by Daryl Merrill II.
Recently, I saw a bumper sticker that read “Follow Me. -God.” I began to think about this simple statement. From the early apostles’ teachings, to Thomas a Kempis’ The Imitation of Christ, to the recent WWJD phenomenon, Christ’s followers have searched for a way to best observe his command.
As pastors and leaders, we often wonder what Jesus would look like if he ministered in our place. It is an intimidating task to be Jesus to our world. In the busyness of our call, we must take the time to sit at the feet of the Master and study how he did ministry so we can be a true reflection of the One who called us.
Here are a few characteristics of Jesus’ ministry that we can use to evaluate our own:
1. Jesus’ Ministry Was Relevant.
The word relevant is popular in Christendom today. Relevant ministry is heralded by some, embraced carefully by others, and denounced by a few as undermining the true gospel message. But the dictionary definition simply says “to do with the matter at hand.” To be relevant is to have meaning in the moment.
If Jesus’ ministry was anything, it was relevant. Everything Jesus said and did had meaning in the moment. In fact, a great deal of Jesus’ power and influence in people’s lives came from his relevancy. Whether it was a rich and powerful religious leader like Nicodemus or an anonymous outcast woman at a well, Jesus’ relevancy provided an initial attraction to Him, His message, and His mission.
Question: Does your ministry matter in the everyday lives of people?
2. Jesus’ Ministry Was Radical.
Jesus confronted the worldly and religious norms of life. Jesus never allowed a person He met to remain the same. Instead, He challenged the way they lived and what they thought about God. The Sermon on the Mount challenged people’s lifestyles. The parables challenged people’s understanding about God’s love, judgment, and coming kingdom. His healings on the Sabbath challenged people’s perception of keeping the Law. Jesus’ ministry was so radical that everyone from the religious elite to the disenfranchised sinners had a difficult time understanding Him. As relevant as Jesus was, His ministry was undeniably radical.
But Jesus was never radical for the sake of being contentious. While He preached the high cost of being a disciple, His mission was never to alienate people. Jesus was radical because He loved people (Mark 10:21) and wanted to deepen their understanding and level of relationship with God. He wanted them to experience the fullness of the new life of faith. Invariably, when a person would grasp who Jesus was and the power of his radical message, their life was completely transformed.
Question: Is your ministry comfortable with the status quo in people’s lives, or a challenge to it?
3. Jesus’ Ministry Was Risky.
The majority of people did not grasp Jesus’ ministry. He rarely offered an explanation of His radical teaching when asked and never performed a sign at their bidding. He held the role of rabbi without playing temple politics. He played the revolutionary without starting a fight. He did not meet their expectations or follow their rules.
Jesus followed another agenda, setting up a different kind of kingdom. There was no room for popular or personal opinion to influence Jesus. He was on a mission from the Father, and it required extreme obedience to the Father’s will alone (John 5:30). It was because of this uncompromising allegiance and his life-altering message that the world hated Jesus. Following the Father rather than the crowd inevitably made Jesus’ ministry risky.
Evaluate: Whose agenda are you following, and what is it costing you?
4. Jesus’ Ministry Was Real.
It is clear that Jesus was unique. He freely shared his feelings. He never put up a front. He wasn’t interested in self-promotion. If you saw Him, you had seen the Father (John 14:9). Jesus was the true representation of who God was, not only because He was God, but also because He spent time developing a close relationship with the Father while He walked here on the earth. It was because of His friendship and obedience to the Father that everything Jesus said and did was in tune with the Father’s perfect timing and will. Jesus wholeheartedly relied on the Father in order to accomplish His mission.
As you study Jesus’ greatest followers, you find no self-sufficient superstars, only those who mirrored Jesus’ dependence on direction from above. These have been men and women who got close to God, discovered His purpose for their lives, and followed Him with absolute reliance and reckless obedience. The great ones are the ones who are most like Him.
Evaluate: How close are you personally to the One you are following?
These simple yet fundamental aspects of Jesus’ ministry make it clear that Jesus’ command, “Follow me,” goes far beyond a bumper sticker or bracelet. It calls us to become like Him and fulfill His purpose here on earth. We must always remember, as leaders, that we must follow Him closely, because we have been called to invite others to follow us as we follow Christ.
Daryl Merrill Jr. is lead pastor of Christian Life Church, Mount Prospect, Illinois.
