You have to drive the Mini

A Mini Cooper is a delight to look at and wonder what it would be like to take it to Estes Park, Colorado as you negotiate the turns through the canyon getting there. But they were not made to just look at. You need to test drive it and feel the car as you make a turn at 50 mph.

A believer and a follower are not the same thing. Jesus was always shutting down those who knew the right words and said they believed but who had no interest in tracking with him beyond their self developed boundaries.

Matthew 4:19 is one of those statements that once Jesus speaks it to you, you can never go back from it to where you were before he spoke it. And how do you know you are following Jesus and not just thinking he said some cool things? In this case, your perspective and lifestyle change as you begin to focus on people who do not know Jesus rather than just thinking about which restaurant you are going to for dinner.

What we believe is huge in importance but knowing how to avoid the traps in our culture and make life work as God intended is crucial. Jesus' words are not clever comments that make us curious or tickle our thinking but are intended to enable us to engage life successfully.

Following Jesus is simple, hard, dangerous and exciting. We do not have to make it complex. What we see him do, we must do, what we see him initiate, we should initiate, his perspective and thinking must be ours, how he responded to those who disagreed with him is how we should respond. We must dive into the gospels consistently in order to think like he did, love what he loved, hate what he hated and relate as he did to those not following Jesus. It is simple but hard.

John 6:51-63...These impacting words were not difficult to understand but they were difficult because the people did understand. They were simple but hard. Following Jesus changed after hearing this. He defined it now in a way that separated belief from following. Jesus was a revolutionary and was not interested in people just showing up but was committed to completely changing our whole view and way of life. Nothing short of this was acceptable.

Mind Games...This could change everything
What do you think about the difference between believing and following Jesus? In what way have you believed without really following Jesus?

Connections...I want to discuss this with...
In what ways have you seen Christian groups or churches make following Jesus too complex or easy? What impact does Jesus being a revolutionary make in the world you live in?

First Steps...Making it real
What is one adjustment you will make this week or month in order to more completely follow Jesus? In your opinion, what is a difficult statement Jesus made that causes you difficulty?