Seguir a Jesus
Seguir a Jesus é o convite mais transformador da Bíblia. Jesus chamou pescadores, cobradores de impostos e pessoas comuns para deixar tudo e segui-lo. Esse chamado continua vivo hoje.
O chamado de Jesus
Jesus disse: 'Segue-me'. Esse convite simples e poderoso mudou a vida de pescadores, publicanos e pessoas comuns ao longo da história.
"Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." And at once they left their nets and followed Him.
As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. "Follow Me," He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.
The next day Jesus decided to set out for Galilee. Finding Philip, He told him, "Follow Me."
As they were walking along the road, someone said to Jesus, "I will follow You wherever You go."
Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head."
Then He said to another man, "Follow Me."
The man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
But Jesus told him, "Let the dead bury their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
Still another said, "I will follow You, Lord; but first let me bid farewell to my family."
Then Jesus declared, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
O custo do discipulado
Seguir a Jesus exige renúncia. É preciso tomar a cruz diariamente, deixar tudo para trás e amar a Cristo acima de qualquer outro vínculo.
Then Jesus told His disciples, "If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.
"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.
Peter began to say to Him, "Look, we have left everything and followed You."
"Truly I tell you," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for My sake and for the gospel will fail to receive a hundredfold in the present age — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, along with persecutions — and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."
Caminhar com Cristo
Quem segue a Jesus não anda em trevas, mas tem a luz da vida. Ele nos convida a crescer nele e a servir como Ele serviu.
Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life."
If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, My servant will be as well. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps:
"He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in His mouth."
When they heaped abuse on Him,
He did not retaliate;
when He suffered, He made no threats,
but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head.
You are to practice My judgments and keep My statutes by walking in them. I am the LORD your God.