The goal of the Christian life is to follow Jesus as Savior and Lord. Following Jesus is a life-long process, but it begins with certain steps. This first lesson will present the first and most important steps in following Jesus.
In order to follow Jesus, we need to know something about him. Christians know who he is by reading the Bible, and the Bible is the Word of God that reveals Jesus Christ and everything we need to know in order to be saved. The Bible was primarily written in two languages. The first part of the Bible, called the Old Testament, was written in Hebrew, the language of the first people of God. The second part of the Bible, the New Testament, was written in Greek, the language commonly known by those who first began to follow Jesus Christ. These lessons are written in English and we will use an English translation of the Bible. The translation used in these lessons will be the English Standard Version since it is close to a word for word translation of the original Hebrew and Greek. Others of you may have different Bibles. Whatever Bible you use, pray that God will reveal Jesus Christ to you as you read his holy words in your Bible.
Once you have a Bible, read Matthew 4:18-22. Notice three things. First, those who heard Jesus say "Follow me," immediately left what they were doing to follow him. Second, Jesus began by calling four disciples, and these formed the beginning of a small group who would walk daily with him. Third, if you were to continue reading Matthew's gospel, you would discover that Jesus called other disciples, twelve in all, and these disciples walked with Jesus as he went through towns and villages proclaiming the Kingdom of God. This meant that they heard his teaching each day, saw his deeds each day, and conversed with him daily. A follower of Jesus begins to walk with him by doing these three things, deciding to follow him, joining with others who follow him, and finally, hearing his teaching, speaking with him, and witnessing his acts each day. Let us consider each of these three things in turn.
The first step is to decide to follow Jesus. In order to do this, you do not need to believe that he is the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Read, for example, Matthew 16:13-19. In this passage, Jesus asked his disciples who they thought he was. They gave several answers, and then Peter proclaimed that Jesus was the Christ, which means the one anointed by God to save. This awareness of Jesus as the Christ did not occur at once. Only after the disciples had followed him for some time did they know who he was, and even then, they did not know him fully. Therefore, regardless of who you are, you can take the first step which is to decide to follow him.
Many people have taken the first step of deciding to follow Jesus. Some have heard of him and were curious, others were healed or delivered of demons and wanted to follow him because they were thankful, others were in danger and cried out to him for help, and he helped them, others wanted to know God and found God in him, and others decided to follow him because of the testimony of friends. Jesus reveals God. He forgives, heals, makes friends out of enemies, protects, and many other things. You can discover the truth of this if you decide to follow Jesus.
If you are already a Christian, it is always good to recommit yourselves to following him. As will soon become clear, this is a commitment we must make daily. So, regardless of who we may be, let us all commit ourselves to following Jesus. Let us pray this prayer aloud,
Risen Lord Jesus, I wish to know you and to follow you. Please reveal yourself to me so I may know your goodness and glory. Thank you for that great hope. Amen.
Jesus will hear this prayer, and he will begin to answer it at once.
Forming a Ministry Group
The next step in following Jesus is to form or become a member of a small group. There are many different kinds of groups within a church. There are groups which come together to work on various project, others that meet to study Scripture, and others that come together for prayer, study, and ministry. The group described here is of the last type, a small group that learns to pray, study, and minister in the name of Jesus. We will call them ministry groups. Others have called them accountability groups because the members help each other to be faithful to their Christian commitments.
If you are a leader in your church, you will need to organize your church so that each person has the opportunity to be a member of a small ministry group, usually no larger than twelve persons. A group with only three persons can still form a vital ministry group. If the group is larger than twelve persons, it is hard for all members to participate. If this is new to you, please pray and think about it, consult with those you trust, and if you have leaders over you, consult with them as well. You will discover that small ministry groups will be a great blessing to your church. Most likely, not every person who comes to church will be willing to join such a group, but all must be encouraged and given the opportunity. Jesus formed a small group of his disciples. The early Christians met in homes as small groups and in a central meeting place for worship (Acts 2:46), and among Christians today, small groups are the way to build a dynamic, living body of Christ. Ask the Lord to guide you in this matter. As these lessons unfold, it will become clear why small groups are so very, very important. Your people grow best as members of small groups, and these lessons are written to be used in small groups. As a leader, you will also need to be in a small group, one composed, for example, of other leaders in the church, those who can minister to you and give you good counsel as you lead the church. You will be blessed.
