Follow Me: Sacrificially
Follow Me Sacrificially
Philippians 3:7-8 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.
Following Jesus costs something.
This is why many of us want to call ourselves Christians but not choose to follow Jesus.
As one writer said: Everyone wants a revolution but no one is willing to do the dishes.
Following Jesus doesn’t make life easier or simpler, but it does make it better.
The question each and every one of us must wrestle with is this: Is following Jesus worth it?
Is denying self worth it?
Is taking up our cross daily worth it?
Is giving up control of our life and letting God lead worth it?
As a shepherd can lead the sheep to water, but cannot make them drink, I lead you to this question: Is following Jesus worth it?
Does anything else save?
Can anything else provide what Jesus promises?
Can you do it on your own?
Is anything else truly satisfying? Can comfort, control, security, or worldly gain ever compare to gaining Christ?
Today, Jesus invites you not just to admire His cross, but to carry yours. Will you present your best—your whole self—as a living sacrifice, trusting that the One who gave everything for you is worth every cost? The call echoes: Is following Jesus worth it? Answer Him personally, right now.
Follow Me: Missionally
Follow Me Missionally
2 Corinthians 5:20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Missional living is one of the scariest concepts in all of Christianity. We do not feel equipped enough, educated enough, or committed enough to be a missionary! Me neither!
But as we opened the text on February 15th, we learned that Missional living needn’t be intimidating - it is faithful, intentional life!
We wrestled through the truths that we want to rearrange into excuses.
Here they are:
You are ready!
You are commissioned!
You have a mission field!
You have a voice!
You have a story!
Which of these 5 truths do you not want to accept?
Why not?
Pray for God to encourage you in this specific truth as you are tempted to believe that it is a lie.
Follow Me: Relationally
Follow Me Relationally:
Immediately upon conversion, Saul moved to connection! Saul connected with the believers in Damascus, in Jerusalem, and throughout the Roman Empire as he served not people but churches for the rest of his life.
Saul’s connection to the church was immediate, but also instructional. Without the church, it would have been easy for Saul to veer into wrong theology or get arrogant about what he had accomplished.
Finally, Saul’s connection to the church was imperative. It literally saved his life in Damascus, Jerusalem, and Ephesus. Saul needed the help of others to continue to do his work.
While we are called to follow Jesus personally, the call was never intended to be done privately. Your faith is not a private matter! It ought to be shared. To those close to you. Those near you. Those you love!
The big illustration used in this sermon was the church ought to hold the rope for one another. It has been interesting how multiple people from outside our church (and any church for that matter) have commented to me about how meaningful that illustration was to them. I could tell that is what they hope the church would be…and even a church they might be interested in attending!
Here is my challenge this morning: Will you move from around to involved? From sharing a space to sharing life?
This is not done simply for the sake of checking another box, appeasing me, or appeasing God - but for the sake of experiencing all that God has for you.
Following Jesus always leads us into relationship—never into isolation.
What step do you need to take today towards relationship? Trust? Honesty? Involvement? Connection?
Follow Me: Personally
Follow Me Personally
For the month of February, we have looked at the life of Saul from conversion to complete surrender. In Saul/Paul, we get a beautiful picture of what it looks like to follow Jesus.
On February 1st, we looked at Saul’s road to Damascus encounter with Jesus. Remember, Saul was on this road fully devoted to serving God as he was seeking to destroy any blasphemy that others would teach. Saul was passionate and living as perfectly as he could under the law.
Then he met Jesus.
In this meeting, Saul came face to face with the fact that he had missed the Savior in his midst, all the while praying and pursuing God! He had become so focused on religion that he missed the Savior right before his eyes!
Saul was faced with a choice on the road to Damascus - Trust everything I have known or Trust Jesus!
Saul did not waver in his choice and from that moment on he lived a life fully devoted to Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
What about you? When Jesus invites you to come to him…to trust him as Lord and Savior…are you willing to let go of what you have grown accustomed to?
Like Saul on the Damascus road, many of us are extremely religious yet completely wrong—pouring our zeal, our rules, our church attendance, and our sincere efforts into a direction that never actually reaches Jesus.
That is why He says to every one of us, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Luke 9:23-25).
The call is not “try harder” or “be better”; the call is “surrender.” It is the moment you stop trusting in what you can do for God and start trusting in what Jesus has already done for you.
Today Jesus is offering you the same rescue He gave Saul: not shame, but mercy; not a checklist, but a relationship. Will you let go of the life you’ve built, the identity you’ve earned, and the religion you’ve mastered—so you can truly follow Him? The call that changed everything for Saul is still echoing: “Follow Me.” Answer it personally, today.
Do what you didn’t do!
This week I challenged you to live missionally. You hopefully felt convicted as well as encouraged. I also hope that you put into action the action steps I gave. But here is the truth—I bet there are one or two that you forgot or avoided. It’s natural—because of fear or busyness.
Rather than adding something else to your plate, I’m going to remind you of the steps I offered in order to encourage you to pick up what you failed to practice.
Day 1
One thought to consider:
What if the most important thing God needs from you right now is not more knowledge, but simply your willingness to be available?
One Action Step: Write down one sentence about what Jesus has done for you recently (mercy, peace, forgiveness, help). Practice saying it out loud once today—prepare your heart to share it naturally when the moment comes.
Day 2
One thought to consider:
What if the most important thing God needs from you right now is not more knowledge, but simply your willingness to be available?
One Action Step: Write down one sentence about what Jesus has done for you recently (mercy, peace, forgiveness, help). Practice saying it out loud once today—prepare your heart to share it naturally when the moment comes in the normal places of life!
Day 3
One thought to consider:
What might happen if you prayed for the people in your mission field more than you tried to “say the right thing” to them?
Action Step: Pick one person you are around that you care about. From now until Sunday, pray one specific thing for them each day (e.g., peace at home, healing, openness to God, strength in a struggle). Let prayer do the heavy lifting.
Day 4
One thought to consider:
If being a witness simply means “telling what you’ve seen,” what is one small thing you’ve genuinely seen Jesus do in your life lately?
One Action Step: Write or record a 2–3 sentence version of that moment. Keep it simple and honest. Rehearse saying it naturally (not as a speech) so it’s ready when God opens a door.
These should now read smoothly and cleanly while still sounding exactly like you. Let me know if you’d like Day 5 expanded with a closing encouragement or prayer, or if you want any other tweaks!