From the Desk of Pastor Matt
What would you say if I told you that believing in Jesus is not the only goal of being a Christian? Of course, I am getting ready to tell you that it is not the only goal. However, please do not misunderstand me – belief in Christ is an important goal, but not the only one. There just might be something just as big at stake.
As John Mark Comer wrote, Jesus never asked anyone to believe in him. Instead, he invited them to “follow me.” Believing often seems to come after following Jesus.
You see, in my own life, I have found that there is a big difference between believing in who Jesus said he was and following him. Believing in Jesus is easy compared to following him. Belief does take a huge leap of faith, but for most of us, it is not filled with hardship and diligent work. We mentally acknowledge that there was a guy named Jesus and he was God’s chosen son … the Messiah. I promise you: this is the easy part compared to what comes next.
As the gospels tell us, many people from the crowds wanted to be a part of this Jesus movement. However, he practically rebukes them, telling them how very hard it will be and that it will take the utmost commitment. In John 6, Jesus tells the people a hard saying, and most of them walked away. He even offered his disciples an out. In Matthew 19, Mark 10, and Luke 18, a rich, young, prestigious man wants to follow Jesus. However, Jesus also tells him how hard it will be. Jesus told them elsewhere that the gate was narrow. In other words, it would not be easy to follow him. In Matthew 8:20, Jesus told the people, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” He was, again, warning them that following him would be difficult.
I grew up going to church. I did the simple part: I believed in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I eventually quit going to church as a teenager, as often happens. However, I had a God experience one weekend when I first got to college. In one evening, I decided to turn my life back over to God. I already believed … that was the easy part. What came after that decision on that balmy Saturday night was the hard part. I had to follow Jesus, do what he did, and become like him. That meant dropping my pride, dropping the hurtful gossiping, dropping doing whatever pleased me, and so much more. The belief was the easy part compared to allowing Christ to change my life.
For me, it was time for me to go to work practicing the ways of Christ, and what a battle that has been over the years. Justification (being made right with God) was instant and easy. The sanctification (being more like Christ) is a daily grind.
Again, to quote John Mark Comer from Practicing the Way, he said:
You can’t just slip your hand up at the end of the sermon. It’s a high bar of entry. It will require you to reorder your entire life around following Jesus as your undisputed top priority, over your job, your money, your reputation – over everything. Yet all these things will find their rightful place once integrated into a life of apprenticeship. This can be your life. All you have to do is let go of your nets …
The good news is that there is plenty of grace from Christ in this matter. We will always slip up in our discipleship. There is plenty of grace when, like the lost son or the wandering sheep, we go astray. There is plenty of grace that is laced with lavish love from God. So, let’s get on the way to following Christ.
1. Opening Hook (1–2 sentences)
•Many people say they believe in Jesus—but
what does that actually mean?
•Is belief the goal, or is there something deeper?
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2. What It Means to Believe in Jesus
•Acknowledging who Jesus is (Son of God, Savior)
•Intellectual agreement with truth
•Even demons “believe” (James 2:19)
•Belief alone can remain passive
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3. What It Means to Follow Jesus
•A daily, active response (Luke 9:23—deny yourself, take up your cross)
•Trust expressed through obedience
•Relationship over mere acknowledgment
•A changed direction, not just a changed mind
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4. Key Difference
•Belief says: “I agree with Jesus.”
•Following says: “I will go where Jesus leads.”
•One is acknowledgment; the other is surrender
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5. Why This Matters
•Jesus didn’t say “believe about me”—He said “follow me”
•Following produces transformation, not just information
•Our lives reveal which one we’re actually doing
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6. Simple Application
•Ask: Where is Jesus leading me that I haven’t followed yet?
•Take one concrete step this week (forgiveness, generosity, obedience, etc.)
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7. Closing Thought
•Belief may start the journey—but following is what shapes a life
Peace,
Pastor Matt