Other books in the

One Step Closer to Jesus Series:

The Way Up is Down

This Thing Called Love

Not By Sight

Losing Life and Finding Life

Life Communications™
P.O. Box 1689
Lady Lake, Florida 32158
LARRY DEASON
$2.00
One Step Closer to Jesus Series
 About the Author

Larry Deason has been proclaiming the Good

News of Jesus Christ for 40 years. He has served
the Body of Christ as deacon, elder, preacher, mis-
sionary, counselor, teacher and writer.

Larryʼs seminars have been presented throughout

the Northeastern United States, Texas, Califor-
nia and Florida. He has also presented seminars
in Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and the Fiji Is-
lands.

While doing mission work in New Zealand Larry

co-founded and taught for four years at the Tauran-
ga Two-Year Bible School. He also co-founded and
directed the Northeast School of Biblical Studies
where he taught for 12 years. He also consulted in
the establishing of the South Pacific Bible College
in New Zealand. Larry has been a guest lecturer
each year for the past 23 years at the South Pacific
Bible College.

Larry Deason has written more than 20 booklets,

books and in-depth study guides. The books have
been distributed in all the states in the USA and in
more than 70 nations worldwide including China,
Eastern Europe, and Russia.
Larry and his wife Helen have been married for 50
years. They have to daughters, five grandchildren
and three great-grandchildren.

Larry Deason continues to do mission work, pres-

ent his seminars and distribute his books world-
wide.
 To
Jesus Christ
My Personal
Lord and Savior,
Who is the
Focus of my life.
My orientation in His Amazing Grace and
His Love my motivation in loving all others.
 Other Books
by
Larry Deason

The Eternal Purpose and Plan of God:

The Meaning and Purpose of Life

The Love of Christ in the Local Congregation:

Sharing Together in the Life and Labor of Christ

That You May Have Life:

Gospel of John

The Righteousness of God:

Romans

Set Free? Stay Free!

(The Fallacy and Failure of Legalism)
Come Follow Me
 “Come follow me,” Jesus said,
“and I will make you fishers of men.”
Mark 1:17

Then he said to them all:

“If anyone would come after me,
he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily
and follow me.”
Luke 9:23

Now if we are [Godʼs] children,

then we are heirs—heirs of God
and co-heirs with Christ,
if indeed we share in his sufferings
in order that we may also share in his glory.
Romans 8:17
 Who are the truly blessed?

Blessed
are

the poor in spirit,

those that mourn,

the meek,

those that hunger and thirst after

righteousness,

the merciful,

the pure in heart,

the peacemakers,

those who are persecuted

for righteousnessʼ sake.

These are the truly blessed!

 Come Follow Me

“Come follow Me,” says the Lord Jesus to all who

would respond to His invitation. Following Jesus
is the decisive call of discipleship. We cannot just
call ourselves disciples of Christ because we have
decided to become “born again Christians,” as so
many popularly believe. Disciples are made by fol-
lowing the teachings of Jesus. When we are babes in
Christ we all stand on common ground, at the foot of
the cross. We are then to make disciples of ourselves
in Jesus Christ through the grace of our Lord.

Disciple means “follower, one in training; trained

on.” To be a disciple, one must be developing,
growing, always following and learning. Being a
“disciple,” as the term is used in Scripture, always
involve a personal attachment of the learner to the
teacher. It is a heart commitment. Jesus Christ is
the teacher; He is the Master. We are His followers.
But Jesus does not compel us to follow Him; He
invites us to follow Him. God designed us to have
the ability to choose. He invites us to follow Him
and leaves it for us to choose.

The greatest danger in following Jesus Christ is

in actually not following Him. In other words, we
donʼt follow Him in the way He has decided or de-
termined that we follow Him. That has been the
1
primary difference over the years between truly
following Jesus His way and following Jesus my
own way.

Until you and I seriously consider Jesusʼ call to dis-

cipleship, the world at large is going to go its way
virtually uninterested in Jesus Christ, the man of
Galilee, demonstrated and declared to be Son of
God with power by the resurrection from the dead.
How tremendous to think that this Christ, proven
to be the Son of God, has visited us and has es-
tablished a personal relationship with us! If we do
not take this seriously, we will settle for something
much less than that to which Jesus calls us. He calls
us to genuineness; He calls us to realness; He calls
us to life thatʼs life indeed, without pretense or hy-
pocrisy.

