What It Really Means to Follow Jesus | Season 02, Episode 01 | Simple Truth Podcast

I've got a tricky question for you. Are you ready? What is a Christian? Okay, it's a simple question, I know, but it's kind of a difficult one, right? And here's the thing. The answer to this question, it really, really matters. Why does it matter so much? You might ask. Well, if you're a new Christian, getting the right answer will give you direction and purpose and save you from a lot of trouble down the road. And if you've been a Christian for some time already, learning this answer will probably shed light on some things that you've been wrestling with for a while. Honestly, this answer might even break you free from something you've been desperately stuck in. So, what does the Bible actually say a Christian is? Well, I think the answer is going to surprise you. Let's dive into it in today's episode of the Simple Truth. Welcome to the Simple Truth podcast, where we open the Bible to uncover simple, biblical, and essential truths that can transform your life. And now, here's your host, Ted Ross. Hi, my name is Ted Ross and this is the simple truth podcast, your home for biblical truth clearly taught and freely given. Today is a critical episode on what is a Christian and we're going to start with our very first simple truth of the episode. A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ. Well, let's look into it. Let's take a look at Bible verses. Disciples of Jesus early on became known as Christians in the early church. Let's take a look at that in the book of Acts 11 verses 25 and 26. As a note, all Bible verses in this entire episode are going to be from the New King James Version. So feel free to follow along. Verse 25 says, "Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul, later known as Paul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and they taught a great many people. And here it is folks. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Okay. So let's take a look at it. What does this word disciple mean? We hear about it all the time. A disciple is a student, a learner. They're a follower of a teacher. Okay? So early disciples, if you're a disciple of Christ, you were a student. You learned from Christ. And more than just learning about, you followed Christ. You actually took on his behavior and his lifestyle and you mimicked him. And so the word Christian literally means follower of Christ or belonging to Christ. Okay, got it. So a disciple or a student of Christ was known as a Christian aka a follower of Christ in Antioch. Okay, the word Christian is in the Bible actually three times. So let's see the second example of the word Christian. People may hate you, Peter says, for following Christ, but you're actually honoring God. So let's look in 1 Peter 4 verses 14-16. Verse 14 said, quote, "If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part, he is blasphemed. But on your part, he is glorified. It's as if you are reproached. That word means insulted, mocked, verbally abused. Ouch. For the name of Christ because you are following Jesus's ways and his cause and his mission. Then it says blessed or blessed or happy or welloff are you. That word blessed implies God's favor and God's approval. What a powerful verse. If you're insulted or you're mocked or if someone's verbally abusing you because you follow Jesus's ways, happy are you, well off are you, God has favor on you. It says on their part he has blasphemed. Those mocking you insult Christ. It's not you. They're insulting Christ. On your part he is glorified. Your response to them honors God. What a great verse. Let's take a look at verse 15. It says if you suffer for following Christ, it's an honor you're acting like him. So verse 15 says, "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busy body in other people's matters." Verse 16, "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this manner." That word suffer, when it says, "But let none of you suffer as a murderer." Don't be afflicted or experience something bad because you are a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or a busy body, someone who's getting into everyone else's business. That's not what you should be suffering for as a Christian. Verse 16 says, "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, right, as a follower of Christ, as a believer of Christ, if somebody is afflicted or experiences something bad because they're following Christ, let that person not be ashamed. To be ashamed is to be disgraced or to be embarrassed. Don't be embarrassed. Don't be ashamed, but instead glorify God in this manner. Thank honor God instead. Jesus Christ was treated the same way. And if you're being treated that way, then it's showing that you're one of his followers, and that's a good thing. Let's see the third use of the term Christian in the Bible. Remember Paul preached to a king who considered becoming a follower of Christ. Let's look at this. It's in Acts 26 27- 29. And it says verse 27. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? This is Paul talking. I know that you do believe. Then Agrippa said to Paul, you almost persuade me to become a Christian. There's that word again. And Paul said, "I would to God that not only you become a Christian, but also all who hear me today become a Christian might become both almost and altogether such as I am except for these chains." Paul said, "I wish to God that not only you, King Agrippa, became a Christian and everyone hearing me became a Christian and became exactly as I Paul am except for these chains because Paul was in prison." Agrippa was almost persuaded to become a Christian, a follower of Christ. Okay, that's what Agrippa said. But it begs the question, well, we know a Christian is technically a follower of Jesus Christ, but if Agrippa became a Christian, well, what exactly is he following? The answer might surprise you. Let's take a look at it. That brings us to our next simple truth. Christians should follow Jesus Christ as their example. A Christian doesn't just learn about Jesus Christ, but they are to conduct themselves and live like Jesus Christ. Let's