The Message of a Missionary
Be a Follower

Scripture Reading: Luke 9:21-27

Key Verse: Luke 9:23

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Today we finish our month long series with a week of study on the message of a missionary.  We need to truly understand the central concepts that Jesus wanted us to translate to lost people.  In today’s scripture we see one of those central concepts:  To believe in Jesus is to follow Jesus.

            It feels like we have developed a modern theology that believing in Jesus means that you mentally have determined that Jesus did live and die for your sins.  Once you reach that level, it seems we want to make that the “salvation message.”  Unfortunately, the demons of hell believe those facts and they certainly did not get saved.

            No, as our scripture for today explains, believing unto salvation means you not only mentally have believed the facts, but are now willing to deny all else to follow Jesus’ model.  The verbiage Jesus used is to “take up your cross daily and follow.”  The cross represents the sacrifices we will make to follow Him.  It is not easy to love the unlovely, forgive those that hurt us, and serve the ungrateful, but that is what Jesus did and now calls us to do.  Are you willing to be uncomfortable for Jesus today?  Are you willing to obey His teachings even when it creates a sacrifice of your fleshly cravings?  Are you ready to pick up your cross and follow Him?

Father, I am ready to follow you.  I believe in you.  I believe you are right and worthy of my obedience.  In Jesus’ name, amen.