Jesus Follower: What it means to be a true follower of Jesus Christ

By Jay Scribner

"JESUS FOLLOWER: BEYOND BELIEF" is an easy-to-read, soul-searching, breath of fresh air in the religious genre of book publishing. This book is Bible based, humorous, spiritually challenging, honest, at times in-your-face, thought-provoking, and extremely understandable.

The author cares about your soul. He leads you to gain an

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jay Scribner
• Release date: Aug 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781792395062

Book preview

CHAPTER 1: YOU BE THE JUDGE

Don’t judge me! In recent years this seems to be the mentality of our society.

Don’t judge me about my lifestyle. Don’t judge me about my sexual preference. Don’t judge me if I choose to drink alcohol. Don’t judge me if I choose to use drugs. Don’t judge me if I have an abortion. Don’t judge me if I choose to move in with my boyfriend or girlfriend, or my significant other (Which begs the question, do you ever have an insignificant other?). Don’t judge me if I choose to drop out of school. Don’t judge me regarding the clothes that I wear. Don’t judge me regarding the color that I dye my hair. Don’t judge me regarding how I treat my parents. Don’t judge me regarding what I say to whom. Don’t judge me regarding how I treat people of other races. Don’t judge me regarding my weight. Don’t judge me regarding what I eat. Don’t judge me concerning whether or not I go to church. Don’t judge me regarding what church I attend. Don’t judge me spiritually. Etc.

DON’T JUDGE ME!

On one hand, the declaration for independent thinking and acting is very valid. We live in a free society. We enjoy some astounding freedoms, especially here in America. As a matter of fact, our Declaration of Independence guarantees our rights as human beings to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It doesn’t get much better than that.

So consequently, our demand to be exempt from outside judgment certainly carries with it a degree of validity and reasonableness. It is part of the very fabric and fiber concerning the makeup of who we are as human beings, and for those of us who are blessed enough to call ourselves Americans, even who we are as citizens.

So, what is the issue? In essence, the issue actually is in those guaranteed rights – life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Let me explain. I will use some of those same scenarios I alluded to earlier. There actually is a myriad of scenarios which we could reference. But allow me to elaborate on the aforementioned.

If I really want to enjoy life to its fullest, and pursue liberty/freedom, and really discover genuine inward happiness, then does it really matter how I engage myself in these various scenarios which I mentioned above? Well let’s just pick one and apply some rationale to our thinking, in our pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness.

As an example, what if I choose to drink alcohol? Don’t judge me. Should it matter to you if I drink alcohol? Who made you the judge and jury concerning my choice of beverage? Do you just drink alcohol or are you an alcoholic? Have you drunk enough alcohol that it has begun to deteriorate your brain cells? I know you say you can quit anytime you want to, but is that a fact? Do you in fact crave it, because it has become that addictive disease working inside of your body? Do you choose to drive even though your blood alcohol content is above the legal limits? Does it alter your personality to the point that your wife/husband has been pushed to the brink which is why he/she filed for divorce? Is your freedom to drink alcohol the reason that your children don’t have a daddy/mommy in the home, and consequently are being raised by a single parent? Are you the one that was driving the car that crossed the line and went head-on into the oncoming vehicle, killing the daughter of my next-door neighbor? Just how accurate was the doctor indicating that you are in the beginning stages of cirrhosis of the liver?

Now you may say that all of this is an exaggeration. This doesn’t really apply to you, because you drink alcohol just like someone else drinks water; and you are able to handle it extremely well. Please don’t lose sight of the fact that we are simply using some rationale having to do with our pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness.

So how does my choice to drink alcohol help to guarantee that I’m living life to its fullest? Or does it in fact carry with it the potential to diminish my life in one way or another? Does this choice enhance my ability for liberty/freedom or does it carry with it the possibility of hindering/hampering, maybe even losing, my freedom? Does this choice add to and ensure my happiness, or am I just fooling myself into thinking that a drink of alcohol produces some genuine, lasting happiness?