Having worked and studied with a small congre-

gation, I reflected back over their growth in these
matters. Having been immersed into Jesus, they
gave their allegiance to Him as they surrendered to
the truth of the gospel. I have joyfully seen a real
hungering desire to develop a relationship of real-
ness with Jesus Christ. When I teach in the South
Pacific, I see a similar group gathered together in
the name of Jesus Christ—growing in sincerity.
These Christians really want to know God; I have
seldom seen out-and-out hypocrisy or pretense.
Granted, some in the body of Christ wear masks;
2
they are pretending. But generally, when engaging
in group discussions and later talking one-to-one, I
know the genuineness of heart is there.

Unfortunately, I have also seen, even with the sin-

cere, a casualness. It manifests itself in a superfici-
ality that prohibits and hinders us from entering into
a profound relationship with God Almighty in fol-
lowing Jesus. The underlying cause of this problem
in the body is that we are not taking seriously enough
the call to follow Jesus. And even though we are sin-
cere, we can easily be distracted by the cares of this
world and the things of this life. This is not to say
that the things of this world are not to be a part of our
lives. There are many good things in Godʼs beautiful
creation that He has given for His people to enjoy.
But we must have a balanced view of life circum-
stances and materials gains. We must follow Jesus
first and live by His standards.

Once I was speaking to a group of young people about

having fun after coming into Christ (as compared to
having fun before). In order to continue having fun
in Christ, I am ashamed to say, I played the part of a
hypocrite. This was an attempt to have my way in life,
to do what I (Larry) wanted to do. Living this way, I
thought I would have happiness and fun.

I have lived long enough now to say, “With all the

genuineness of my heart, as I experienced my life
3
living with Jesus Christ His way, living His will
from day to day, and as I have developed and grown
in His wonderful grace, I have never had so much
fun in my life.” It is a real, outgoing fun with joy
and peace. I donʼt have the constant frustrations; I
donʼt have the continuous guilt of wrongdoing. If
we refuse to put the cares of life before Jesus, the
outside world will see Jesus in us. “Come follow
Me,” He says. “Come follow Me. Come with an
open mind and be willing to learn of Me.”

Following Jesus:
Too Difficult or Too Distracted?

It takes true dedication to follow Jesus:

When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he

gave orders to cross to the other side of the
lake. Then a teacher of the law came to him
and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wher-
ever you go.”

Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds

of the air have nests, but the Son of Man
has no place to lay his head.”1

Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first

let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus
told him, “Follow me, and let the dead
bury their own dead.”2
4
 Still another man said, “I will follow you,
Lord; but first let me go back and say good-
by to my family.”

Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand

to the plow and looks back is fit for service
in the kingdom of God.”3

Jesus calls us to a decisive discipline of disciple-

ship. He calls us to a realness of life beginning
with a humble heart. He calls each of us to follow
Godʼs will, admitting that “I” cannot lead my life
properly. We must first have the courage to admit
our weaknesses, because the greatest obstacle is
a refusal to glorify God “as God.” Every human
being must confront this primary question: Who is
Number One? We dare to assume that it could be
ourselves.

In our development of a selfish egotism, we find

ourselves attempting to occupy that place which
belongs only to God. The world is not ours to
control; it belongs only to the will of God. We
must understand and come to grips with what
Jesus meant when He asked, “What good is it
for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit
his soul?”4 And yet, weʼve even become willing
to risk losing our lives for the sake of gaining,
not the whole world, but just a tiny, tiny portion
of it.
5
But the opposite of this way of life will set us free.
For indeed, He says, “...the truth will set you free.”5
Hereʼs the greatness of the teaching of Jesus Christ:

“Whoever loses his life for me will find

it.”6

“So the last will be first, and the first will

be last.”7

This takes a subservient attitude. But we blindly

pursue our wills and do not come to know the tre-
mendous position for which God designed us. We
hinder our own development as human beings with
the potential nobility and dignity of those created
in the image of God Almighty. We fail because in
our selfish pursuits, we are deaf to the profound and
powerful invitation of Jesus: “Come follow Me. Iʼll
give you life that is life indeed; Iʼll give you joy.
Iʼll give you a way of life that is more abundant
that anything you could imagine.”

We need to imprint indelibly in our minds that

eternal life with Jesus Christ begins the moment
we establish a true relationship with Him. This
happens when we come to Him in obedience to
“the truth of the gospel.” Eternal life is here and
now, right here in this very life in the world. Al-
though the Christian life as a disciple of Jesus is
not as grand as our anticipation of going to heaven
6
when we die, it can still be a rich and rewarding
life—full of joy, rewards, and profound happiness
when following Jesus.

About 15 years ago I began to seriously reflect upon

the teachings of Christ in a way I had never done be-
fore. Prior to this time I studied as a preacher/teacher.
Then I said to myself, “Larry, itʼs time you studied as
a student, a learner; not studying anymore merely to
prepare a lesson, but studying to prepare yourself for a
correct relationship with God through Jesus Christ.”

