Follow Me
by David Silvester
Leading a church and discipling new Christians is not dissimilar to my former career of training engineering apprentices to become craftsmen. Those apprentices would be shown and taught the properties of different metals; taught the science and maths necessary for using and machining those materials. They would then go into a workshop to ‘have a go’, use the principles they had been taught, and so produce a designed component.
Jesus had his ‘apprentices’ who listened to His teaching, watched as He healed or delivered the sick and oppressed. Then He sent them into the ‘workshop’ of the world, saying, ‘As you go, preach, saying, ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand’. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give’ (Matthew. 10:7-8).
Now having received such a commission from Him, they went and did what they had seen Jesus do. They were excited as they returned, saying, ‘Lord, even demons are subject to us in Your Name’ (Luke 10:17).
Being a follower (or disciple), of Jesus means that we’re given His authority and the power of the Holy Spirit that was at work in Him. We can do the same kind of things He did. We can have power over sin, sickness, disease and death as He did. But in addition to that, if we’re willing to learn from His teaching, and obey His instructions, we shall become more like Jesus every day.
Prayer. Lord Jesus Christ, thank You that I have not only been called to follow You, but to be empowered by Your Holy Spirit. Please help me to trust and obey what You have shown me in Your Word. Help me to be as effective as those early disciples were, so that others will praise You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
David Silvester is married and has a son, two daughters and eight grandchildren. He trained as a production engineer. He then moved on to become a lecturer of engineering craft skills before being called of God in his early fifties to become a pastor of a Baptist church. He says that,"having previously experienced an amazing healing on a day others expected me to die, it came as no surprise that God directed me and my wife, Margaret, to become involved with Ellel Ministries."
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