What Did Jesus Really Mean When He Said Follow Me? (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
This is a short theological read about what Jesus really meant when He said to follow Him. Most of us try to get the Bible and Jesus to fit what we think they should - Jesus didn't really mean there was a Hell, God is loving so even those who are still sinning and don't repent can make it to Heaven and on and on. What most fail to realize is that God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Bible can't be constructed to fit the human, fallen way of doing things. I appreciated what David Platt had to say in regards to the whole love the sinner, hate the sin that is so prevalent in today's Church. Platt uses several references to show that sin keeps us separated from God and He does in fact hate those who sin - take John 3:36 that says "Whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." I would like to have more clarification as Platt says, "when you follow Jesus, you die to everything you were before -including the sin that was keeping you from God - and Jesus becomes your life." Does he mean that after we are saved, repent and are baptized that we will never sin again? It's true once Saved, we are to die to ourselves and our fleshly desires, but there are times we are going to fail but as long as we repent and continue to keep our eyes on Jesus we'll be assured our Salvation. I agree with Platt when he says the way to conquer our sin is not to change ourselves but to keep our focus on Christ who will change us.Since this is such a short book, referred to as a booklet in some descriptions, Platt really doesn't have a lot of space to devote to hashing out his thoughts. According to him it's biblically, spiritually and practically impossible to be a disciple apart from a church family. There are some things I fully agree with Platt on but I also know there are seasons in life where not everyone can get plugged into a church and saying that it's biblically impossible is, to me, like saying well you must not really be a Christian if you aren't plugged in fully to a church. Overall, Platt has some great ideas and expounds on what Jesus meant when he called His disciples and called us to follow Him but I would have liked more clarification on some of his thoughts. This isn't so much a book as it a booklet. It is only 4 by 6 inches and 53 pages long. This booklet builds on the message of Platt's popular book Follow Me to better break down what it means to follow Jesus. The booklet has 3 chapters:1) The Great Invitation, which covers Jesus' call to the disciples to follow Him, and how that call is for us today2) The Great Cost, which covers the cost the disciples paid to follow Christ, and what it can cost us to follow Him3) The Great Change, which covers the change that is in us and should be in us when we become a follower of Jesus The booklet isn't long, but it has a lot of good information in it. This would be a good tool to give to someone who isn't a Christian, as it outlines what it means to follow Jesus in simple terms anyone could understand. I found it interesting and helpful, but if you have read the book Follow Me, it won't add much to what the book said.
What do You think about What Did Jesus Really Mean When He Said Follow Me? (2013)?
Great quick read. It's brief but think that's the point of a booklet!
—Candiece
Enjoyed in the morning with my Bible reading. Just way too short.
—Ravaniz
