Why Follow Jesus? Today's Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: Why Follow Jesus? Keywords: "community” “church” “sacrifice" Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. Passage: Mark 10:28-31* 28. Peter began to say to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed You." 29. Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake, 30. but that he shall receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. 31. "But many who are first, will be last; and the last, first." Questions 1. What does it mean to leave everything and follow Jesus? Is this practical today? How do you live this out in your own life?   2. Have you experienced Jesus’ promise in verse 30 of receiving a hundred times as much as you left behind to follow Him?   3. What else does Jesus promise besides good things?   Practical help Peter is worried. Perhaps he has been too rash giving up his fishing business to run after an itinerant preacher. He wants to know if following Jesus is worth it. So do you, and so do I. Is following Jesus worth giving up control of my own life? Is following Him worth family conflict since I have relatives who think I am a fool? Is following Jesus worth getting hurt? And is it worth giving up bad habits and other activities I think add zest or spice to living (like Internet porn)? Let’s break down what Jesus said to Peter. 1. I, Jesus, will replace your present relationships with better ones. This doesn’t mean you are called to throw away your relatives, but if they abuse you or persecute you, Jesus has a family that will support you. To find a group of people who love God, find a healthy church that studies the Bible near you. 2. I, Jesus, will take care of meeting your physical needs by connecting you to a community of brothers and sisters. This isn’t endorsing communism, by the way, but it isn’t supporting capitalism either. The bonds of love between believers in Christ do not only overcome spiritual problems but solve a lot of physical ones as well. Christ and His body, the church — when it is fulfilling its commission — are interested in liberating enslaved men and women. There should be no safer place for someone with addictions than a church dedicated to following Christ’s example. 3. But don’t expect an easy life — just an exciting and fulfilling one. People will disagree with what you believe, but hold fast, the best is yet to come. 4. I, Jesus, will give you eternal life. You will not die. Others may someday see a lifeless form that once held you within it, but you will not have died. That’s Jesus’ promise, and I believe He is as good as His word. 5. Finally, if you think you have been given a small, insignificant role in this world, or you have a tendency to get a big head over how God is using you, just remember that the first will be last, and the last will be first. Heaven sees you as you really are and knows your real worth. You are loved so much that Jesus went to the cross just for you. eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 1998, 2003 by eXXit *"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission." ---