God Basics: Following Jesus

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Following Jesus.
The biblical definition of "following" and the expectation that Jesus had when he commanded people to "follow" him has a different definition than what is seen today.

To "follow" someone now is so shallow. Click subscribe, click like, scroll through their page, watch their lives through the obscurity and privacy of your own device in the comfort of your own home. You can follow someone in secret without any requirement of your own will, without any requirement of disturbing your own way of living. You can follow someone for a while, and then stop following when you lose interest. You can follow someone until they offend you or disturb you or hurt you and then you can un-follow and just like that you're done. You can follow anything, anyone, for any reason, for any purpose without any work on your end. You get to sit by and watch without any effort without any motivation without any desire to actively participate. You are able to follow whatever you want without any boundaries, without any censorship, without any thing stopping you regardless of if it is healthy or good for you. If you want to follow the hashtag "funny puns" "hilarious animal videos" "cheat codes for fortnight" you can. You can follow someone and then criticize anything you disagree with without any actual confrontation with them as an individual. You can judge, celebrate, make fun of, desire, any one without any permission or honor. This secret life of following allows for many things that if done in person would be absolutely offensive, hurtful, appalling. You can follow someone online and never meet them one time, but feel so connected that you feel like you know them.


Verses:John 12:26, Matthew 16:24, Matthew 10:38, Matthew 10:28, John 8:12, John 15:20-23, Matthew 19:28-29, Mark 10:21, John 10:27


Small Group Questions
1. Read 6 or 7 of the verses listed. Why do we follow Jesus?
2. How is following Jesus different than following someone today?
3. What is the more important to Jesus: change in behavior, or change in heart?
4. What does it look like when you truly follow Jesus?
5. Think of someone that inspires you in the way that they follow Jesus. What characteristics or things about them draw you to them?
6. Discuss questions/comments/ideas/concerns about the video.
7. Talk about the line in the video when he says: "I'm cleaning my room in my heart, I memorized what you said, I figured out how to say 'Clean my room' in Greek." Read Luke 6:46 Matthew 7:21
8. What do you wish you did better when it comes to following Jesus?
9. Prayer time for things from question 8.
10. Prayer time for anything else.



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