What Does It Mean To ‘Follow Jesus’?

Here are 10 principles that Jesus taught His disciples. They are as true now as they were back then. Following Jesus will lead you on a path to peace, direction, purpose, love, community, forgiveness, joy and eternal life.

1. Love God: Jesus taught that the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” – Mark 12:30

2. Love your neighbor: Jesus also taught that we should love our neighbor as ourselves.

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” – Mark 12:31

3. Repentance: Jesus called people to turn away from their sins and to turn towards God.

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” – Matthew 4:17

4. Faith: Jesus taught that people should have faith in God and trust in Him.

“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” – Matthew 17:20

5. Baptism: Jesus commanded His disciples to baptize people in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” – Matthew 28:19

“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” – Mark 16:16

6. Prayer: Jesus emphasized the importance of prayer and taught His disciples how to pray.

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” – Matthew 6:6

“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” – Matthew 6:7-8

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. – Luke 18:1

7. Serving others: Jesus taught that serving others is an important part of following Him.

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” – Mark 10:45

8. Forgiveness: Jesus taught that we should forgive others as we have been forgiven by God.

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” – Matthew 6:14

9. Humility: Jesus taught that we should be humble and not seek to exalt ourselves.

“Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me.” – Matthew 16:24

“Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” – Luke 14:11

10. Obedience: Jesus taught that we should obey God’s commands and follow His will.

“Whoever has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love them and show Myself to them.” – John 14:21

“If you love Me, keep My commands” – John 14:15.

These ten principles are some of the foundational teachings of Jesus. Following Jesus involves a life-long commitment to learning from His teachings and applying them to one’s life. Ultimately, following Jesus leads to a life of fulfillment, purpose, and joy both in this life and in the life to come.

About Mark Cole

Jesus follower, Husband, Father, Worship Leader, Writer, Pastor, Church Consultant, Founding Arranger for Praisecharts.com, squash & tennis player, blogger & outdoor enthusiast.. (biking, hiking, skiing). Twitter: @MarkMCole Facebook: mmcole
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1 Response to What Does It Mean To ‘Follow Jesus’?

  1. thanks for your wonderful work

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