I was particularly interested in the Sermon on the

Mount.8 As I began to read this spectacular teaching
of Jesus—this business of following Him, denying
self, crucifying self, losing self, and all this being con-
tingent upon humility—questions came to my mind.
The main one was, “Is this really the way?” One of the
strongest periods of doubt in my life occurred at this
time. As I was studying the teachings in the Sermon
on the Mount, I was also studying the Gospel of John.
But even with the strongest of doubts, I stayed with
Him, and as Habakkuk the prophet, I turned my ques-
tions and my doubts over to Godʼs Word. Therein I
found the answer: Come follow Me; I am the Lord.

This business of discipleship may seem radical be-

cause of the intensity of Christʼs demands. It chal-
lenges us to deny self, to lose self, to humble our-
selves, and to pour out our selfishness in order to
7
become the beautiful people God desires us to be.
Letʼs make an important note here: Jesus Christ is
calling us to deny self and to follow Him, but He is
not asking us to deny our personhood. We will re-
main the persons that we are, but we will be beau-
tifully enveloped in the image of Jesus Christ; we
will be learning to put on the new man.

I said to myself, “This is heavy stuff. Is this too ex-

treme? Is this too difficult? Is this impossible?” And
many people think it is. But the answer to all these
questions is, no. This concept of dying to self is fea-
sible, and the truth of all this will set us free, free
to live victoriously in the newness of Christ. We go
around in chains, not realizing the freedom to which
Jesus has called us. Isnʼt it because we have not yet
taken seriously the call of discipleship: to die that we
might live? Just follow the pattern of Jesusʼ life. Like
Him, we must place ourselves last, that we might be
first; we must be humbled, that we might be exalted;
we must lose our lives, that we might find them.

But we must remember: this way of following

Christ is a lifetime commitment, an every day
devotion. This way of living that the Sermon on
the Mount teaches is something we should never
leave—sitting at the feet of Jesus and hearing Him,
sensitively, sincerely, and with depth of heart, al-
lowing His teaching to penetrate far beneath the
surface of the skin.
8
Letʼs not go our way any longer, but letʼs honestly,
genuinely, and openly experience the depth and
profundity of following Jesus Christ. No, itʼs not
too complicated. We think it is too hard because
we donʼt take seriously the teachings of Christ, and
we go our own way. Oh yes, we may still “go to
church,” but it results in spiritual apathy; it results
in a powerless life; it results in the ho-humness of
religion, and even in self-righteousness. All of these
ways of living are in contrast to what we can have:
the power of the life of righteousness, living and
growing and developing in Jesus Christ as Lord!

Reaction: Negative or Positive?

First, consider the negative reaction. After being

informed about what this invitation means, one
may decide that following Jesus is too hard, too
complicated, or too extreme. Although these re-
sponses seem very definite, they can also cause us
to hide behind a certain subtlety. We ignore that
it is actually simple to follow Jesus (if we have a
heartfelt desire); instead, we remain in a state of
withdrawal.

It is easy to follow Jesus, but it is also both painful

and powerful; perhaps this is what the negative re-
sponse is trying to avoid. Following Him requires
an examination of self and of the way we live or do
not live in relationship to God.
9
Often this is where the pain comes in. Finding it
difficult to abandon our selfishness, we are ready
to give up, content to be indifferent, immature, and
superficial. Although we say to ourselves, “I go to
church every time the door opens, and Iʼm active in
the church,” this is not nearly enough.

We can remain uncommitted to a personal life in

Christ and stagnate in our immaturity in Christ-
like attitudes. We can still live undiscipled lives.
We can live what appears to be a dedicated life “in
church,” but behind closed doors be very un-Christ-
like in our thoughts, words, and actions. Living for
Christ is an every day, every minute, every second
proposition. This way of following Jesus makes a
difference to the world.

On the positive side, we can make a commitment to

follow Jesus as our heartʼs desire. We can make it
our moment to moment aim and determination. We
can make it our pledge. This attitude and response
causes one to submit to the lordship of Jesus, which
causes one to develop a spiritual commitment, re-
sulting in maturity in Christ. It is a step-by-step
process, following the will of God.

Can you imagine what would happen if the whole

body of Christ made this positive response—if we
took more seriously this business of self-renuncia-
tion and crucifixion of the old selfish ego, with all
10
its hideous, disgusting expressions of the life of
one who puts self ahead of God and others? The
world would see Jesus in us and the church would
grow!