look at 1 John 2:6. And it says, "He who says he abides in him ought himself also to walk just as he walked." Now, there's a lot of He's and him's, so let's make this simpler. I'm going to put in some italics. I'm going to insert in and we're going to reread this. So, 1 John 2:6, he, that's us, who says he abides in him, that's Jesus, ought himself, that's us, also to walk just as he, Jesus, walked. Okay, interesting. That word abide. So those of us who say we abide in Christ that's saying we dwell we remain we continue or we live in Christ. Okay we ought to walk that is to conduct ourselves to live as Jesus walked. Interesting. This is what makes a Christian a follower of Jesus Christ. One theme you'll see over and over again in this episode. A Christian doesn't just learn about Jesus or respect Jesus or read things about Jesus. A Christian follows Jesus. And what it means to follow Jesus, this verse of course shows it and many more will. To follow Jesus is to live like Jesus. That's why it says those who say they abide in Christ ought to live like Christ. And that is a powerfully strong statement. In fact, this message repeats itself across the New Testament. So, let's take a look. Christians follow Jesus as their example. Jesus is their pattern to be copied. So, let's look at first Peter 2 21. Quote, "For to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his," that's Christ's steps. An example, it's an important word. It says that Christ suffered for us leaving an example. An example is a pattern. It's an original to be copied. Interesting. Well, what's a metaphor for Jesus being an original and where to be a copy? Well, how about a stencil? Let's take a look at a stencil. Jesus's life is our pattern to copy. And if any of you have ever worked with a stencil, a stencil puts together this original that you can go ahead and paint or you could draw into. And that ensures that every copy is like the original. So for Jesus to be our example, for him to be this original that we are to copy after, it means that Jesus's life is a pattern or an example that we are to mimic and to follow. Interesting. Let's keep looking. Romans 8 29. In this verse, we're going to see that God wants us to take on the nature and the likeness of Jesus as Jesus is the first in a lineup. Right? Interesting. Romans 8:29, for whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Okay, there's a lot of he in here. So, let's break this down. For whom he the father foreknew. To foreknow is to know beforehand. It says the father knew us beforehand. Wow, that's powerful. It says he the father also predestined. That means he decided beforehand that we would be conformed. To conformed is to take the same nature of. That means God is taking us from who we were and he's conforming us or he's making us into the nature of the image of his son. The image is the likeness or the resemblance of his son Jesus Christ. So it says that God decided that we should be taking on the nature or the likeness or resemble his son Jesus Christ. And it says that Jesus might become the firstborn to be the firstborn is the first in order. That word is prototype and that we come after. It says that he Jesus might be the firstborn among many brethren. So the whole purpose of this is that Jesus is to be this firstborn. this prototype. We are to come after. He's first in order. He's the son by nature and we are adopted into this and that God decided beforehand that this should happen. This is yet another verse showing Jesus as our example and that we are to live as he lived. A Christian also walks the same path as Jesus using him as their example. Let's see that in Luke 9:23. Luke 9:23 it says, "Then he," that's Jesus, "Said to them all, if anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." That word follow to come after, to accompany, to rock the same road with. Crazy. So Jesus says, "Take up your cross daily and follow me. Walk my same road. Accompany me. Come after me." a follower as you're seeing through verse after verse in the Bible. It doesn't mean we watch Jesus walked. It means we walk in his steps. When we ask ourselves the question of what is a Christian? A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ. And that means that we walk in the steps and the example of Jesus Christ. That is a powerful powerful idea. Remember Jesus had multitudes following him. Thousands of people, tens of thousands watched Jesus, but fewer people followed Jesus. Don't worry about the multitudes. If there's a lesson to be taken in your life, don't worry about the multitudes. You may be at a church with thousands of people or you may be around thousands of people or a lot of people you know, they may watch Jesus or want nothing to do with Jesus. Don't worry about the multitudes. Go within your heart. Be a true Christian. Be a follower of Christ. I guarantee you, it's the best thing you'll ever do. Jesus gave us an example for us to follow and to do. Let's see that in John 13 , verses14 and 15. Verse 14. And it says, "If I then," this is Jesus talking, "your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet." That's humility, folks. Verse 15, for I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you. There's that word example again. Jesus has given us an example, a pattern, a model, a copy set forth for imitation. Jesus gave us something to follow. God wants us to imitate him and love others as Jesus loved us. Let's see that in Ephesians 5 verse 1 and 2. Therefore, be imitators of God, as dear children. Verse two. and walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice for a sweet smelling aroma. That word imitators means follower. It implies more than just an external copy. It's not we're not trying to look like Jesus looked or wear the same clothes that Jesus wore. That's not the point. We're not trying to replicate Jesus's outward appearance. It's about internal conformity of belief in character. It's about following on the inside the things Jesus believed in the character Jesus had. That is what it means to be an imitator of God. And here in Ephesians, Paul's instructing us to imitate God. Yet another example of what it