Intro to Follow Illustrated

There's an internet meme "You're Doing It Right".  It's often used ironically, but occasionally some wag nails it.  It certainly makes you wonder, whatever you're doing, are you doing it right?  Living out the values and principles of your faith system is certainly important enough to wonder are you doing it right?

Would you agree the original disciples did it right?  (Well, at least 11 of them.)  They had their ups and downs, but in the end it they were called "men who have turned the world upside down"*.  History shows that the original followers of Christ did it right.  But that's the key, what is a follower?

Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. ... Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan. 

(Matthew 4:18-20, 25)

Jesus called people to follow him.  Peter and Andrew followed and this passage from Matthew says that "large crowds" also followed Him.  Well, true, large crowds followed Jesus.  They wandered around behind Him, sometimes intently listening to Him, occasionally they they shouted jeers at Him.  Sometimes, they just stayed home.  When Jesus said, "Follow Me", he used a compound word with rich meaning.  He invited His true followers to "duete opiso" - literally meaning "Come to Me, Stay with Me, Go with Me."  The large crowds did not follow Jesus that way and their names go unwritten in scripture.  Peter, James, John, Matthew, and the others came to Jesus, stayed at His side, learned from Him, and went with Him in His ministry.  Those who turned the world upside down, started by following the right way.  This blog is my humble effort to help you come closer to Jesus, stay close to Him, and go into the world as He asks you to go.  God bless your journey.

Clark H Smith

* Acts 17:6 AMP