The greatest method of soul winning is a life lived

under the lordship of Jesus Christ, speaking and
living truth in love to all men. The world can see
through “church going”; the world is not feeble-
witted. But they can see the real you, and they will
come to see the will of God and a life surrendered
to Jesus Christ. We sing the songs: “Oh to be Like
Thee,” “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus,” and “All
to Jesus I Surrender.” More than ever, letʼs mean
those words from the heart.

What a joyful thing to see the power of God through

His Word in the lives of people! If we respond in
this way we will continue to grow and develop in
the attitudes and ways of Jesus Christ, our Lord—
and also influence others.

Fundamental Concepts to Consider:

“Count Me In” or “Just Kidding”

Before considering these concepts I would empha-

size that it takes “genuine” discipleship to receive
them. I sometimes dislike using the word genuine,
because it has become so commonplace; it gets
worn and frazzled. Nevertheless, I like the word
11
because Jesus used its meaning throughout Scrip-
ture. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, He
said, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness
surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of
the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom
of heaven.”9

He is not telling us that we must have more of the

same kind of righteousness the Pharisees had. They
were pretenders; they were religious, but not righ-
teousness. They thought themselves to be above all
others. But Jesus makes a powerful statement to
them:

“I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and

prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God
ahead of you.”10

Because of the arrogance, religious snobbery, and

phoniness of these people, they would not enter the
kingdom.

In contrast, Jesus began by pointing His dis-

ciples to the way to greatness, that they might
be filled with the Spirit and the righteousness
of God.

First of all, blessed are the poor in spirit. As the Lord

said through Isaiah the prophet, “This is the one I
esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit...”11
12
Selfish arrogance and pride will forever be the pri-
mary barrier to submission to God. The desire to
be independent in a good sense is no problem, but
an independence exclusive of the will of God is a
serious problem. Did He not take a servant-stand
against the worldly attitude of independence—”I
can do it on my own; Iʼll do it my own way”? Con-
stantly throughout His life, no matter how difficult
the situation may have been, Jesus Christ, the Son
of God, always said, “Yet not what I will, but what
you will.”

Jesus Christ is the epitome of complete depen-

dency upon God Almighty in every aspect of His
life. When He lay down, when He awoke, when
He went out, when He came in: it was a constant
dependency upon the Father, from the difficult sit-
uations right down to the basics. And therein lies
the secret of His success and ours. Talk about faith;
talk about dependency; talk about following Godʼs
will—in all of these, Jesus is our perfect example.
“Yet not what I will, but what you will.” This is the
key to a healthy dependency upon God.

Jesus was a revolutionary person. It is futile, it

is stupid, it is idiotic to attempt to do the will of
God without a revolutionary experience, starting
with being born again of water and the Spirit. And
this experience is not merely a mental exercise; it
comes from the heart.
13
 “But thanks to be God that, though you
used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheart-
edly obeyed the form of teaching to which
you were entrusted.”12

“Wholeheartedly obeyed”—obedient from the

heart; therein lies the revolutionary aspect of a new
life in continuing to walk day by day in the light
of His guidance. This is the revolutionary process
God demands of us:

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would

come after me, he must deny himself and
take up his cross daily and follow me.”13

Crosses are for crucifixions; crosses are for dying

to the old selfish man, that the new man might live
and follow Christ.

The First Fundamental Concept

in Following Christ

Now that we have prepared ourselves for the first

fundamental concept, let us explore it. It is: There
must be a genuine, all-out, unreserved commitment
to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.14 We are to sanc-
tify in our hearts Christ as Lord, as the Scriptures
say. What exactly does that mean? It means: He is
the King, I am the servant; He is the Lord, I am the
slave. Jesus Christ is calling us, by the use of the
14
word “slave” or “servant,” to have a master/slave
relationship with Himself.

God calls us to this: a total submission of oneʼs life

and being in all that he is and will be; in all that he
has or ever will have. He confirms this out of the
mouth of Jesus, His apostles, and all His genuine
disciples. The Spirit of God speaks this one dy-
namic truth through everyone who has ever been
used to call people to God.

If this is so, let us forever lay to rest the idea that

God is just calling us to give Him our weekends,
our spare evenings, or our retirement years. No,
He is looking for people (boys, girls, men, and
women) to give their lives to Him and to enter
into the joy of the life of the kingdom of God right
now.

Jesus is calling a people who will deny themselves

and give Him an undying allegiance.

