by Roland Wrinkle
Jesus wasn’t as big on making sure his disciples had the correct beliefs, as he was on having them follow him. If you take all four gospels together, either Jesus says, “follow me” or the author says, “they followed him,” nearly a hundred times. He was too busy trying to tell the religious elite of that time that they needed to stop looking at the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament) as a rule book and, instead, to keep in mind God’s reasons for the stories, i.e., justice, grace and mercy. It was more important to get your kid out of a pit on Saturday than to keep the Sabbath (Luke 14.5). Four centuries before Christ, God told Jeremiah to tell everyone else that, when He came back to restore all of creation and bring heaven and earth together, “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.” (Jer 31.33). If you want to know what is required, look at what God said to Micah, “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6.8). Not, “believe this” or “believe that.”

When God called Abraham, he didn’t say, “You need to ascribe to these commandments, right principles and correct beliefs.” Instead, God told Abraham, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” Did Abraham respond by saying the “Sinner’s Prayer”? By answering an alter call and professing an approved system of belief? By reciting the current version of the latest creed that came out of the latest gathering of “church experts and leaders”? No. “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him.” (Gen 12.4). He didn’t say a word. He got his feet moving. When it came time for Jesus to gather up his gang of apostles and disciples, he didn’t command them to regularly attend a bible study to discover all of the New Testament rules and laws to govern their conduct and learn what they should believe. No. In Matthew 4.20, Jesus tells Peter and Andrew, “Come, follow me” and “at once they left their nets and followed him.” Then Jesus comes upon James and John: “Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”

The Apostles’ Creed, found in the front of our hymnals at church, and which we occasionally recite, reads, “I believe…” in nineteen postulates. The Nicene Creed (also in our hymnals) has us confessing 27 “beliefs.” Not once does either menu of prescribed beliefs say “I believe that faith is all about following Jesus.”

Again, it is not as important to have the correct beliefs about God, than to figure out His will and then get about doing it “here on earth as it is in heaven.” It is not as important to have the correct beliefs about Jesus (“Jesus is my lord and savior and lives in my heart”), as it is to get up off your fanny and follow him — wherever he leads you. It is not as important to have the correct beliefs about the Holy Spirit, than it is to open up the big door or window on the front of your head and body and invite the Spirit inside to animate, inspire and support your life and how you live it—while following Jesus.

Of course, beliefs are important. They’re critical. Why would you get up and follow anybody or anything unless you believed that she, he or it was worth following? But once, “you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,” (Rom 10.8), spring into action, look over the hill, spot the man with the robe and sandals walking on a road to somewhere and follow him. Don’t ask where, just follow him.

“Action! Not Sacrifices.” On page four of the bible, God rhetorically chastised Cain for valuing ritual sacrifice over action: “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door….” (Gen 4.7). On the last night Jesus was with his disciples, “Simon Peter asked him, ‘Lord, where are you going?’” They asked that particular question because they all knew that their job was to follow Jesus. In the Great Commission (Matt 28), did Jesus command his disciples to “Go throughout the world and get people saved”? No. He told them to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” He instructed his followers to go out and make followers of everybody else. Jesus wants followers, not creed-reciters. Too often, what bellows forth from evangelical pulpits, mega church stages and televangelist screeds is the wrong message. Paul warned us all: “Even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed!” (Gal 1.8)

Where is Jesus Leading Us? Right smack dab in and through the gates of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom that he preached about more than any other topic. The Kingdom that is now [“The kingdom of God has come near to you, Luke 10.9; “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand,” Mark 1.15] and yet to be [Look at all the many parables he told concerning what that Kingdom would look like and be like when it comes in fullness at the second coming of Jesus– and read Revelation 20.11 through 22.7]. He is not leading us up to heaven. Jesus ascended, we don’t. Heaven comes down to earth (Read all of Revelation 21 and take a quick look at Isaiah 65.17 and Jeremiah 23.7). Jesus is leading his followers to be resurrection people long before we are resurrected, the people of God right here and right now. People who work to do justice, help others, love all of creation and love all humans “as I have loved you,” and, yes, even love their enemies.

Where is the Trail Head where we can start walking behind Jesus? Right where you are right now, as soon as you get off your duff, stand up and start walking.

What Do We Need to Bring? Plenty of water, snacks and a first aid kit. Just messing with you. “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” (Gen 22.13). “My grace is sufficient for you.” (2 Cor 12.9).

Will We Encounter Bad Weather on This Hike? Are you kidding? To follow Jesus means to “endure hardship;” “suffer for my name’s sake;”
“deny himself and take his cross daily and follow me;” “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple;” “we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction;” “join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God.” BUT “in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith;” “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials;” “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed and do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled;” “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you;” “we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;” “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing.”

Quite a recruitment poster for Christianity, huh? Isn’t it much more attractive to simply listen to the simple message of the evangelical pastor, mega church sermonizer or televangelist who offers you “the easy promises of the Christian faith”? That is, “Jesus wants to save you; all you have to do is answer an alter call (or experience an ecstatic and identifiable moment of true conversion), profess the right beliefs (and really mean it), say the right words, accept Jesus into your heart and say the sinner’s prayer.” As the man who was humiliated, deserted, forsaken, tortured and executed for the sake of each and everyone of us would most likely tell you, “Following me is not all that easy.”
When Does This Walk Take Off? The moment you first believe (Romans 13.11).