Follow Me

My heart hurts while writing this post and though I would love to say that I never expected a day like this to come I would be lying if I said just that. 

If you have been on social media or know someone who has been I'm sure you have heard about the falling away of some pillars of faith in their belief. Some people that were once known Godly leaders now deciding if Christianity is even for them. And the aftermath is devastating. But, I want to use this as a means to challenge you to change your perspective on how you follow and who you follow.

In Matthew 4:19-20 When Jesus calls Simon Peter and Andrew He says follow me and in turn they left their nets and followed Him. So when did Christianity become following the newest worship leader, pastor, or author? Jesus didn't call the disciples to follow the pharisees because they had 'great knowledge and wisdom'. No! He told them to follow Him. This is because Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). And yet I believe, if I am so bold as to say, this is where Christians are getting it wrong. We have become infatuated with the show of Christianity -- the proper lighting, the 'right songs', short messages so we can be at brunch in under two hours -- so much so that we have lost sight of the reason we do this Christianity thing in the first place. Wake up. It's about Jesus.

Yes, I think that God has gifted us with amazing Godly pillars in faith such as Billy Graham, Louie Giglio, John Piper, and Ravi Zacharias. Amazing Godly men that lead their congregation well and love God deeply. But what if one day they don't anymore? Will my faith crumble without a Passion City Sermon carrying my faith through the trenches of life? I sure hope not. Because, reader, no matter who is behind the pulpit we should be taking everything they say to Scripture and be saying does this line up? Because they are human and we weren't called to follow them. I desire this moment to be a turning point in your faith. To grab tight Jesus' hand and root yourself deep into His Word so when the waters rise and the waves come, your house, like the wise man, will be firm upon the Rock (Matthew 7:24-29). 

As John Cooper put it at the end of his post 'What in God's Name is Happening to Christianity', “It is time for the church to rediscover the preeminence of the Word. And to value the teaching of the Word. We need to value truth over feeling. Truth over emotion."

So now what do we do?

We pray. We pray hard. We pray over the leaders set before us today. We pray for protection over the church. We pray that we are grounded firm in His Word. We pray that our minds are not led astray of pure devotion to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3-4). We pray, as Solomon did, for a discerning and wise heart. A heart that is in tune with Him. We pray that our 'spiritual spidy-senses' are sharpened and we follow the tugs in our spirit. We pray.

Beyond that I challenge you to pray for the leaders that have walked away from their faith. Pray that their eyes are opened once more to His truth. Pray that they encounter Jesus in a way that brings them to their knees in awe and wonder. Pray that they are covered in love by God's people so much that they feel the Fathers arms around them. Pray for them too.

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Ephesians 6:10-20

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."