And he died for all, that those who live

should no longer live for themselves but
for him who died for them and was raised
again.15

It is these words that we should joyfully follow,

knowing that we too will die and be raised again
from the dead.
15
Jesus is also calling us to an unconditional surrender.
Could anything less be a fitting response to Jesusʼ
sacrifice for us? Unconditional surrender. There
are no conditions that we lay down. The conditions
are laid down by Him, and they are for our well-
being. If we would only see that they are for our
joy and happiness! We follow the beatitudes. They
start with the word “blessed.” This is a blessedness
that does not come from situations, conditions or
external events. It comes from within. If you desire
real peace, real joy, the formula is to simply follow
Jesus unconditionally. True discipleship is uncon-
ditional, total surrender to Jesus Christ.

The Second Fundamental Concept

in Following Jesus

There must be a definite coming to grips with the

requirements of the Lord. Jesus Christ the Lord
makes some very stringent demands of those who
would follow Him. That is why He warned us to
count the cost before following Him. On one occa-
sion, a rich young man went away sorrowful when
Jesus laid down the terms of discipleship: total sur-
render. The man went away in this pitiful condi-
tion because he had many possessions; actually,
his possessions had him!16 Jesus saw some flaws
in that young man: covetousness, selfishness, and
greed. And Jesus said, “Total surrender is what I
demand.” Then the man turned away from Jesus
16
in a sorrowful state, but Jesus did not run after the
man or say to John, “Quickly, go get him; I love
that man.” (Mark did say, “Jesus looked at him and
loved him.”)

There is something very sad about this rich young

ruler. He came running to Jesus and asked the
greatest question a person could ask: “What must
I do to inherit eternal life?” “Surrender!” Jesus
said, and this he rejected as too great a demand.
He loved the cares of this world more than any-
thing or anyone. So he started to leave. “Go catch
him, James, John!” No, Jesus did not respond in
this way. He did not call back the would-be fol-
lower and give him a 50 percent discount on dis-
cipleship. There was no markdown. Jesus wants
all of us, but the man was unwilling; he chose
to walk away sorrowfully. Jesus Christ calls us
to discipleship unconditionally. Yes, there are
stringent demands that must be considered in fol-
lowing Jesus.

I donʼt know why we stumble over this. When a

citizen will lay down his life for his country, we
think this is a noble thing. We honor a man who
has such great courage, that he will leave every-
thing behind for a cause or a country that he be-
lieves in. Yet when it comes to laying down our
lives for the sake of Jesusʼ kingdom we stumble,
we falter.
17
Why do we find it difficult and even believe it im-
possible to fulfill the apostleʼs command to lay
down our lives for one another? Is it because we
have not first seriously considered laying our lives
down for Jesus?

If we lay down our lives for Him, we will lay down

our lives for His. However, it is difficult for most
of us to grasp that following Jesus involves denial
of self, crucifixion of self, and renunciation of self.
We must have these qualities to be able to lay down
our lives for Jesus and others.

In the past few years many books have been written

on self-esteem, because people are finally recog-
nizing it as a serious problem. We must clearly un-
derstand that the biblical teaching of Jesus Christ
in no way degrades human dignity. Recognizing
Jesus for who He is elevates human beings to their
full potential.

We must see that human dignity can only find its

potential of greatness and exaltation in Christ Jesus.
Torn from that spot, away from the heart of God,
human dignity degenerates into the obnoxious, arro-
gant, and repugnant spirit of a pride-filled egotist. But
with Jesus at the center of our lives, as Paul says:

I have been crucified with Christ and I no

longer live, but Christ lives in me.17
18
We must give up the old self (whatever it may be)
for the majestic, beautiful new self that we can be
in Jesus. If this doesnʼt help your problem of self-
esteem, I donʼt know what permanently will.

This is what Jesus calls us to: a life that is life in-

deed. This is life that can be lived in a world that
has been ruined and wrecked by sin, and we can
be the expression of beauty as we travel through
this selfish world. We can be a blessing to all
others who are created in the image of God, and
that means everybody. Thatʼs what we all have in
common as human beings—both Christians and
non-Christians—that we are created in the image
of God.

But to accept and express Jesus in our lives in dis-

cipleship we must further deal with the ideas of
denial of self, crucifixion of self, and self-renun-
ciation. These are the requirements of the Lord in
following Him.

Large crowds were traveling with Jesus,

and turning to them he said: “If anyone
comes to me and does not hate his father
and mother, his wife and children, his
brothers and sisters—yes, even his own
life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone
who does not carry his cross and follow me
cannot be my disciple.18
19
Supreme, unrivaled love for Jesus must be given. This
passage has been sorely distorted over the years. Jesus
said, “Unless you do this, you cannot be My disciple.”
“Now Lord, letʼs see—ʻcannotʼ—could ʻcannotʼ mean
ʻmight notʼ?” No, we have no permission to water
down that expression. Jesus said, “Unless (you do so
and so) you cannot be My disciple.” This expression is
repeatedly found throughout the ministry of Jesus. You
“cannot” be unless “this” is realized.