means to be a Christian, to follow Jesus Christ. To be yolked. That's an expression we hear, right? We hear in the Bible, very famous quote. But to be yolked with Jesus is to align with Jesus and to walk like Jesus Christ. Let's go to Matthew 11 29. It says, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle." This is Jesus talking. "And lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Amen. That's a good word. That word yoke, it's a wood bar. It's placed over the neck of a pair of animals to join them together. So you can imagine two ox pulling a cart. There's a yoke that connects those oxen together. That word yoke, it implies two units like two ox working together as one. Most of us are really not familiar with what a yoke is. So let's see one. So a yoke here it is for those watching visually. A yoke is used to connect two oxins. So, you see this wooden bar with two U-shaped items that go around the neck safely and comfortably for an ox. And this yolk keeps these two ox connected together so that the two of them could pull a cart together. Fair enough. You'll notice something though. One ox doesn't run off and leave the other ox behind. So, a yoke clearly means that the two are together. You'll also notice that one ox doesn't lay down while the other ox drags them. That's not what the meaning of a yoke or the purpose of a yoke is with a yoke. They walk together. Same speed, same direction. That is what Jesus is saying when he says to take his yoke upon us. Jesus is one ox. We are the other ox. And with that yoke, we walk together with Jesus, at the same speed as Jesus, in the same direction as Jesus. And I don't know about you, but putting a yoke is not the the first thing that comes to mind of what I want in my life. And yet, putting the yoke of Jesus Christ on is completely different. Jesus invites us into a partnership. And this is a fantastic partnership, folks, where we follow, we walk alongside Jesus. We learn from Jesus and we find rest for our souls. This is a very good thing. So let's take a moment. Here's what we know. We've covered quite a few verses already. First of all, disciples started being called Christians in Antioch. Second, a Christian is a follower of Christ. Got it? Third, a follower does more than watch Christ at a distance. Quite clearly from these verses of scripture and these words, Jesus actually becomes their example and they live as he lived. That's what it means to be a follower of Christ. Okay, that's powerful. But I still haven't quite answered the question yet of what is a Christian? If a Christian follows Christ's example, then what was his example? How did Jesus live and how should we live? I think that's really the next question, right? We're going to answer it. Let's talk about the life of Jesus. You know, sometimes we are so focused on the things Jesus says that we miss the larger model or example of his life for our life. I'm going to repeat that. That's important. Sometimes we're so focused on the things Jesus said that we miss the larger model that his life was an example for our life. Let's take a look at the life of Jesus. I'm going to show a table here. In one column, I show the path of Jesus. This is the life that Jesus led as our example. And in the second column, I show our Christian path, which is the path we are to live as followers. When I look in the path of Jesus, I see that he began at around 30 years old. Jesus had a miraculous virgin birth. Jesus had verses in the Bible that talk about him answering questions really intelligently at the age of 12 in the temple and being about his father's business. But there's very few verses that really talk about the life of Jesus until he turns 30. That's really when things start. Jesus was baptized in water. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus was led into the wilderness. Jesus overcame flesh and the devil in the wilderness. And Jesus returned in power for purpose. And then we see all these mighty parables and all these metaphors and all these miracles and we see all these wonderful things and it culminates in his death, burial and his resurrection. So when we think about it, Jesus began his path at 30 years old. Jesus tells us that we need to be born again. That at some point in our life, we may be young, we may be older, whatever it may be, that we're to be rebirthed and born again. That we're to begin a path ourselves. Interesting. Jesus was baptized in water and he instructs us to be baptized in water. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus instructs us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus was led into the wilderness. You and I will or have entered the wilderness. Jesus overcame flesh and the devil. You and I are to overcome flesh and the devil. That's our flesh specifically. Jesus returned from the wilderness in power for purpose. You and I are called to a purpose. and you and I are going to do it in God's power. Let's now examine each milestone that we just listed. Let's look at our Christian path. To be clear, as followers of Jesus Christ, we don't just take Jesus's sayings and just kind of wind them together. We look at the life Jesus led and we are to follow it. That's Jesus's yoke. That's the example that he's setting. So let's now look at each of these individual items and let's see how it impacts or how it's reflected or how God is calling us as followers to live those items out. That brings us to our next simple truth. The first item in that list is Jesus instructs us to be born again. So the simple truth is you must be born again. We must be born from above. Jesus said, "We have to have a spiritual rebirth to see God." Let's look at John 3 verses 3-7. And it says, "Jesus answered and said to him,"Most assuredly I say to you," he's talking to Nicodemus, "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to him, "Well, how could a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Born again. That word literally means to be born from above. Interesting. Nicodemus, like many of us, was probably unsure of what Jesus meant when he said to be born again. Your first birth, it wasn't enough. You must be also born from