If you are a member of a church that does not have ministry groups, bring this lesson to your leadership and ask that members of your church be encouraged to form small fellowship groups. Once ministry groups are started, join one of those fellowship groups as advised by your church leaders.
If you are not a member of a church, ask Jesus to find a church for you. Pray for his guidance, and seek one where the members believe that Jesus is risen from the dead and doing the very things the Scriptures proclaim Jesus did in the days of his flesh. Join that church and ask its leadership about being in a small group.
If you know of no churches, continue reading your Bible, following this Bible study, and ask Jesus to help you find other Christians. Ask them if they would like to join with you to form a small group that is interested in following Jesus. If you find more than twelve persons, form two or more small groups, and all of you meet together on Sundays for worship.
As these groups are formed, it is good to have new Christians, or those who want to learn about Jesus, mixed in with more mature Christians. Also, work with the leadership to choose a leader for your ministry group, a person who is spiritually mature, respected, and capable. In this way, the more spiritually mature can help guide the other members. It is good for the leaders of the small groups to read these lessons in advance so they can help their groups apply them.
Once your group has formed, choose a time and place to meet. It is good to meet once a week. What does the Lord want to do in these ministry groups? He wants you to come together to help each other walk daily with Jesus. Let us see how this can occur, beginning with an outline of what needs to happen in your small group.
Those Who Walk Daily With Jesus
1. The disciples that followed Jesus in the days of his flesh were taught by him, and they spoke with him daily. If a person today is to walk with Jesus, they need to hear his teaching and speak with him daily. This happens by reading the Bible and by prayer. Your group will meet weekly, or more if need be, but when you meet, encourage each person in the group to spend time daily in a private place to read God's Word and pray. As each of you prays daily, you will also need to pray for the members of your group, as well as other prayer needs you may have. Normally, the best time for most people to pray is early in the morning. It needs to be the time of day when you can be alone and are at your best. It is good to pray throughout the day, and at evening as well, but it is very important to set aside a specific time every day to pray and read the Bible. Jesus often went away by himself to pray, and we must do so as well (Matthew 14:23, Mark 1:35, Luke 6:12). Each group member needs to tell the group the time of day they have chosen to pray. Then, each time the group meets, the members can encourage each other to study an pray daily. Consequently, each time you meet, begin with prayer, and then check with the members of the group to make sure each of them is walking with Jesus by setting aside time every day to pray and read the Bible.
2. Group members are not only called to read and study the Bible daily in their homes, the group as a whole needs to study together at your weekly meetings. These lessons will help you study the Bible together. Set aside some time at each meeting to study these Bible lessons.
3. The disciples that walked with Jesus also saw his acts of power and love. Jesus forgave sinners, healed the sick, fed the hungry, cast out demons, confronted the hard-hearted, proclaimed the Kingdom by word and deed, associated with the poor and wretched, gave up his life for those he loved, and above all, enabled people to know the living God whose love has no end. At one time or another, you and other members of your small group will be broken-hearted, oppressed by the devil, poor, lonely, confused, sick, out of work, addicted, and needy. As this study unfolds, you will learn how to bless, heal, deliver, encourage, teach, guide, and help the other members of your group. They will do the same for you. That is why a small group is so important. Every member of the group will learn to minister to others. Therefore, some of your time together needs to be spent listening to each other’s needs, praying for each other, and working together to help each other.
As you learn to minister to each other, one rule is very important. Many people have embarrassing problems, matters that are private to them. Every member must pledge to keep what is shared in the group confidential. You cannot go around your community gossiping about your group members. Whatever is personal and private must be respected. If someone violates this commitment, you will need to speak with them. If they continue to gossip, they cannot be a member of your small group. They can, for example, join a Bible study class where serious personal matters are not openly discussed. If there is a very serious problem affecting the life of your group, bring the matter to the attention of the church’s leadership. Follow their guidance in how to resolve the problem.
