Sometimes we can carry the name of Christ but not follow Him. That may be a sharp thing to read, but seriously, we should all check if we truly follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Why is that?
It's because the Lord Jesus Christ Himself gave us a very stern warning in Matthew 7:21-23:
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"
What distinguishes Christ's followers
Today a great many people identify as "Christian" without really knowing what it is to be a Christ-follower. Some think it's just about being loving, while some think it's just about the anointing. Well, all Christ-followers are given the same anointing in the Holy Spirit and are expected to love others, meaning we all need to have both.
The one thing that distinguishes true followers from those who just carry the name, however, is the lifestyle - a lifestyle of obedience to Christ.
Here are some ways we show that we are true followers of Christ. These all go together.
1) Obedience to the Father's will
Christ Jesus mentioned in Matthew 7:21 that only those who do the will of His Father in heaven can enter the Kingdom of Heaven. What's that will?
"...that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life..." (see John 6:40)
If it's God's will for all to believe in His one and only begotten Son, then true followers will do well to preach the Gospel to all creation (see Mark 16:15).
2) A love for fellow believers
The Lord Jesus also said that one distinguishing mark is the love that Christians have for one another. We read Him saying in John 13:35,
"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.""
This kind of love, however, isn't fake. It isn't limited to warm handshakes and big smiles on a Sunday morning. It includes loving one another sacrificially, as Jesus said in John 13:34.
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another."
3) A love that seeks the lost sheep
Now we proceed to what I really want to say in this article. Points number 1 and 2 are commonly done by many Christians all over the world, but this one thing continues to be lacking in the churches today:
A love that seeks those who went out of the church.
Many think of the parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15:1-7 as a message pertaining to those who haven't known Christ yet. This parable actually speaks of a sheep who once belonged to the flock, but got separated for some reason (see verse 4).
Jesus said a shepherd will leave the ninety-nine sheep to look for that one lost sheep, and when he finds it his rejoicing will be so great that he'll call his friends and neighbors to rejoice with him.
Now, Jesus also said in John 10:27,
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."
If we are Christ's sheep, we will follow Him wherever He goes. And if Jesus is that shepherd who will go look for that one lost sheep, that means we, His people, will go follow Him and look for the lost sheep that once belonged to the flock.
Are we looking for the lost sheep? Or are we the ones driving them away to stay lost in the wilderness?