What can we make of this passage? What did Jesus

mean? The Greek word for “hate” means “to love
less.” But that does not do justice to the meaning of
what Jesus is saying here. To love less could leave
the door open to this idea: Iʼll love Jesus, but in some
inferior way, Iʼm going to love my parents. Nowhere
does biblical love—the love of God— express itself
in an inferior way. For whoever is to be loved is to
be loved to the maximum with the love of God.

Now, the love of God is supreme in its expression

for family. It lends itself supremely to family. But
Jesus Christ is greater than family, and we must
offer Him supreme, absolute, and unrivaled love.
But when we understand biblical love for God, we
learn to love our parents even more than we ever
did, even if they are not in Christ!

That has been a flaw in some of our thinking. Instead

of building up our relationships with our family
20
we find ourselves contributing to the forging of a
sword that Jesus said could come into family situ-
ations. The Christian is not going to build a wall,
but instead, he is going to pour love into every rela-
tionship he has and concentrate on developing rela-
tionships. This is loving the way that God loves.

We must concentrate on and explain this unrivaled

love that is peculiarly and specially for Jesus, our
Lord. Let us use the example of the love of God
that we have for family to further explain this pas-
sage.

I have a love for my wife that is exclusively hers.

I donʼt love my family any less, but in a different
way. I love my children in a special way, but that
relationship cannot change the unique love that
I reserve for my wife. These two loves are dif-
ferent.

In the same way no other love should rival the spe-

cial love I have for Jesus, even though I donʼt love
others any less. I have much love for my sisters
in the Lord, as sisters; but they cannot be loved in
the same way that I love my wife. And the love
I have for my wife, as special and strong as it is,
should not rival the love I have for Jesus. This is
what Luke meant here, that the love we have for
Jesus is to be special and unrivaled; nothing should
deter us from this.
21
The latter part of the passage cited involves carrying
oneʼs cross. This means dying to self; it means the
crucifixion of self. As we stated before: crosses are
for dying. We make the initial decision to sign the
death warrant with Jesus Christ. This is one of the
things that following Jesus requires:

Or donʼt you know that all of us who were baptized

into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We
were therefore buried with him through baptism
into death in order that, just as Christ was raised
from the dead through the glory of the Father, we
too may live a new life.

If we have been united with him in his death,

we will certainly also be united with him in
his resurrection. For we know that our old
self was crucified with him so that the body
of sin might be rendered powerless, that we
should no longer be slaves to sin—because
anyone who has died has been freed from
sin.19

We need to understand that we are baptized into

the death of Jesus. What did Jesus do in death? He
died. What are we to do when we are baptized?
We need to see that we die, too. That is, we die
to sin; our sins have been forgiven, and we have
changed our hearts to follow the ways of Jesus, not
our own.
22
We not only die, but we arise to walk in newness
of life. The new life has a new mind. Paul reminds
us in Romans 12 that we must be transformed by
the renewing of our minds. This entails steps of
growth—a developing process which comes only
by following the teachings of Jesus. With time and
maturing you begin to see the new man emerge in
thoughts, words, and actions; you also experience
the disappearance of the old man, because you are
putting him off daily. We renounce self; we relin-
quish the old temptations and habits.

Let me share with you how I deal with these

temptations, these instructions upon my life with
Christ. I have no apologies for the indignation
that I have for unrighteous temptations that come
my way. Although temptation itself is not a sin,
we can easily let the “old man” feed upon it, and
that leads to sin. So, I, without mercy, take the
temptation that arises out of the selfishness and
rebellion of the old man, and “nail it to the cross.”
Temptation begins in the mind; now, whenever I
am tempted, I wonʼt even permit an evil thought
to come and reside for a moment. I put on the new
man and renounce the old.

Seven Specifics to Consider:

Is it Worth it?

1. A supreme and unrivaled love for Jesus20

23
2. A denial of self21

Self-denial is not to be confused with denial of self.

Self-denial may mean denying oneself certain plea-
sures or things. This is not at all denial of self; it can
be a very subtle deception that we are giving up the
old self to develop the new self in Jesus Christ.

Denial of self is the absolute and complete sub-

mission to the lordship of Jesus. Self abdicates the
throne. Christ reigns. I am no longer going to be
lord of my life, doing things my way, having things
the way I want them to be. No, I will instead follow
the ways of Jesus, in every area of my life.

