Matt. 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
Ruth 1:16 16And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
1 Corinthians 11 (KJV)
11 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:12
Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
In Matthew Jesus delivers a much needed message to His disciples and to us. All of the disciples felt that Jesus came and had the power to align everyone into one kingdom The disciples were expecting worldly fame and riches. Jesus’s doctrine of the cross was not good news for them. Jesus was informing them that they must brace themselves for persecution, misery, and even death.
To be a follower of Christ we must all deny our righteous self and surrender all of our own works as being righteous. Sometimes, we must even deny worldly pleasures and give up personal gains of profits to be a worthy disciple. In addition, we must never be in competition with Christ’s people. We are all God’s chosen and He will prosper us in His due season.
As children of God we must “take up the Cross of Christ” and follow Him. With every assignment given to us by the Holy Spirit we must be willing to cheerfully receive and patiently bear all persecutions and misery that may follow. We must quietly submit and imitate Christ alone. Finally, it is our duty to exercise the fullness of grace with humility, zeal, and patience. We should seek to do these things and pay attention to the leadership of the church in this manner. If your church leader is not taking up the cross and following after God closely; then, it is time to ask Christ to show you your next move.
It matters who you follow, because if we follow the wrong preacher, master, evangelist, or teacher they will lead us down the wrong road. I want to follow Christ! God put people in different offices to help us follow Him, but when those fall we must pick up and continue to follow Christ alone. Do not keep following someone that is off the path of righteousness. We must follow the one who is anointed. In the space provided below give credit to those who have helped you walk a closer walk with Jesus. Then, provide some character traits that the future generation should look for in those people who hold that particular office for God.
