Come, Follow Jesus

The very first invitation Jesus gives in the gospel of John is “Come, follow me.” This invitation is extended to an ordinary person, who didn’t come through the ranks to be a follower of a rabbi.

In the gospel of Matthew, the same thing happens to Matthew, the author of the gospel. He gets invited to follow Jesus, as a tax-collector—the worst of the worst! So, it seems like this invitation is a “come-as-you-are” type of invitation.

You may be thinking that this is good and all, but that invitation was applicable to people who could physically follow Jesus while He was on earth. No. Let’s think further. Let’s open our minds to the possibility that it’s applicable to everyone on earth… today! Anyone can follow Jesus, and everyone is invited!

And the best part is that you can start right now, just as you are. You are welcome with all your problems, issues, sins, addictions, bad attitudes, fear, past marriages… whatever.

Even Christians are invited. That statement might cause you to laugh, be perplexed, or even to be very angry. But the truth is, that there are many people who consider themselves followers of Jesus due to their involvement with and attendance of a church, their reading of the Bible and praying, their friendship with a mentor, or their involvement with a ministry of some sort. These things are healthy and appropriate for followers of Jesus, but not without the relationship — the personal relationship with Christ. Unfortunately, following Jesus is more than church attendance, some acts of kindness, or some effort to belong… We need to get back to our Savior and be in a relationship with God through Him!

The Jesus Feed is here to help you. Even though it is freeing, liberating, empowering, and satisfying, following Jesus was never meant to be straight-forward. It is like traveling on a mysterious and narrow road… But the secret is that once you start this mysterious journey, it becomes really satisfying. It is what truly being alive is all about! There’s no rules, just a life-altering relationship.

Jesus said that He won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you…

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me, and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” – Jesus in Matthew 11, The Message.

I invite you to Come, follow Jesus with me. Join the tribe of people serious about following Jesus that meets, interacts, learns and communicates here. Let’s journey together, and figure out what following Jesus looks like in this post-modern, media-obsessed world we find ourselves in. Let’s follow Him together through the miracle of the internet, and together love God and our fellow inhabitants in this world, even better still!

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The Jesus Feed is a blog/community/resource centre. If you’re not sure where to start, download and read the free .pdf report entitled Following Jesus 101.