Follow me By Joe Pinto
What are you following?
Are you following Jesus? Or are you following your dream?
Are you following Jesus? Or are you following a ministry?
Many are following their own desires and dreams. Many are following a group or their family. These are Christians we’re talking about, and they’re doing everything Jesus said not to do. Why? Because they listened to the wrong gospel. They listened to a gospel that said, “You have your salvation. You’re into heaven for sure. So just relax until then.”
“Oh, you said the sinner’s prayer.” “Oh, you have the Holy Spirit.” “You’re going to heaven, don’t worry.” “You can have everything, too, when you want it and how you want it. Just receive His love and goodness.” These are all lies that have a bit of truth in them, but not the whole truth: 99 % truth and 1% lie is still all lies.
These false doctrines or partial doctrines are leaving out the core of the Gospel. Everybody leaves out Jesus’ teachings like they are Old Testament. I tell you today, Brother, no matter how hard you think His words are, His words were and are THE Gospel. There is no other Gospel. His Gospel is this: Deny yourself. Pick up your cross, and follow me!
Rich young ruler, ONE THING YOU LACK, sell all that you have, give to the poor, and come follow me
Matthew and Levi, leave the tax booth and come follow me.
Phillip and Nathanial, come follow me.
Peter, Simon, leave your fisherman’s net and come follow me.
James and John. Leave your boats and nets and come follow me.
Follow me. Let the dead bury the dead.
Let the dead bury the dead, how many are preaching that today? To leave all that you’re living for and come follow Jesus? Rarely anybody, right? This is the type of message that will lower the attendance in your church. Though the funny thing is, following Jesus is the key essential of the Gospel. This is what the Gospel is all about. It’s not about Heaven. It’s about being with Him!
People think the blood of Jesus is the be all end all. They think, “Now I have the blood. I am saved.” Yes, that may be true, but if you don’t follow Jesus, the devil is going to take you out! They think now that I believe, I’m sealed. Though if you really believe then you will follow! Not follow like the false church. The false church are life followers of God in the sense that they just are fans of Him. Though sons and daughters actually follow the real Spirit of God!
People don’t understand that salvation isn’t A destination. Salvation is a person.
Isaiah 12:2 KJB
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.”
He IS Salvation! And to be with Him where He is, is to be saved!
John 12:26
“If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.”
Where I am, there also shall he be. Meaning he or she that serves Him. We are called to go where He goes and say what He says. That is our life. The blood was the door and following Him is now our life!
Why do we live in a day of powerless Christianity? Because of following the lamb! No one is following Jesus! And don’t give that religious saying, “Oh, that’s Old Testament, brother.” “Oh, that’s before the cross.” Before the cross, really? Let’s take you back to the Word.
“Then Peter said to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?" And Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.”
You who have followed me in the regeneration! What’s the regeneration? The renewal of all things! After the cross! And even prophesying to them about their future after the cross. Saying that they will sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. He was speaking about after the cross when they were to go out and preach to all of Israel. Judging the land by the spirit and power of the gospel. Setting captives free and turning over the wicked to the truth.
John 21:19
“This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.”
This he said after the resurrection, when he met with them by the water telling them to feed His Sheep. He then goes on to tell Peter about what death he would end up glorifying God with. And the very last thing He says to Him is, “Follow me”? How is Peter going to follow Him when He is going back up to the right hand of the father?
“Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answered, "Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later."
You will follow later! But how? Jesus won’t even be there, how will Peter follow? I thought following Jesus was Old Testament? I thought it was only for the disciples?
No. It’s for you, me, and anybody else that wants Jesus and eternal life. Eternal life isn’t something just in the after life, eternal life is now. Life in God’s definition is His power, His grace, and His breath in a person’s life. He’s saying if you follow me and stay with me, the life of God will be with you and in you forever!We need to get a reality check and realize God is before us right now! And He wants us to follow Him!
Many people say, “Oh well, I have the Holy Spirit.” “Oh well, so and so has the Holy Spirit.” Church, you need to get this.
IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT!
The question is, are you following that Spirit!?!?!?!
We have been given His spirit, so that we can follow The Spirit. And it will never leave us as long as we never leave it! The Holy Spirit is God! Jesus was the flesh of the Holy Spirit! So you say, “Well, how am I going to follow Jesus. He’s not here.”
Yes He is! He’s here now in spirit! He’s you now in a deeper way! The spirit of Christ is the Spirit of God. Now follow that spirit and you will be following Christ! There is no separation. God is a trinity, but the three are one. Just as our body, mind, and soul are one. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one in the same way!
Don’t separate them or you will be separated from Him. Some people think the Holy Spirit isn’t God, and then they end up not following and even rejecting His Spirit. Little do they know, when they deny His Spirit, they are denying the very being of God!
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Whoever follows Him will NEVER walk in darkness! So why are you walking in the light one day and darkness another? Because you stopped following Him. Now you’re going your own way! Get back to the path He is laying out for you before the darkness overtakes you! You’re tired of witchcraft, headaches, confusion, and spirits? Well, stop following religion and start following Him in truth and in spirit!
Obey what He is speaking and go where He is going!
John 15:16
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”
We are not ordained to receive an ordination slip, we are ordained to bear fruit!Real fruit is fruit that remains! But if you don’t remain in Him, how will your fruit remain. Jesus said abide in the vine and I will abide in you. Following is abiding and abiding is following. If we don’t abide, we will have to hide because our tree has no fruit. Many are not bearing fruit because they are not obeying the one thing that Jesus made important. Following Him!
When I follow Him, there is where my rest is. When I follow Him, there is where my deliverance is. When I am following Him, He brings stability to my life. Many Christians are looking to become stable, but they don’t know that following Him is the key. He is the rock and you keep jumping off the rock. And that’s why the winds and rains rock you!
Father, teach us to follow you! This faith isn’t about just keeping a belief system. This faith that you have given us is to take your hand and go on a journey with you. This faith is about actually knowing God FOR REAL and having a relationship that is deeper than marriage.
“My Sheep will hear my voice, and the voice of a stranger they will not follow. Though they will follow me!”
He is the shepherd and we are the sheep. You want to be the sheep that is greatest of all? Then don’t be like the sheep that keeps running off and He has to go chase you. Be the sheep that follows the lamb. If you have anything the best, let your best be the ability you have to follow. And those who follow Him truly believe and are truly saved!
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