Some say I am a follower of Christ because I was born and educated in a “Christian” society. The idea is that I believe what I believe because it is what I was taught by society. That may be a valid argument, if I believed what I was instructed to believe. Just because someone is a follower of Christ does not mean they believe everything said about or by people seeking Christ. Life is a journey, and a lot of what is written about life is the search for the path or road. They are treasure maps being drawn just in case the current journey leads to the treasure.

The sad thing is, the journey was not supposed to be a lifelong search for Christ. It was meant to be a lifelong journey with Christ. Following Christ is not a game of hide and seek with Christ, but a following at His feet being led by Christ. Society has created a business out of looking to be found that prospers while we are lost. The Church being trapped in a building always lost is not the journey. We are not intended to wait in the building to be taken to heaven. We are intended to bring heaven to earth. Go into all the earth and bring heaven to earth.

We were not told to love one another to send us on an imposable pursuit. We were not told to preach the gospel to every creature so every creature could join us on an impossible quest. Being told to speak the truth in love was not an invitation to imprison people within walls, calling the walls the church. The New Jerusalem is an unwalled city! No walls to keep people out, no walls to keep them in. Go into all the world and share the good news of salvation separate from condemnation. Go tell the earth that their hiding from God has not separated them from God, because He came looking for them.

We are coworkers with freedom or we are coworkers within the prison walls. We are coworkers with Christ and His angels with a commission. The mission was not to sit in the pews and hear over and ever how we have failed, so neither is the commission. The mission was to equip and send out. The commission is to go, being sent. Who is sending? Who said, “Go!” Jesus had to return to where He came from so the Spirit would be poured out on all the earth. The Spirit came to help (comfort) us and teach us all things. Wherever we travel on this earth, we have a teacher and a helper – a coworker in our commission.

Following Christ is not a learned behavior. Jesus said His followers would be known by their love. Who is it that knows His followers that way? No one knows the heart of a man except the spirit in him. Love is a created state of being. Being reborn is being birthed into the original state of being. Hate is a learned behavior, learned from the knowledge of good and evil. Hate is a fallen state. The gospel is the message of recovery – being lifted up from the fall. The gospel is the message of life without the law that commanded death. Following Christ is not a learned behavior, but an unlearning of behaviors. A renewing of the mind, to free the heart.

© 2017 Tim D. Coulter Sr.