus, an answered question or a wound that begins to heal, don’t keep it to yourself. Jesus told us to go, so when you get back home, don’t miss another opportunity to go.

A friend recently accepted a staff position at her church similar to my position at CCV. She sent me an email asking for my “words of wisdom” before she stepped into this new role. Before I put my fingers to the keyboard to answer, I looked back over my 10 years in ministry and wondered if I had any wisdom to offer. Finally, I shared that ministry is awesome and that being part of establishing and developing a church community is worth every ounce of energy you have. I also confided in her how easy it is to get caught up in trying to make you famous instead of making Jesus famous! I know this because I struggle with this sin every day.

Let’s face it; some roles in the church bring more attention and recognition than others. One ministry area gets more press than another. Relationships between team members can yield privileges. It’s just the way it is; nobody ever said that everything would be the same across the board. The decisions rest in the hands of the powers that be, period.

In my early years on our church staff, all I wanted to do was share with others what I’d found in my own relationship with Jesus. I believed (and still do) what God wanted me to do was welcome people into the church, help them get connected, love them and share the story of Jesus with them. But as the years passed, I watched new staff members move into high profile roles to do things that bring that ever desired attention and recognition! And being intimately familiar with the baggage I brought with me to being a Christ follower, I should have known this would be an issue for me.

As a kid, I was the one who got passed over – it didn’t matter that I was smart, hard-working, sensitive or friendly. There was just something about me “they” didn’t want. The idea of being passed over at 50 sucks as much as it does when you’re 12! What’s bad about this is how many times I’ve lost sight of what attracted me to Jesus – the fact that he did choose me. He wanted me regardless of what “they” thought. 

So as the days pass and I work through my struggle to make me famous, I think of how Jesus lived his life. He didn’t need the recognition of others; he didn’t concern himself with what others were doing. He told those he helped not to tell others who he was. He told his disciples in Mark 10:44-45, “…whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus knew what God gave him to do and he stayed focused on that, regardless of what “they” said. It doesn’t matter what recognition and attention we get from bosses, co-workers, family members or friends. What matters is what recognition God gets as we do what he’s given us to do by serving and giving our lives for many just as Jesus did.