When we hear the call to follow Christ, it is more than just a
physical or mental decision to follow him. In Matthew 4:19, we see that when Jesus called his disciples
it was a request to come and follow a Rabbi and teacher. In the Jewish culture, young men would
study the law and the prophets. Then periodically have interviews with
Rabbis to see if they had what it took to be Disciples. There were several stages that a young
man would go through to see if he had “the right stuff”. If he pasted the test, he would follow
the Rabbi and take on his “yoke” or teaching. If he did not pass the test, he would be encouraged to take on
the trade of his father. The
fisherman that Jesus called on that shore in Galilee had failed the test. They were working in the trade of their
fathers. So when the Rabbi came by
and said, “Follow Me”, they left all to follow. They realized that he saw “the right stuff” within
them. This was a physical
following. Peter would later be
called to an inward following.
In John 20:22, we see the resurrected Jesus talking with His disciples
and giving them a blessed gift. He
breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit”. This was a down payment of what was going to happen at
Pentecost. They were sealed and
filled with the Holy Spirit at that moment, just as we are the moment we commit
our lives to Christ. When the Holy
Spirit was given to them it was an invasion of the soul. It invaded the very core of their
being. An invasion is a military offensive consisting of all, or large parts of the armed forces of one geopolitical entity
aggressively entering territory controlled by another such entity,
generally with the objective of either conquering, liberating or reestablishing
control or authority over a territory, forcing the partition of a country,
altering the established government or gaining concessions from said government, or a combination thereof. An invasion can be the cause of a war, be used, as a part of
a larger strategy to end a war, or it can constitute an entire war in
itself. Due to the large scale of
the operations associated with invasions, they are usually strategic in planning and
execution. This invasion ended the
war between God and man. God
strategically planned this invasion before the foundations of the world were
created. We have been liberated
from the power and bondage of sin.
Our relationship has been restored.
Later Jesus restores Peter by asking him a series of questions to
check Peter’s motives. Earlier in
the Book of John, Peter vowed to give his life to follow Christ, but later
denied him. Peter was quick to
commit the flesh to something that it was not capable of. After Peter and been broken and come to
the end of himself, he realized that apart from Christ he could do
nothing. Now after the Holy Spirit
was given and Peter was restored, we see Jesus give a command that he also gives
to us today. In John, 21:19, we
see Jesus command Peter saying, “Follow Me”. Apart from the Holy Spirit, we cannot truly follow Christ. We must inwardly be broken and
surrender daily to the Spirit in order to fully follow Christ. We must allow ourselves to be invaded
by the Holy Spirit. If you have
not yet surrendered to Christ, let 2010 be “the year of invasion”. May Christ invade all that you endeavor
in the coming year. Let the
invasion begin…
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