A new convert may be a bit apprehensive about starting to follow Christ for the first time, and so might want a quick lesson or two on the basics. This is intended especially for those who aren't entirely familiar with what's expected of them in the early going, or what Jesus really has in mind for His followers. It will also serve as a handy refresher course for those of us who have been around the block a few times (or more).

1 - Dedication

The first step, before doing anything else, is to get it through your head that you are now dedicated to following Jesus. He doesn't let us think we can believe half-heartedly and still go into heaven. A "Yes" for your salvation must mean all-out surrender, whole-heartedly, with no turning back.

This should happen at first contact with Christ, whether you are converting for the first time or for the second, third, fourth, etc., time. If you don't yet know if this is you, get it out of your system right here and now. To do otherwise is like asking for an unwarranted extension of the time you have to pay your taxes! Your only chance to do it is right when you start, but after you've seen it through and have God's grace with you, this can indeed be an unbelievably wonderful life! The effort is totally worth it.

Some may feel like they already know all about this, but they will need to keep reading to see what the real meaning of this dedication is. We don't have to wait for some big, exciting revelation and massive change; Jesus is working in us just where we are. Knowing the truth, regardless of how simple it might seem to be, is in fact enormous, because we don't always understand its full extent.

At the same time, there are many ways in which we cannot choose to follow Jesus. In order to count the cost of our commitment, we have to understand these things as well. This is important, and requires further exploration in order to find all the specific answers. These are discussed below.

2 - Exclusivity (Matthew 7:21-23)

If you want to follow Jesus, you have to follow Him exclusively. This means that if you don't follow Him, you are not His follower, even if you know you're headed for hell. Our Lord explained this at Matthew 7:21-23:

Not all people who say to Me, "Lord, Lord," will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS."

To begin with, how is one to know if a person actually claims to follow Jesus in the first place? We should observe their actions to determine if they live according to the commandments that Jesus gave us in His gospels. Since no one can possibly know enough to claim full-fledged membership from the start, we have to try in earnest to understand the idea of the Christian faith and what it means to do God's will. The Pharisees may have claimed to follow Jesus, but had no intention of becoming part of His family on earth.

However, this is not the end of the answer. There's more to the story. At Matthew 7:21, we read:

Not all people who say to Me, "Lord, Lord," will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

It is this most important statement alone that tells us what Jesus means by exclusivity. To truly follow Jesus, one must be submitted to His Lordship fully. In order to be submitted to someone, however, one has to be free of all other masters. It's not logical to think that someone can belong to two masters at the same time. If you are serving God and somebody else, it is not hard to come to the conclusion that you must give up your other master.

What is interesting is that following God is simply not possible without sincerely desiring the loss of everything to follow Him. At Luke 14:26, Jesus said:

If any man comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.

Even in American history, there was a similar incident. In 1775, Ethan Allen prepared his men for an assault on a British fort at Ticonderoga, NY. On the night before the battle, he summoned the men together and made the following speech:

The die is cast and let fate decide the game, What e'er it will, 'tis best to run the risk; For Britain's bounds are made too large, too large, By attempting tyranny upon a nation Of men that love one freedom, and would dare the last, Rather than bend to slavery.

Those words had an incredible power over his men. They knew that fighting would mean certain death, and yet it was something that the soldiers saw as both a sacrifice and a grand victory. These brave soldiers were ready to follow Allen to the ends of the Earth because he represented their resolve to defend their country with passion and with all they possessed. Only such a leader could inspire such people to fight for such ideals.

In the eyes of God, the Christian revolution against wickedness is not too different, except that it will likely save us in the afterlife rather than in this life. It's for these reasons that, as 1 Peter 4:1-2 states, "For there is born unto us a Saviour, Who is Christ the Lord. Who, by the Spirit of holiness, was declared unto us, sprang forth from the dead, and who has promised, that you, being saved from sin, shall by the Gospel preached unto you, be saved by Christ."

The Christian revolution is fought much differently, but it is waged with every last fiber in a person's being. You are either with God or against Him, and there is nothing in-between. You either make your own life's goal to serve Him and practice His way of living; or you serve your own selfish desires. Which would Jesus prefer?

Furthermore, understand that even your enemies were not free to attack you unawares; and neither are we. All things work together to bring us closer to God, and no harm can ever come to us that comes without God's knowledge. We have Jesus and His unlimited resources; and He knows how to use them to save souls, and how to put them to best use for us as His sheep. Even though Jesus' apostles lived in fear because persecution was constant, and yet they kept bringing in thousands of converts each year (for example, check out the conversion and resurrection of Lazarus in John 11:1-57), despite many attempts to kill them, and yet they always were able to escape harm in time, as long as it was the will of God. If they could live under conditions far worse than even the Jews faced today, surely we can suffer even the little bit that we do? The rewards far outweigh the dangers. Just think of the stories of the martyred Christians who, even as they died, found the strength to forgive their murderers. Those should inspire us all.

During the days of the apostles, all kinds of obstacles would have prevented true Christians from ever meeting; however, they didn't allow these things to stop them. If it was absolutely necessary, they would travel tens of miles on foot to meet with others who wanted to learn about Christ. The only real issue stopping our progress is ourselves.

3 - Evangelism (Revelation 14:6-7 and Revelation 22:17)

If you want to be a true Christian, you must follow Jesus' example in evangelizing the world. The Scripture says at Revelation 14:6-7:

Then I saw another angel flying in mid heaven, having an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth, to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; saying with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters."

At Revelation 22:17, Jesus called "everyone [to] hear," and not just one group, as "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' And everyone who hears, says, 'Come.'"

Evangelism is just one of several other forms of service described elsewhere. Some examples include:

  • "Teaching" (2 Corinthians 4:1-4 and Galatians 5