Beyond Belief: What Jesus Really Asked of His Followers
"I believe in Jesus." It's a phrase that rolls off the tongue easily for many of us. We believe He existed. We believe He was a good teacher. We might even believe He was the Son of God who died for our sins and rose again.
But what if believing was never the finish line? What if it was just the starting point?
The Call That Changed Everything
When Jesus walked the shores of Galilee and encountered fishermen going about their day, He didn't say, "Believe certain facts about me." He said something far more disruptive: "Follow me."
Follow. It's a word that implies movement, action, change. It suggests a journey rather than a mental checkbox. And for those first disciples, it meant leaving their nets, their boats, their familiar patterns, and stepping into something completely unknown.
In Luke's gospel, Jesus puts it this way: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." Not "whoever wants to believe in me" but "whoever wants to be my disciple." The language is revealing. Jesus wasn't looking for fans or admirers – He was inviting followers.
When Faith Gets Comfortable
If we're honest, there's something appealing about reducing our faith to a set of beliefs. Beliefs can be held at a distance. They can be contained in neat Sunday morning packages. They don't necessarily require us to change our Monday through Saturday lives.
But following? Following means movement. It means adjustment. It might even mean disruption to our carefully constructed comfort zones.
Think about it – if Peter had merely believed in Jesus but continued his fishing business as usual, we wouldn't know his name today. If Matthew had simply acknowledged Jesus as a great teacher but kept collecting taxes exactly as before, his life wouldn't have been transformed. If the women who supported Jesus's ministry had just nodded in agreement with His teachings but never actually joined His movement, they would have missed being the first witnesses to the resurrection.
The Journey Beyond Belief
So what does it mean to follow Jesus today? It's not about wearing specific clothes or adopting a particular lifestyle. It's about orienting our entire lives around His way of seeing and engaging with the world.
Following Jesus might look like:
Moving toward people that others avoid or overlook
Choosing forgiveness when resentment feels more natural
Speaking truth with love even when silence would be easier
Giving generously when cultural wisdom says to hoard
Serving without recognition or reward
Loving enemies and praying for those who hurt us
None of this happens overnight. Following is a journey of thousands of small decisions, daily recalibrations, and moments of saying "yes" when everything in us wants to say "no."
When Following Gets Hard
Let's be real – following isn't always Instagram-worthy. The disciples didn't follow Jesus into comfortable classrooms with good coffee and worship music. They followed Him into controversy, conflict, and eventually danger. There were moments they didn't understand, teachings that confused them, and situations that scared them.
And yet they followed. Not perfectly – they made plenty of mistakes along the way. But they kept coming back to that original invitation: "Follow me."
It's no different for us. Following Jesus will lead us into places that challenge us, relationships that stretch us, and choices that puzzle others. There will be days it feels easier to retreat into comfortable belief rather than continue the sometimes-difficult journey of following.
On those days, we can take comfort in knowing we're not alone. Every follower of Jesus throughout history has faced similar moments. And Jesus Himself doesn't call us to a journey He hasn't walked. From Gethsemane's anguished prayer to Calvary's ultimate sacrifice, Jesus showed us what following God's path looks like, even when it's painful.
From Belief to Following
Maybe you've believed in Jesus for years but never quite understood what it meant to follow Him. Or maybe you're just curious about what Jesus actually asked of people beyond intellectual agreement with certain ideas.
Wherever you are in your journey, here's the beautiful truth: the invitation to follow is still open. It's not about having perfect theology or a flawless moral record. It's about being willing to take a step – and then another, and another – in the direction Jesus is leading.
What might that look like for you today? Maybe it's forgiving someone you've been bitter toward. Maybe it's having a conversation you've been avoiding. Maybe it's using your resources differently. Or maybe it's simply paying more attention to the people and needs around you that you usually tune out.
Whatever it is, know this: Following Jesus isn't about reaching some distant destination. It's about walking with Him day by day, learning His heart, and allowing His priorities to become yours. It's a journey of transformation that lasts a lifetime – and it starts with a single step.
Ready to move beyond belief to following? Join us at Centerpoint Church as we wrap up our "Investigating Jesus" series. Whether you're just beginning to explore who Jesus is or you've been on this journey for years, there's always a next step to take.
Join us Sunday at 11am in Valrico, Florida, or stream our services online. Because following Jesus was never meant to be a solo journey.