"Follow Me"

I can't believe it's late summer already.

I've been thinking again and again through our rainy season events in Ethiopia about what it REALLY means to follow Jesus...

Have I really been following Him fully and faithfully? I'm still thinking about it all.

July was busy in Ethiopia. We at EvaSUE hosted a very big event called the National Mission Summit when we had over 500 Christian college student leaders from all over the country gather for this one-week event. We introduced the theme  "Following the King" and we had expositions from the book of Matthew about that theme. We taught about Following the King (Jesus), and our main points from the book of Matthew were:  KNOWING Jesus, OBEYING Him, and RESTING in Him. The student leaders attending as well as our over 100 EvaSUE staff were highly impacted. We had plenary sessions and 15 different seminars on mission and evangelism topics. God challenged us all to be about His Kingdom and reaching the lost in our lives and to follow Him faithfully. It was an amazing week!

I had the honor to lead our Art Team again and to help lead our Sport Team. I also taught a seminar: Activating All of Your Life for the Kingdom of God,  I taught about SHAPE...about how all of us have a unique design that we are to lift up to God. Everything went so well, thanks to God!

The Art Team created an amazing display that helped show the main points and scriptures referenced in the plenary sessions. We also displayed mission statistics and unreached people groups. I was so blessed to see these talented graduates and students use their creativity for Jesus! The Sport Team did mass sport every morning and we then challenged those who participated to use sport as a platform for building relationships for evangelism and missions.  My seminar also went so well. Praise God! I believe students will return to their campuses excited to make Jesus known. They are also equipped to push out from their campuses to the nations!  I'm so excited to see how God will water these seeds in the time ahead.

Right after the National Mission Summit, I had the privilege to travel to Mombasa, Kenya to participate in a Manuscript Bible Study week with three of my EvaSUE teammates. As we joined many leaders from across Africa and positioned ourselves before God, we were all highly impacted. God's Word is living. So many times, we can rush to get through reading the Bible- without really sitting before it to study it and see what God says.  I'm so thankful to have had this time to remember the importance and power of God's Word!

Was so thankful to travel with these three EvaSUE teammates-
Eyosi, Messay and Frehiwot

After returning from Kenya, preparations have already begun for our National Leadership Summit in August, our last and largest summer event. Yet what keeps coming to my mind again and again is what did Jesus REALLY mean when He said:

"FOLLOW ME"

What have I learned from following the King?  What has the way been like? 

How do I know if I'm still following the way I should?

A few pieces that our ART team created at the National Mission Summit have been coming to mind as I have been reflecting:

Following Jesus... means "leaving your nets."

"Come, follow Me," Jesus said....at once, they left their nets and followed Him ... Matthew 4: 19-20

Jesus says to leave what you're holding onto...to fully FOLLOW Him.  This one is so difficult. We are quick to say "mine" instead of "His" as we go through life. We create dreams or jobs or plans without first checking with God.  We can easily build things or do things and we can hold onto these and not want to let go.  

Jesus deserves our whole heart, our whole devotion, our immediate response to be with Him. We are to leave our nets and move. He gives and takes away, and it's all His.  May we cling to Him and leave our nets and faithfully and fully keep following Him!

Following Jesus means REALLY Knowing Him.

Knowing "about" Jesus is different than "knowing Him."  

Many people were looking for a Messiah, a King, in the book of Matthew.  When Jesus came, He arrived, people missed Him.

Many people know "about Jesus." It's not the same as a deep personal relationship with Him.

Do I REALLY know Him? Do I know His voice? His heart? Do you?

Jesus invites us to know Him as He pours into us and teaches us who He is. 

Sometimes He sits in our lives, but we miss Him. He sits in our churches, but we don't notice. He even leaves our churches, we also don't notice. He sits in dusty Bibles- waiting for us to seek Him there, to learn from Him. He's waiting. But we don't seek Him.  

May I not miss Him, not neglect Him. He's there... waiting to be known...

Following Jesus involves obedience. 

If you love me, obey me ... John 14:15

Obedience is not easy.  Following Jesus involves a surrendered will. We are to always say, not my will, but yours be done. It's a narrow way that you are called to. It's often a hard way and not the way you would choose.

Obedience to our King is expected. We can trust Him! He is a good King and He can see what we can't. He is there to lead us and to help us though. 

We are not to just hear what He says, but do what He says... this builds our lives on Him.  It anchors us to Him. When storms come, we can withstand it all ....

Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a man who builds his house on the rock... Matthew 7: 24-27 

We need to often check what we are building our lives on. It's easy to make other things more foundational than Jesus. Sometimes the storms of life can reveal what we are building our lives on.

Am I obeying the King? Fully? Quickly? Am I staying surrendered and trusting the King to lead me on and home?

May I keep trusting Him always!

Following Jesus also involves a YOKE.

Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest, take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden light... Matthew 11:28-30

                         

Jesus says we are to get into a "yoke" with Him.  The interesting thing about a yoke is it's meant for movement, for work.  Yet, Jesus says there's rest in that yoke. A yoke is what two oxen are put into to the work the fields. Following Jesus is getting into a yoke with Him and moving with Him through the fields of the earth to work in the harvest. The way is not EASY. But, in yoking with Jesus, He takes the heavy load on His side and leads us. In that, is rest.  The way Jesus often goes and leads is the hardest way...where brokenness, despair, and darkness are. But, He says to stay with Him there and moving. He is light and gives us His light to share.  In that surrender of control of leading ourselves, in letting Him lead us and use us, is when we find Him and true rest. 

Are you yoked with Him? Is He leading you? In Him, is rest!

So how do you know if you're following Jesus, REALLY following?

Well, don't look like the religious of Matthew 23.  That's NOT what following Jesus looks like!

When you're following Him the right way, YOU will change. You will be more like Jesus.

The way of following Jesus is not easy. It can cost you your family, your comfort, even your life.  But, in following Jesus fully is LIFE.  No way is greater...nothing better... than following the King!!

PRAYER REQUESTS

-Please pray for our National Leadership Summit in August when 1000 student leaders will come together to learn about Following the King. May this ignite a movement for Jesus to the ends of the earth.

-If you'd like to make special one time donation for the work in Ethiopia, you can do so through this link below. 

https://www.globaloutreach.org/giving/missionary-details/holly-garrett

God Bless You All! Thank you for being with me!

May God bless you and your families as the summer finishes. 

May we give the King our best and our all!