Now let me be very clear. The issue here is not about alcohol. It is about judgment. We don’t want anyone to judge us about our choice of drink. Nor about all of the other scenarios which I posed at the beginning of this chapter; sexual preference, drugs, abortion, shacking up with someone, the clothes I wear, the color of my hair, etc. We don’t want to be judged!

So, what is the answer? How can I live in this free society, do exactly what I want, be in hot pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness – and still be free of judgment?

There is a simple declaration in the Word of God that gives us more than a hint about applying the principles of life in a personal way. Here’s what it says in First Corinthians 11:31 – but if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.

So how do we get away from coming under judgment? By putting ourselves under judgement. Judge your own heart. Judge your own conscience. Judge your own motives. Judge your own actions. Judge your own spirit. Judge your own relationships. Judge your own philosophy.

But do it honestly. Don’t do it in such a way as to try to justify your own lifestyle and your own choices so that you can continue to do exactly as you choose, and be free of judgment. That’s exactly what I’m getting at – YOU BE THE JUDGE! Now since you are your own judge, honestly ask yourself if my lifestyle (and my choices about all of these areas and so much more) is in fact producing for me life (in all of its abundance), liberty/freedom, and real inner happiness.

Let me call your attention to some more insight from the Word of God at this point. Here’s what it says in First Corinthians 2:9-16.

However, as it is written; no eye has seen, nor ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him – but God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: for who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

This book is about being a Christ-follower. If you are a Christ-follower/ Christian, then you have the spirit of the living God dwelling within you. Here’s what the Bible says in John 14:17 – the Spirit of truth; the world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

So, if in fact you are a truly born-again Christian believer, then you have the Spirit of God living/dwelling within you. You are under new management. You have a new boss. You have placed yourself under the control of God Himself. He is the Lord and master of your life. The Bible says that you no longer belong to yourself, because you have been bought with a price. (First Corinthians 6:19-20)

This puts us in a perfect position to evaluate for ourselves whether or not we are actually a Christ-follower, or if we are simply going through the motions of calling ourselves a Christian. You be the judge.

It is amazing to me how so many people – church people, people who call themselves Christians, those who purport to be religious – look, act, talk, walk, smell, dress just like the world; but demand that they be recognized as followers of Jesus Christ. It seems like we want to see how close we can get to the edge of the world, but still be identified as standing on the solid rock of God. How close can we get to sin, but still be recognized as holy? Can we still be chummy with Sodom and Gomorrah, but still be welcomed into the promised land? Can we play footsies with the devil, and still adorn ourselves in the white robe of righteousness to show up for the marriage supper of the lamb? Have we in fact given ourselves wholeheartedly to God, if in fact we are constantly having a love affair with the world? Is it okay to profess to belong to the God of the Bible, and still go whoring after other gods?

You be the judge! This actually gives us a great perspective of helping us to evaluate if in fact we are a genuine Christ-follower, or if the devil has slipped us a counterfeit. Here’s what the Bible says in Romans 8:9, You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

Now do not misunderstand what I’m saying. I am not talking about sinless perfection. Nor am I talking about never sinning. I am not talking about living a perfect life; only one person has ever done that, and He was crucified.

I am just talking about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Do not think that I am judging you; quite to the contrary. You judge you. Are you in fact a Christ-follower? Are you a Christian? Have you been born again? Are you honestly on your way to heaven? Are you a child of the living God?

Only you can know that – but you’d better know that. It’s not based on what I say, but on what God says. He has given us the standard. He has determined the template. He has explained to us the way to Himself.

It is up to you to judge yourself. Have you been saved the Bible way? Have you become a genuine follower of Christ, the Bible way? Have you become a Christian the Bible way?

YOU BE THE JUDGE.

There are a lot of counterfeits in this world! It behooves us to make sure that we are not one of the counterfeit