Keep is simple
He looked into their eyes, and he said to them, “follow me.”
It wasn’t fancy or flashy. It didn’t require a coliseum or a worship band playing softly in the background. It didn’t even require their Sunday best attire. It was a simple command, from a simple man, addressed to a simple crowd, and it requires a simple response.
Jesus is that man, you are part of that crowd, and the simple response is, YES!
Simple is the word that has made its way in and out of my heart and mind for months. I keep hearing in my spirit, take it back to simple.
I think of my great-grandfather, Luther Bowman. He was a simple man who lived through 99 years of cultural changes, changes that brought both joy and sadness. He lived to see our churches grow and change.
I think back to stories he would tell about cutting cross ties by hand and how cheap he would work for. I remember his late model Chevy pickup that he would drive like a teenager in his 80s.
Both Papa and Mama Bowman were simple people. They didn’t need much to put a smile on their faces. They cared little about the latest fads, but a great deal about the condition of the hearts of their family. They lived a simple life, and they served a simple Jesus.
I love church. I love the worship, the community, the events, the word, the smell; I love it all.
I believe you need to find a Bible believing church and be faithful. BUT, more than I love church, I love Jesus. And, over the last several months, I have felt a shift in my spirit. Not to bail on church, but to become a better representation of the church. And, it led me to this thought of serving a simple Jesus.
I think it’s time to take it back. Back to a simpler time. The time of a simple Jesus with a heart longing to heal the souls of people.
We have a tendency to make everything about us. What we want, and how quickly we want it. Often neglecting what Jesus would do and how he would do it. Trust me, I’m guilty.
If someone needed healing, he would heal them. Bam, done. If someone needed forgiveness, bam, forgiven. If someone needed encouragement, he encouraged them.
He didn’t need a stage, a mic, fancy lights or an event to get it all done. And, I love all of those things, I HOST events. I’m just saying it doesn’t take all of that to be the church body. We have the power within us to live out Jesus in front of people.
When Jesus called the disciples to come follow him, it wasn’t fancy. And, the call to follow him today isn’t fancy. It’s simple. Say yes, and then love him, follow him and love people. It’s that simple.
And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19 (ESV)
Cassie Downs, formerly of the Ellsinore area, is a speaker, author of Chasing Jesus, a 60 day devotional, and founder of Everyday Jesus Ministry. Connect with Cassie on Facebook, Instagram, or online at cassiedowns.com.
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