Katy Perry has more “followers” on twitter than the President of the United States….does this mean she’s a good leader? Facebook helps you keep up with your “friends” (are you really friends with all of your “friends”?)

In heaven some will say, “Lord, Lord, we did this for you and for your names sake….”Depart from Me, I never knew you…”

Oh, you’re just a follower, I’m a leader…depends on who you are following… How many friends do you have? Jesus had a lot of friends, but how many “real” followers does He have? A lot of people say they “admire” Jesus…but He didn’t say “admire Me”, he said “Follow me!” (Matt. 9 : 9) He calls us to follow Him…it’s not an invitation, it’s a command.

The follower is the one who builds his house on the rock, a person who hears the Word of God and does it. The one who builds his house on the sand is the one who hears the Word of God and doesn’t follow it.

A W Tozer described it this way… “…the penitent will find Him merciful; the self condemned will find Him generous and kind. To the frightened He is friendly; to the poor in spirit He is forgiving; to the ignorant He is considerate, to the weak He is gentle, to the stranger He is hospitible.” Jesus shows us what God is like…

He went to Matthews “office”, he was Levi,a despised tax collector. He was a traitor, a Jew working for the Romans who were hated by the Jewish people. He know the Word of God but had turned from it, choosing to serve Rome (Matthew quotes the Old testament throughout his gospel). He knew about Jesus, who had just healed a paralyzed man…Probably felt Jesus would never want anything to do with him, to have him on his “team”

He asks Matthew to join His team, Matthew doesn’t hesitate, it’s a quick conversion, he gets up, leaves everything behind, and follows Jesus. Jesus relates to Peter and Andrew in a different way, He went to where they were and related to them as a fishermen, He stated, “Follow me, and I’ll make you fishers of men”. They stopped what they were doing and followed Him. He related to Nicodemis and the Samaritan women at the well differently (Matt. 9:9-12)… God wants everyone on His team, what a privilege to be called by God

It means to “walk the same road” It’s “Everyday Jesus”, not just “Sunday Jesus”, we follow Him, where ever we go, movies, internet, music, relationships… He is commanding us to follow Him each and every day. Romans 13:14 says we are to be Christians from head to toe, “…clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ”… Paul stated he wanted to “finish the race with joy”, like in a cross country race, don’t just start well, finish well.

He wants our friendship and companionship, He is calling us to Follow “with” Me, He wants us to walk with Him, and He wants to walk with us.

Luke states that Matthew “Left all”…he had a powerful career, wealth, status Phil 3:8 “I count all I gave up as “garbage”… He lost a career but gained a destiny; lost wealth, but gained a spiritual fortune; lost temporary security, but gained eternal life! Lost emptiness/loneliness, found intimacy and companionship Verse 10He threw a party, wanted everyone to meet Jesus!

Matt 8: A scribe (lots of status) gets caught up in the moment, “I’ll follow you anywhere…” but doesn’t count the cost. Anywhere, Jesus responds he doesn’t even have a place to lay his head… Matt 8 : “let me first bury my father”…in other words, it’s just not a convenient time right now to get saved, maybe later…. Some people are hard to reach…best way to reach a family member is not to preach it, but to live it and walk the walk…pray. Prayed for my brother for 20 years before he accepted Jesus.

A true follower isn’t just caught up in the impulse of the moment.

Following Jesus may cause conflict among existing relationships. Friends and family may not like it, but that cannot deter you from following God.

You don’t just start a relationship and then not follow through. It is an ongoing walk of friendship

Just like Matthew left all to follow Jesus, we should gladly forsake everything to keep in step with Him.

Immediately after conversion, Matthew wanted to share with his friends.

Even if it means severing relationships or giving up earthly goods, God must be Number One