3. A definite, deliberate choosing of the cross

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would

come after me, he must deny himself and
take up his cross daily and follow me.”22

Oneʼs cross is not some physical, emotional, or

mental anguish or sickness that people see as a
burden they carry for Christ. This is a popular mis-
belief.

The way of the cross is His way, which involves a

dying to self. But it also involves identifying with
what Jesus experienced here on earth; shame, re-
proach, and suffering for His sake and the gospelʼs.
24
His way is often the difficult way. In Jesus Christ,
you may be humiliated; you may be slandered; you
may be reproached; you may have to bear all these
things.

Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people insult you,

persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against
you because of me.”23 In one place He said, “for the
gospelʼs sake”; in another, “for the kingdomʼs sake.”
Deliberately choosing the cross means choosing all
of this as we follow Him. Following Jesus is also a
way filled with the new experience of joy and peace,
and it results in eternal life with Him!

4. A lifetime of daily following Christ

To follow Christ is to become what He is and to

do what He does. To do this we must learn Jesusʼ
ways. The best way to do this is to read and study
His word, although we do learn of Jesus through
others—by seeing Jesusʼ ways in them. But in
studying the Bible we sometimes need help, and
thatʼs why attending Bible classes or setting up
personal studies is so important. We need to read
Scriptures daily, and not be too proud to ask for
help in understanding when we need it.

I would also challenge those of us in the body of

Christ to seriously consider the biblical responsi-
bility of family heads. This responsibility holds
25
true even for the single parent or the parent who is
the only Christian in the family, no matter how dif-
ficult it may be. We must restore the concept of the
parent or parents teaching children the way of the
Lord. As good as Bible classes or Christian schools
may be, they will never take the place of that 24-
hour learning opportunity in the home. We need to
follow the Lord in this capacity.

We need to follow Christ in a life of daily, unselfish

service for others. In this busy time in which we
life, I pray that we would take more time—much
more time—to meet the needs of others. This is
loving service for others.24 I believe this can be
done if we give careful, serious consideration to it.
If we really want to meet the needs of our people
under God, we will take the time to provide daily
opportunity for encouragement in Christ. He cer-
tainly encouraged others, as did His disciples.

Our Sunday gatherings are vitally important, as are

our midweek services. Midweek Bible class and fel-
lowship are wonderful opportunities to nourish our-
selves, that we might “make it to the next assembly.”
However, they are not going to meet the need for
biblical teachings and other vital needs of people.

The Bible many times states that we should encour-

age one another and meet the needs of others on a
daily basis: not just twice a week but daily—daily
26
cross-bearing, daily fellowship. It can be done and
is being done in some places. Letʼs consider this
and make a more conscious effort to do so. Itʼs vital
to the growth of the body!

5. A genuine fervent love for all who

belong to Him

“A new command I give you: Love one an-

other. As I have loved you, so you must love
one another. All men will know that you are
my disciples if you love one another.”25

In order to follow Jesus, we must have a genuine,

fervent love for all our brothers and sisters.

What has divided the body of Jesus over the years?

A lack of love for those whom Jesus loves! We actu-
ally sin against Jesus if we do not receive and ac-
cept those whom He has received and accepted.26 He
loves each on in His body, and He accepts us as we
are. He gives us the time, however long it takes, for
shedding sinful habits and learning to develop and
grow in His ways. To overcome those habits which
have taken a lifetime to build up, we need time and
help and support.

Self-rejection poses a greater barrier to living like

Jesus than does rejection by other brothers and
sisters. We need to be strong and determined, but
27
if we stumble, we need to understand that God is
still there loving and accepting us. He gives more
grace; we must then get up and go on. Stumbling
can also be an opportunity to grow, if weʼll look at
it that way and learn from it.

Yes, there must be a genuine fervent love for all

who belong to Him. When Godʼs people lack this
love, the “follow Jesus” with deadness and cold-
ness. Godʼs word is clear: if I donʼt love my brothers
and sisters, I truthfully donʼt love God!27 Loving a
brother means accepting him, receiving him as he
is. This is following Jesus.

6. An unswerving continuance in His word and

will

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus

said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are
really my disciples. Then you will know the
truth, and the truth will set you free.”28

To start well is commendable, but we must endure

daily—to the end. “If you hold to my teaching”
has also been translated, “except you abide in my
word.” The word “abide” in Greek is related to the
word which means to “dwell in,” “to abide where
one lives.” Christʼs word is supposed to be the
Christianʼs dwelling place—not just what he reads
or studies, but where he lives.
28
The Word, then becomes our necessary food. This
is what Jesus did when He lived on the earth. He
relied on the word and will of God for His life and
living. Above all, we must not get caught in the
trap of subjectivism and avoid the objective word
and will of God. This definitely robs one of his po-
sition in Christ.

