“And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” Mark 16:15

How can I ever grasp what it means to follow Jesus in true discipleship? I see the examples from Scripture. I read and learn of the stories of Paul, of Peter, of Mary Magdalene, of Mary of Bethany, of the apostles. With clarity, they demonstrated for us what following Jesus was supposed to look like. Imagine if the apostle Paul lived today. Would he be concerned with how many followers he had on X (formerly known as Twitter)? Would Peter have been so distracted by building his platform that he failed in the mission of Christ to be the rock God used to build His church? Would Mary have been too busy crafting Instagram posts on how to best sit at the feet of Jesus rather than simply be sitting at the feet of Jesus? Somehow, I doubt it. Because they knew Jesus intimately.

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Thus, we have arrived at the foundation of our faulty premise. Though we do not articulate it, somehow, we have excused our apathy towards truly doing the work of the Lord and His mission by saying it was easier for them in Bible times. They didn’t have the same access to things as we do now. They had less options of ways to spend their days. We live in a different world now. Everything we want or need to know is right at our fingertips–they didn’t have that luxury. Time moved slower then. Can you hear the justifications we are making to excuse us from living the life of the surrendered believer like they exemplified for us in the Scriptures? The list could go on and on.

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I can see how these thought processes creep into my own mind subconsciously. For example, I love to spend time in the Word. I love to read it and study it and learn from the scholars. Yet when it comes to putting it into practice, I feel paralyzed. I can read, understand, and believe what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus, but I feel like I am failing miserably on a daily basis. I want my life to matter in eternity. I long for what I do on planet earth to have eternal implications. My greatest fear is that I will have lived my entire life and somehow entirely missed what Jesus’ plan and purpose for my life has been. I yearn to radically follow Jesus, and I don’t want to be held back by what it may cost me. But the excuses enter in as to why it is so much more difficult for me than it was then. Anyone else? Therein lies the rub because, while I do desire all of these things in my walk with Jesus, I also do enjoy my creature comforts and the luxuries of living in 21st-century America.

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The key question, the most important one, then becomes, how do I live in such a way that my life is fully surrendered to Jesus and the power of His Holy Spirit to fulfill His mission for me on this earth? Collectively, we have all been given the same mission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). This is well-known as the Great Commission–to which every single follower of Christ has been called. How we live that out in our spheres and realms of influence varies. Yet the mission remains–proclaim the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To fulfill this calling, it is imperative that we follow Jesus fully and stop making excuses and justifications for why we do not.

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I have been elbow-deep in the book of Galatians and studying the power of the Holy Spirit. The tension that exists between the flesh and the Spirit is real. I feel frustrated even as I wrestle to understand it. It’s like I am missing something. I fully believe that the Holy Spirit indwells believers, indwells me, and we have full access to that power within us. According to the apostle Peter, God’s power has given us everything required for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). But why, then, do I frequently feel so impotent to allow that power to be displayed in my life? I can rationalize that it was easier for those during the times of the early church. However, what I know and have studied about early church history says otherwise. When was the last time I was at risk of being stoned to death, beaten, crucified, or tortured because of what and in Whom I believed? Never have I ever been in that situation. Would I have let the fear of death prevent me from holding fast the confession of my faith? Or would I have faith to entrust myself to Jesus with the outcome? Only by the power of the Holy Spirit have the saints throughout the generations been able to face the persecutions, executions, and martyrdom they endured. I yearn for that level of faith.

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Perhaps the reason the power of the Holy Spirit is somewhat dormant within is due to the lack of faith I possess. How much access am I giving to the Holy Spirit to do His work in me? What parts of my life have I denied Him entry? The same power that brought Jesus back to life from the dead is the exact same power within each one of us. Fear of what that will require in our lives often prevents us from full surrender. What are we afraid of? Am I afraid that following Jesus will require from me something I am unwilling to sacrifice? Probably. Will it be worth it? Undoubtedly. Fear promotes failure. Faith fuels the activity of the Spirit in our lives. Jesus said in Matthew 17:20, “If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Believing God and stepping out in faith to fulfill His mission will always be worth the risk. According to Jesus, nothing will be impossible. But, will we trust Him?

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So, what does that mean for us now? We know God has a mission. We accept He has a plan and a purpose for each of us. We believe He has given us everything we need that is required to live a godly and holy life. We trust the power of the Holy Spirit to be activated into our lives. And we leave the outcomes in His hands. We confess our apathy and invite His activity to permeate every part of our beings. And we live focused on the eternal implications of every single thing we do in our day-to-day lives. Model the servant nature of Christ. Demonstrate the life of Jesus within our own homes. Proclaim what God is doing and has done. Share our personal testimony of God’s work in our lives. Bear witness to His power. Plant seeds wherever we go–God is responsible for the growth. Look around today–who needs to hear the truth of Jesus? Start there. Then be ready to testify to what great things God has done!