Those of us who call
ourselves Christians began this journey with something the Bible
calls “the new birth.” It is through faith in Jesus Christ that
we are saved. Ephesians 2:8 tells us that it is “by grace you have
been saved through faith...” For those of us who have received
Christ through faith, Paul tells us “...if anyone is in Christ, he
is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things
have become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17) Having taken this step of faith,
we now have everlasting life! (See John 3:16) The question remains
for those who have taken this momentous first step...”What’s
Next?”
Pastor Reimar
Schultze, a Holocaust survivor who emigrated to the U.S. in the
1950’s and now makes his home in Indiana, has written a booklet
that addresses this important question. I’d like to share some of
his insights in this and the next several blog posts. These words are not only for those who
have just been born again, but for those who may have had a
conversion experience many years ago, yet never understood what the
next steps were to be:
Congratulations on your birth in Christ Jesus. It was the most important event of your life. You have recognized your sinfulness and understand that Jesus died to save you from your sin. You have repented and asked Jesus to live in your heart. You have passed from death into life, from darkness into life, from a lost state into the arms of your beloved Savior, Jesus Christ. And although you have barely begun your journey with your Lord, simply by repenting of your sins, you have already created a stir in heaven, for the Scriptures say: "...there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10)."
But now, we must address the monumental question as to what is next. First, we shall go to the book of Genesis, to the beginning. And here is the answer plain and clear: Man was created to walk with God. We learn that Adam and Eve were placed in a garden to walk with God; we hear of Abel walking with God; and then of Enoch of whom it says: "And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him (Gen. 5:24)."
For this reason, we are born again to walk with God, because man had been driven out of paradise because of sin. But there is another paradise for us today. It is the paradise of His presence which we enter by receiving and following Jesus. This is why, immediately
after Jesus chose His disciples, he called them to follow Him. "And as He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and said to him, 'Follow Me.' And he arose and followed Him (Mark 2:14)."
You
must understand that conversion belongs to a moment, but following
Jesus is your life-long calling. It is your new
purpose in life and everything must flow out of it...Jesus said:
."..where I am, there My servant will be also"...and this means that
from now on you live all your life together with Him –all of it,
all the time.
Hence when Jesus was
on earth, He insisted that His disciples be with Him 24 hours a day,
seven
days a week even as He also was with His Father 24/7. He never gave His disciples a day of vacation from His divine presence, neither did His disciples ever seek any leave from Him. And in order that this intimate fellowship with Jesus would continue after He left the earth, He, on the day of Pentecost, moved religion from the outside to the inside by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in every disciple’s heart as His representative.
There is nothing less that is worthy of the name, “Christianity:”Christ’s disciples
being with Jesus. And again this is only possible when you follow
Jesus. It is the only method by which you can have the peace, the
strength, the joy, the love, the fellowship, the protection, the
revelation, the provision, the inspiration, the renewal and the daily
refreshing of your heart that you need for consistent victorious
living. You must realize in your heart that any moment that a
disciple is not with his Master is an invitation to trouble. But
while you are following Him, everything that God has for you will
come your way in His own time (Matt 6:33).
There is no life for the Christian except in following. There is no discipleship without following. Practically speaking, it means that from now on, you will no longer go to and watch a soccer game unless Jesus goes with you and if He does, you will go as an evangelist and not as a spectator. Following Jesus means you will no longer go on a vacation unless He goes with you, and it means you will no longer have lunch with a friend unless He goes with you. If He does not go with you, it means that He has other plans for you for that time. Yes, this is what Jesus meant by saying "where I am, there My servant will be also." But, of course, it is best for you to let Him make the choice in the first place about the soccer game, the vacation or the lunch (that is why you need to learn to hear his voice).
Now then, what all is in following? What does it really
mean to follow?
Following Jesus Means Forsaking All
“So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all
that he has cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:33ll); “And He said to
them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Then they
immediately left their nets and followed Him (Matt: 4:19, 20).” In
order for you to follow Jesus, you will need to likewise forsake your
nets, which means to forsake all that may hold you back from
following Him. That is why Jesus said: “He who finds his life will
lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it (Matt
10:39).” As long as you make your own plans, you are losing your
life and you are blind. But once you seek God’s plans, you will
find your life and you shall see.
It is vital to
understand that forsaking all includes all of your plans, all
of your priorities, all of your schedules, all of your
attachments, all of your goods, all of your finance,
all of your relationships, and all of your past
religious practices that stand in the way of you being where Jesus
wants you to be. Jesus said: "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24)."
Jesus rejects the
gray areas in your life. Christianity is an either/or religion.
Whatever you refuse to forsake is the very thing that will prevent
you from following Jesus. Many people, called and chosen by God,
soon refuse to forsake something in their lives which prevents them
from continuing in their discipleship. It could be a habit; it could
be a sport; it could be an occupation or it could be an adulterous
relationship. Will you be one of those who will keep holding on to
something, be it ever so small, preventing you from following; or
will you be one of the few who go on the narrow way of this new life,
giving your all to your Savior as He gives His all to you?
My
friend, it is only on this narrow way that the glory of the Lord
bursts forth in its beauty and it is only on this narrow way that you
experience the fruits of the kingdom of God: “...righteousness and
peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17).” And indeed, your willingness to go on the narrow way indicates that you are willing to be rejected, mocked, persecuted, and ridiculed by men, yes, even unto death if necessary. When Jesus truly calls you, He requests that you die daily, inwardly first and for a few disciples, physically as well. "A servant is not greater than his master...(John 15:20)." Jesus said: "...because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it (Matthew 7:14).
To Read Part 2 (Following Jesus Means Self-Denial), click here.
To Read Part 2 (Following Jesus Means Self-Denial), click here.
You can order Pastor Schultze's booklet "Now That You Are Born Again...What Next" as well sign up for his free newsletter by following this link: Schultze.org
A shorter version of this article appeared in The Posey County (IN) News on January 15, 2019
Below is a link to a previous article on this blog written by Rev. Schultze:
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