7. A forsaking of all to follow Him

Again, the Lord says, “...any of you who does

not give up everything he has cannot be my dis-
ciple.”29 Jesus said this to emphasize that any-
thing standing in the way of following Him
wholeheartedly must be given up. But there has
also been some misrepresentation of this verse.
The fact is, itʼs up to you. You must not let things
stand in your way of putting Jesus first and fol-
lowing Him.

The truth is that we should first and foremost use

the things that God has given us for the sake of the
kingdom, and He will in turn care for us and bless
us 30, 60, or 100-fold. This is what occurs if we are
willing to truly forsake all to follow Him.

Unconditional Surrender or Excuses?

To truly follow Jesus, one must avoid several de-

ceptions:
29
Iʼll follow You anywhere; that is, if itʼs comfortable
and convenient.

We have touched on these verses before. Remem-

ber this?

...and a man said to him, “I will follow you

wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes
have holes and the birds of the air have
nests, but the Son of Man has no place to
lay his head.”30

The Christian life makes difficult demands on us,

if we are to sincerely follow Jesus. If necessary, we
must be ready to deny comfort and convenience.

Iʼll follow You, but it cannot interfere with my pri-

orities.

Well, Jesus is the first priority, and we must know this

and learn it well in order to avoid being deceived.31

Iʼll follow You, if it does not interfere with earthly

ties.

Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord;

but first let me go back and say good-by
to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who
puts his hand to the plow and looks back is
fit for service in the kingdom of God.”32
30
When Jesus calls us, His call is now; we must
choose to follow or walk away.

Genuinely going with Jesus means following Him

regardless of obstacles. We must not suppress
Godʼs truth forever because we donʼt take Him se-
riously as He calls us to follow Him. A good start
is realizing that Jesusʼ call makes a claim on His
followers.

Let us then unconditionally surrender and follow

Him courageously, honorably, and faithfully. We
must begin now and continue each day for the rest
of our lives.

31
 Scripture Index
(Passages quoted in the text are in boldface type.)

Isa. 66:2 ...........................

Matt. 5:1-7:29 ..................

Matt. 5:11 ........................
Matt. 5:20 ........................
Matt 8:18-20 ...................
Mat. 8:21-22 ....................
Matt. 16:24 .......................
Matt. 16:25 ......................
Matt. 20:16 ......................
Matt. 21:31 ......................
Matt. 23:10 .......................
Matt. 25:40, 45 .................

Mark 8:36 .......................

Mark 10:17-31 .................

Luke 9:23 ........................

Luke 9:57-58 ...................
Luke 9:59-60 ....................
Luke 9:61-62 ...................
Luke 14:25-27 .................
Luke 14:26 .......................
Luke 14:33 ......................

John 8:31-32 ...................

John 8:32 .........................
32
John 13:1-17.....................
John 13:34-35 .................

Rom. 6:3-7.......................
Rom. 6:15 ........................
Rom. 10:10.......................

1 Cor. 8:12........................

2 Cor. 5:15 .......................

Gal. 2:20 ..........................

1 Peter 3:15 ......................

1 John 4:7-21....................

33
 Notes

1
Matt 8:18-20.
2
Matt. 8:21-22.
3
Luke 9:61-62.
4
Mark 8:36.
5
John 8:32.
6
Matt. 16:25.
7
Matt. 20:16.
8
See Matt. 5:1-7:29.
9
Matt. 5:20.
10
Matt. 21:32.
11
Isa. 66:2.
12
Rom. 6:17.
13
Luke 9:23.
14
See Matt. 23:10; Rom. 10:10; 1 Peter 3:15.
15
2 Cor. 5:15.
16
See Mark 10:17-31.
17
Gal. 2:20.
18
Luke 14:25-27.

34
19
Rom. 6:3-7.
20
See Luke 14:26.
21
See Matt. 16:24.
22
Luke 9:23.
23
Matt. 5:11.
24
Read John 13:1-17.
25
John 13:34-35.
26
See 1 Cor. 8:12; Matt. 25:40, 45.
27
Read carefully 1 John 4:7-21.
28
John 8:31-32.
29
Luke 14:33.
30
Luke 9:57-58.
31
See Luke 9:59-60.
32
Luke 9:61-62.

35
 Other books in the
One Step Closer to Jesus Series:

The Way Up is Down

This Thing Called Love

Not By Sight

Losing Life and Finding Life

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