4. The disciples that walked with Jesus saw him helping those who were not members of their small group. You, as a small group, will be called to bless people outside your group, people in your church and community and beyond. You will learn how to pray for healing, how to help your community in terms of the necessities of life such as health care, work, food and water, how God wants you to be good citizens of your nation, how to evangelize, and so much more. As these lessons unfold, you will be encouraged at the right time, to reach out to your church and community. You may feel called to send out certain members of your group as missionaries to other places, near or far.
5. The disciples that walked daily with Jesus prayed together, and Jesus taught them how to pray. Each time you meet, you will need to devote some time to praying together, for God's will, for healing and blessing, for direction, for each other, for your community, and more. Do not forget to pray for each other daily. God will teach you how to pray, and in time, you will discover what Jesus told his disciples in John 15:7-8, "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples." What a blessing to see God answering your prayers.
6. From time to time, you will need to set occasions for celebration, for social gatherings where you can enjoy each other's company with food, conversation, singing, and rejoicing. Expressing love and celebrating together are great blessings, and the risen Lord Jesus will help you to rejoice together.
7. Finally, small groups will join with other small groups, the members of your church, to worship and fellowship together. If your small group belongs to a larger Christian body, and it needs to unless your small group is the beginning of a church, then you will need to be in contact with the leadership of your church. They are your leaders, and as will be seen, God calls all church members to work together under the leadership of those he has called to direct his church. You will want to be a positive force for good in your local church. Keep your leaders informed on the status of your small group. Seek their counsel on how your small group can be helpful to your church and community. Submit all major decisions, such things as community projects or adding new members and dividing to form a second group, to their leadership. Let your group leader be the one who will communicate regularly with your church's leaders.
These are the goals of small groups. These goals are not easily achieved. As you meet in your small group, you will discover that sin, conflict, and trouble lives in each of you. You will need to commit yourselves, not only to following Jesus Christ, but to your small group and to your church. You will need to persist in spite of setbacks, trouble, or conflict. You will learn how to forgive and ask forgiveness, to bless and be blessed, to encourage and be encouraged, to love and be loved. This is what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ, and it is the highest possible blessing. Jesus taught this clearly. Here are his words to his small group of disciples, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35). What a blessing to be in a small group of Christians who learn to love each other with the wonderful love of Christ.
This is the end of the first lesson.
Action Steps
1. Commit yourself to following Jesus.
2. Begin the process of forming a small group and join it.
3. Choose a meeting time, read together this lesson, and begin to put it into practice.
As you meet together for the first time, let each of you answer the following questions.
Questions for Discussion
1. Are you a Christian, and if so, for how long have you known Jesus Christ? What has he done in your life? How has being a follower of Jesus been a blessing in you life?
2. What needs do you have that you would like the group to pray for, both in the meeting and in their daily times of prayer?
3. What do you need to do to be a better follower of Jesus?
4. Are you committed to a daily time with God? When is the best time for you to pray and study the Bible? Will you pray daily for others in the group?
As a group you will need to decide when and where you will meet on a regular basis. Some of your members may need help getting to the meeting. Please make sure they can get there. Some members may not have Bibles or be able to read. Ask God to help you find Bibles, and find ways to help each member learn something from the Bible each day.
May God bless you as you begin the great adventure of following Jesus. Let us end this lesson with a prayer.
Almighty God, whose will it is that we love and be loved by you, pour out upon us your grace that we may, even though beset by many temptations and obstacles, find the strength to follow your Son Jesus Christ in the company of those you love. For his sake we pray. Amen.
In our next few lessons, we will study one of the most important things that Jesus ever did, and that you can do, that is, to forgive. Forgiveness is one of the greatest blessings that can ever come to you, and we are thankful that you can have this great privilege in Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Rev. Robert J. Sanders, Ph.D.
February, 2013
