This is in no way a clap-back. It is an honest attempt to answer these questions I often see on social media:
''Why would anyone follow you?" or
"Would you follow you?"
Those got me thinking.
The brothers Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew in their vocation as fishermen were called to follow.
"Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you a different kind of fishermen. You will bring in people, not fish.” Matthew 4:19 ERV
Jesus, in other words, was saying that though they were skilled at reeling in fish from Lake Galilee, he would train them to bring people from the figurative Lake of this world into the abundant life of YHWH's Kingdom.
With that simple promise, they left all they knew and followed him.
The Apostle Paul also wrote later on to the followers of Jesus in Corinth:
"Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1
He had earlier reprimanded them for divisions centred around followership in their group:
''My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas[Peter]”; still another, “I follow Christ.”
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?" 1 Corinthians 1:11 -13
Paul was trying to get the Corinthians to think higher.
Why does one follow? Surely the parameters should be higher than the temporal yardsticks of Position, prestige, money, fame, etc. - things by which we define 'success' today? Or are 'good habits' enough reasons to follow a person?
Paul did not think so. What most thought qualified them to be followed were the very things he discarded.
In his own words:
"But we are the ones who have the true circumcision (which was a thing of pride among the believers at the time)—
we who worship God through his Spirit.
We don’t trust in ourselves or anything we can do.
We take pride only in Christ Jesus.
He explains further in verses 4 - 8 that he possessed all the 'elevated' qualifications of his time:
"Even if I am able to trust in myself, still I don’t do it. If anyone else thinks they have a reason to trust in themselves, they should know that I have a greater reason for doing so. I was circumcised on the eighth day after my birth. I am from the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin. I am a true Jew, and so were my parents. The law was very important to me. That is why I became a Pharisee. I was so eager to defend my religion that I persecuted the church. And no one could find fault with the way I obeyed the Law of Moses."
But these meant nothing to him now.
"At one time all these things were important to me. But because of Christ, I decided that they are worth nothing. Not only these things, but now I think that all things are worth nothing compared with the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Christ, I lost all these things, and now I know that they are all worthless trash. All I want now is Christ."
Paul had reached a point where nothing seemed more important, considering all as 'garbage' in his pursuit of Christ.
This vital realisation informed his work and the statement "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."
His level of growth had caused him to see that anything he accomplished by himself was not high enough to demand the followership of any other human. His only honour comes when he effectively points others to the one truly worth following: Christ.
It is to this view we are called. See higher. Give higher.
Seek Christ Jesus. Follow him with all your heart, soul and might.
So to questions such as ''Why would anyone follow you?"
My answer is: I hope they are not following me but following the Christ I point them to.
The glory is not in how many follow us and our accomplishments, the true glory is when we follow and help others follow the one who loves and guides us for all eternity. I desire that all will get to that point of insight and conviction where they can say together with me:
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39
And to "Would you follow you?"
As corny as it sounds, I would. But only because I know that I'll end up following Christ with all my heart.
There will always be those who judge themselves worthy of followership based on their accomplishments and other standards of this present world. But I pray we might recognise the true privilege of being content to be 'pointers to Christ'.
" We don’t dare put ourselves in the same class with those who think they are so important. We don’t compare ourselves to them. They use themselves to measure themselves, and they judge themselves by what they themselves are. This shows that they know nothing.
But we will not boast about anything outside the work that was given us to do. We will limit our boasting to the work God gave us, but this work includes our work with you." 2 Corinthians 10:12 - 13
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