Followership

Anyone who wants to follow me must put aside his own desires and conveniences and carry his cross with him every day and keep close to me! Luke 9:23, tlb

What we need today is more leaders! Right? Wrong, says Dr. Joe Stowell. He believes we need followers. In his book Following Christ, he wrote, “That following is what we were originally designed for is almost self-evident in the fact that every one can follow but very few have either the talent or the opportunity to lead.”

Coining a word for what he believes we need, Stowell calls it followership, the habit of learning to follow implicitly Him who challenged the disciples, saying, “Anyone who wants to follow me must put aside his own desires and conveniences and carry his cross with him every day and keep close to me!” (Luke 9:23 tlb).

In dealing with the issue of what he calls followership, Joe Stowell meets head-on the greatest flaw of Christianity today: Fearful of losing control over their lives and destinies, many name the name of Jesus Christ without making a commitment to follow Him.

Making this personal, do you ever struggle with the issue of commitment to Jesus? Do you think that if you followed Him, you will be mocked, thought of as a fanatic, and deprived of your independence?

Realize also that following is a step by step walk. When you follow Him, you will get to know Him, and when you really know Him – not the image you may have grown up with – you will love Him, and when you love Him, you will obey Him.

What we need today is not more leaders but followers of Jesus Christ.