Following Jesus in 2020

Keep in Step with Jesus in 2020

It’s the beginning of a new year and a new decade and so I thought we’d take a little time to talk about being a Christian and following Jesus in 2020.

How will following Jesus in 2020 impact our lives?  How will our lives impact the world?

What would 2020 hold for Jesus if he were still here on the Earth?

If we call ourselves a Christian and we claim to follow Jesus, we should be following his commands and his teaching.  His purpose should be our purpose.  His message should be our message.

Being a Christian is not just a title.  When we choose to follow Christ and be a Christian, it is not simply a statement or a title we now hold.  We are committing our lives totally to our Lord.  Our lives are no longer our own.  There are expectations.  Being a Christian does cost us something.

If one is in the military it doesn’t matter if they are a General or the lowest ranking officer, they still must obey orders and they have pledged their allegiance to the government and to whatever branch they enlisted in.

Bootcamp is not a choice.  Where you serve is not always a choice.  Obeying orders is not a choice.

If you are in the military you must obey the authorities over you.  Equally so, as Christians, we must obey the authority over us, Christ Jesus, God’s chosen and anointed head of the church.

God has been impressing upon me more and more that this life is not mine; a Christian’s life is not their own.  Jesus addressed this fact, but I think we often miss it.

John 12:25-26 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

These few years that we have to live now have another purpose when we become a Christian.  Non-Christians who will not be in first resurrection, can focus their time, energy, and money on this life because it is all they have.  (Unless you can show them the Kingdom hope and they embrace it!)

If you have made the decision to become a follower of Jesus, you must be willing to lay down your life for the cause of the Messiah and you must do the work he has given you to do until you die, or he returns.

The fields are white and we are called to harvest.  You either give your prayers, your money, or your life of service, to our Lord and master.

These few years are for working!  We must be about our Master’s business.  We have so much more to look forward to in God’s Kingdom age that is coming.  This life can’t even compare to it!

As Christians, we must put less value on this life and take seriously the life in the coming age, and the importance of sharing it with others.  I don’t think that this life can offer anything better than what we have to look forward to in the coming age:  immortality, working alongside Jesus and under his direct command, and living forever in a restored paradise!

What would you do differently if you knew for certain that Jesus would return 7 years from now?

What are you called to do?  Do you ever ask God?

I know God has blessed many Christians.  Time and chance happen to all, and if you are living in a Western country with the comforts and blessings it offers, you have many more opportunities to find enjoyment in this present age.  What does that say about our brethren in third world countries?  It is all about fate and where you were born.

Why should our brothers in Haiti or Malawi be resigned to dirt floors, hunger, suffering from natural disasters, and the like, and we feel that we have a right to make sure we have fun and think we deserve vacations and good things?  People in third world countries work just as hard, but with less comfort and much less return for their efforts.

Regardless of where a person is born, once they choose to follow Christ, they must look at their life differently.  Their life is no longer their life.   These few years now belong to Jesus.  Stewardship of time and money should be viewed differently.

Jesus taught that we would have a lot to answer for when he returns.  As servants that the Master, we are left in charge of his work when he went away for a long time.

We use our blessings or we bury them.

We are enlisting and committing our lives totally to our Lord.  Our lives are no longer our own.  It is a BIG decision and a very serious one if we choose to confess Jesus as our Lord and decide to follow him and his teachings.

All receive a mortal life and 24 hours in a day.  We are responsible for what has been entrusted to us.  If we are given more money, we have a bigger responsibility with that blessing.  If we are given the ability to do certain things, we are responsible to use them for our Lord.

When we become a Christian, we enlist in Kingdom service.  We must take inventory of our lives and see what we have, what are your talents and abilities, what have you been blessed with?

Meditate on this or write them down, then ask God how He wants you to use them for His Kingdom service.

Our lives and our time, contrary to what we think, are not our own.  We are called to put this life on the altar when we choose to follow Jesus.  It is a sacrifice.

Are we willing to give up our dreams and desires for this life and use our lives for His Kingdom work that needs to be done now, prior to Jesus’ return, as Jesus commanded?

I mentioned before, there are different ways to give of ourselves, and this giving may look different as we go through different seasons in our lives.  But, it will always be one of these three.  We can:

• take part in the going and doing, whether it is missions, evangelism or pastoral care of the flock,
• give money so that these people can do that work,
• be prayer warriors praying for the ministry.

Which one or more will you choose?   What is God leading you to do?  What have you been given in order to do any of these?  They are all important, and they all will be rewarded.

Christians must rally their troops together so that we can be a stronger force in this age and so we can do the work that Jesus gave us to do.

Don’t be afraid to pray and ask God what He wants you to do!

We must use our resources, whether it is our time or our money, for service to our Lord and his mission.  Am I saying that you can never go buy ice cream, go to a movie, or go to Disney?  No, but if you can only do one or the other, where is your allegiance?

Have you asked God how he wants you to spend your time and money?

A good practice might be to write down your wants, and then ministry needs that you know of, and then see how they fit together into your life.

And remember, even if we are not doing the work of an evangelist, missionary or pastor, we all have been given the command to share our faith and be prepared and willing to give an answer if we are asked.

So, what does the New Year hold for us?

In Matthew 24 Jesus was talking to his disciples and told them that there would be wars and rumors of wars and famines and hardships and they should not be concerned about this.  It was going to happen and it would get worse before he would take his rightful spot on the throne of David in the age to come.

If we jump ahead a few books in Matthew, with this in mind what Jesus told his disciples, we then read that he gave them the command to go into the world and preach the good news of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to the nations and baptize them.

He did not tell them to go dig wells and feed the hungry and clothe the naked.  Although those things are good, they are not the principal mission of the church.

Our mission is not war, famines, and hardships.

Yes, the church should take care of its brothers and sisters that are in need. But that is internal care, not outreach, evangelism, or mission work.

If we look at the early church, yes, they did take care of each other, and we also should.  Unfortunately, the church on a whole seems to try to take care of the needs of those outside of the church before all of the needs of the brethren are met.  We are told that the world will know who and whose we are when they see our love for one another.

This humanitarian aid should be in addition to either doing or giving towards the Great Commission, it shouldn’t replace it.

Are we ready to go into the world and preach the good news of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to the nations and baptize them in 2020?

Luke 14:25-33, Matthew 16:24-27, Philippians 3:1-21