Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” —Matthew 16:24
There is a craving in our world for realness. The buzzword “authentic” is a buzzword for a reason. We want the people we do life with to be authentic. We want the brands and movements we support to be authentic. We expect those who lead us to be authentic. We want the things that matter to us to be real. To be true. We want the experiences and encounters we have to be what they are supposed to be.
But what about our faith? Are we willing to ask what an authentic relationship with Christ looks like? And once we find out, are we willing to do something about it? How do we pursue a faith that’s real? The Bible goes into great detail to show what an authentic faith looks like. But the heart of this definition comes in a few words from Jesus, a short phrase, uttered by Christ at the beginning of His ministry. “Follow me.”
Living out a faith that is true and real in today’s world? It’s about being a follower. A Christ-follower.