above. Jesus says you must be rebirthed. Let's take a look at verse 5. Jesus answered,"Most assuredly I say to you," he's talking to Nicodemus, "Unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again." That expression, born of water and the spirit, it represents cleansing, that's the water, and renewal. That's the spirit. It's likely a reference to the book of Ezekiel 36:25- 27. We don't have time to go through those today, but go ahead and check those out yourself if you get the moment. Do not marvel, Jesus said. He said, "Don't wonder, don't be amazed, don't disbelieve that you must be born again, that you must be born from above." The fact is, folks, we were dead in our missteps, our shortcomings, but then made alive. Ephesians 2:1, it says, quote, "And you he made alive who were dead in trespasses, those are missteps, and sins, those are shortcomings." That word dead means to be deceased, to be spiritually lifeless. It's interesting because how could it say we were dead? We clearly aren't dead. What about us was dead? That's the next question to be asked. Experience God and believing in God, it makes you spiritually alive. That's what we see here in John 5:4. Quote, most assuredly I say to you, this is Jesus talking. He who hears my word and believes in him, that's the father, who sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. There that is again, they pass from death to life. We were we were dead, but how were we dead? Because we know we were physically alive. It says here that word hears. For Jesus to say, "He who hears my word," that's a person who listens to or understands Jesus's word and believes his word, has faith in, trusts Jesus's word, that person has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment. That word is sentencing or condemnation. So they won't come into condemnation or sentencing, but they have passed from death into life. They have become born again. So, let's take a moment. Your body was alive quite clearly, but the Bible said you were dead and made alive when you became born again. Interesting. So, how can we be alive but dead at the same time? That's a important question, I think, to ask. Well, 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says that we're made of a spirit, a soul, and a body. These are the three parts of a person. They have a spirit, a soul, and a body. Our physical body and our soul and our soul to help define it would be our will, our intellect, and our emotions. It's also known as our personality. So, our body and our soul were alive, but our spirit, our connection to God, our spirit was dead. The parts of a Christian is something we're going to discuss in a future episode. But the reality is when we become born again, our body was already alive. Our soul was already alive, but our spirit now becomes alive. So when we become born again, our spirit is made alive. That is the rebirth. Excellent. Jesus said we must be born again. Got it. Like Nicodemus, many of us were really unsure of what that meant. So we're recapping this. But we've now read various scriptures about being born again from the Bible. And being born again is being rebirthed spiritually. When that happens, our spirit becomes alive and we become connected to God. Great. As the scripture says, we pass from death to life through faith in the gospel and that death, burial, and resurrection. That's what it means to be born again. And that is so important. So how does a person become born again? Well, a person becomes born again when they experience God and in response they repent. That means they change their mind. They have a different mind. They're choosing to live a different life. They believe in the gospel. That is the death, the burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. and they commit to following Jesus Christ. In other words, they commit to being a Christian. Paul says it this way in Romans 10:9. Quote, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Check out Why I am a Christian for more details. Peter summarizes it well in 1 Peter 1:3. It said, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." That word begotten, it says, "Blessed be the father who has begotten us through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." To begotten is to give a new birth. It's to make us born again. It says that this has been done through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. That is faith in the gospel. What a powerful verse. Thanks be to God who through his abundant mercy, that means he did things for us that none of us deserved, has rebirthed us, made us born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, also known as the gospel. Okay, so you were born again. You're born from above. What's next? Well, maybe you remember that table and you remember what's next in the life of Jesus. Jesus was baptized in water. So, let's take a look. We're going to take a look at water baptism and much more in our next episode. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Simple Truth Podcast. In this episode, I think we covered some really important topics and answering the question of what is a Christian? Through the Bible, we saw that a Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ and following means making Jesus our example. God wants to conform Christians, you and me, into Jesus's likeness and changes to resemble him. It says it, folks. It includes the idea of living as Jesus lived. Most important, Jesus's life itself is a model and a pattern for a Christian's life. So, we must be born again, born from above. We should be waterbaptized, and we should be filled with the Holy Spirit. So, what does the Bible actually say about water baptism and being filled with the Holy Spirit? Well, that's exactly what we'll explore in our next episode. A Christian is baptized in water and spirit. If you enjoyed today's episode, please like, subscribe, share it with someone else. It has been a real pleasure talking about the Bible with you. I pray that God bless you and God keep you. Until next time, thank you for listening to the Simple Truth Podcast. For additional episodes, visit us at www.simplettruth.org