One Essential Truth Pt. 1

My keys!

I always have them on me or in my huge, grey backpack. But just when I was about to head out the door they were nowhere to be seen.

I felt powerless. I can’t do anything if I don’t have my keys.

I asked my wife. Nothing.

There goes the day, I thought. I was looking high and low. Pockets? No. Backpack? No. Couch? No. Cabinet? No. Yesterday’s hoodie? No. Desk? NO!

It wasn’t going well.

Then I had a thought. What if they were in my backpack…just not where I normally put them.

I dug around in my backpack which has an abundance of pockets and zippers; a place for a laptop and an iPad as well. Finally as my hand disappeared into the dark crevices of the waterproof pouch…Aha!

Got them. They had fallen into a partially unzipped pocket behind the pouch I normally have them resting securely in. Now, with renewed vigor I set about the day’s routine.

You know, truth can be like those keys.

Hidden only in the sense that we’re unsure of where to look.

Even though my keys were “lost” they were still in my backpack – still in my possession.

They weren’t stolen or buried under a rock somewhere. I think it can be the same way when it comes to searching for the truth. Sometimes it’s right there, we’ve just yet to locate it.

That’s how it was for me when I had my questions about the Christian faith. I wanted to know the truth but it seemed so elusive. In fact the search continued several years until I discovered this one essential truth.

Christianity is about following Jesus Christ.

Yes, you read that right.

It’s so simple. It was right there the whole time. I just hadn’t realized it.

For those of us with a Christian upbringing (like me) an over-familiarity with gospel narratives can have a cumulative numbing effect. We read the passage and nod along failing to really grasp what’s going on.

Remember when Jesus said “Follow Me” to Simon Peter and Andrew they “left their nets and followed Him” (Matt. 4:19-20). Then Jesus called James and John “and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him” (v. 22). Totally normal, right? Wrong!

Last time I checked that’s not normal behavior. Who just up and leaves work like that?

A parallel account in Luke says that when Jesus called them “they forsook all and followed Him” (Lk. 5:11). Wow. Let that sink in.

They forsook all and followed Him.

We need to recover the surprising and even shocking aspects of Jesus’s life, teachings and actions. We need to recognize the uncompromising devotion He is looking for in His disciples. We want the gospel narratives to “come alive” for us – to impact us.

Now, for the disciples, following Jesus meant literally walking with Him and going wherever He went. That’s not exactly an option for us the same way today since Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father on His heavenly throne now.

But that was just one aspect of following Jesus anyway. What we want to know is how do we follow the Lord Jesus Christ today?

I think there are at least two main ways.

The apostle John says this:

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
(1 John 2:3-6)

I think John communicates those two ways to us and they are, 1) to follow His teachings or commandments and 2) to follow His example.

It’s so basic and straightforward. How could this have escaped us?

Well, the truth of the matter is that most churches simply don’t teach this to their congregations.

Why not?

Could it be that maybe they’ve forgotten the one essential truth?

Tertullian, commenting on the petition “Your will be done on earth as in heaven” in the Lord’s Prayer said:

We say this not so that God might do what He wishes, but that we should be able to do what God wishes…Now the will of God is that which Christ both did and taught.

The early Christians knew what it meant to follow Jesus Christ. Isn’t it time we discover and embrace this one essential truth, too?

The essence of being a Christian – of Christianity itself – is to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Join me as we explore this further in the next two installments.