What does it mean to follow Jesus, as in what behaviours are actually required of Jesus-followers?
This is a question I've pondered over for some time now. Buddhism has its spiritual laws, Islam its pillars but what of Christianity?
Ask most people in church what is involved in good Christian living and they'll often tell you to "read your Bible, pray, go to church..." that sort of thing or they'll cast the Christian life in terms of moral observances "don't have sex outside of marriage, avoid swearing at people and try to keep the ten commandments."
At least that's what happened to me when I first came to faith.
Those answers are ok but does scripture anywhere lay out for us what the Christian life looks like; after all Jesus didn't tell his followers to make disciples by getting them to read their Bibles and be part of a church.
As much as the early Christians taught one another the moral (divine) codes that Jesus laid down in the Sermon On the Mt (Matthew 5-7), they came to adopt lifestyles and spiritual disciplines not because Jesus explicitly told them to, but because this was how Jesus lived. He modelled something to them. Jesus' life was one of complete and utter example. Never once did he say "do as I say, not as I do." But rather he simply did and he simply was and because he did and was, they (his followers) came to do and be as well.
As a church we've pulled out of Luke's gospel twelve identifiable ways of being and living that Jesus modelled for us that Christians ever since have aimed to imitate.
Learning to adopt these rhythms into your life (whether your a Christian or not) will do you a whole heap of good, but they'll also form a solid path along which you're able to cultivate a vibrant relationship with God the Father.
Pick up a free booklet from one of our services today and begin your journey along the Way of Jesus.
PLUS: since we believe that Christian Spirituality isn't meant to be a private endeavour, we use this booklet in our Huddles (small discipleship gorups of 3-4), so why not enquire about joining one of them or suggest going through it with a friend?
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