FOLLOW THE LEADER

QUESTION: What does Henry John Deutschendorf...Fred McMurray...Chi Alpha College Ministries...Johnny Cash...Rodney Boyd...The Ruminators...and Jesus Christ have to do with each other?

ANSWER: Follow Me.

FOLLOW ME? That's right...FOLLOW ME.

(1) Henry John Duutschendorf...AKA...John Denver had a hit in the 70's with a song called FOLLOW ME. It goes like this:

Follow me where I GO...what I DO...WHO I KNOW
Make it part of you to be a part of me
Follow me up and down...all the way...and all around
Take my hand and say you'll follow me.

(2) Fred McMurry was in a Disney Movie (also in The Absent Minded Professor and Son of Flubber)...by the name of FOLLOW ME BOYS...a homage to the Boy Scouts.

(3) Chi Alpha is the campus ministry of the Assemblies of God. In the 70's I was involved in this ministry at Middle Tennessee State University. Paul Bane led a group of college age students in our group called FOLLOWER'S FELLOWSHIP. There is still a Chi Alpha chapter at M.T.S.U. lead by J.R. Becker. The group picture is us (me in the middle with the hat)...at one of our any retreats. You may have to click on the picture to enlarge it to see my smilling...young face.

(4) Johnny Cash made a movie in 1973...along with a two album soundtrack that hit # 12 on the country charts...called THE GOSPEL ROAD. It was a movie that told the story of the life of Jesus. It was filmed in Israel...with Johnny narrating and singing with others. June Carter Cash played Mary Magdalene...and sang the John Denver song...FOLLOW ME. It was a trip hearing a southern Mary Magdalene drawling out..."Heee furgave me all of muh sins." I remember seeing this movie at M.T.S.U...in the campus theater...and breaking down weeping when they crucified Jesus. So much for being a MANLY MAN.

(5) Rodney Boyd (that would be me...the one with the fedora hat...sunglasses...sideburns and guitar)...answered the call from Jesus to FOLLOW ME...in the fall of 1970...and Oh the places He has lead me!

(6) The Ruminators...consists of a group of hungry people who moo and chew on the cud of the Word of God.

(7) Jesus the Christ (the anointed one...anointed with the yoke breaking...burden lifting...oppression removing power of the Holy Ghost... see Acts 10: 38/Luke 4:1-5)...is the one who issues the call to FOLLOW ME.

If you look up the phrase FOLLOW ME...you will see that he says that phrase MANY TIMES. When Jesus asks us to FOLLOW HIM...that means that he is going somewhere...and when we follow Him...we will encounter what he encounters.

"And walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers...Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen." (Matthew 4:18)

NOTE: This was the first time that Annette Funicello was in a beach movie...as they cast Annette into the sea. Sorry.

"And He said to them...FOLLOW ME...and I will make you FISHERS OF MEN." (Matthew 4:19)

NOTE: Notice that the call to FOLLOW ME...was made at the point of who and whee they were. They were FISHERMEN...and he related to them on their level. He may call you at the level of factory worker...or doctor...or sales clerk...or Speech Pathologist...or bartender...or ditch digger...or President of the United States...or ....(fill in the blank)

"And they immediately LEFT the nets...and FOLLOWED HIM." (Matthew 4:20)

NOTE: They left their nets...which represented the life that they knew...into a life that they did not know. All they knew...was that they were following Jesus...where ever He went.

"And going on from there (where he recruited Peter and Andrew)...He saw tow other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brothers...in the boat with Zebeddee their father...MENDING THEIR NETS...and HE CALLED THEM (follow me)." (Matthew 4:21)

NOTE: I can almost imagine him saying to them...FOLLOW ME...AND I WILL MAKE YOU MENDERS OF MEN.

"And they immediately LEFT the boat and their father...and FOLLOWED HIM" (Matthew 4:22)

NOTE: To FOLLOW...you have to LEAVE something behind. It could be your livelihood or your family connections. Every adventure starts with the first step. You may not leave it physically...but you may need to leave it emotionally, mentally, socially, etc.

"AND JESUS WAS GOING...." (Matthew 4:23)

NOTE: Jesus was on the MOVE. In the words of the BLUES BROTHERS....He was ON A MISSION FROM GOD. The ones that he CALLED...were CALLED TO GO. We are CALLED TO GO also (Matthew 18-20...aka The Great GOmission)

"And Jesus was GOING ABOUT in all Galilee...(1) teaching in their synagogues (2) and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom (3) and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people." (Matthew 4:23).

NOTE: This is what Jesus called them to FOLLOW into. Acts 10:38 describes this perfectly..."And you know of Jesus of Nazareth...how God ANOINTED Him (with yoke breaking, burden lifting, oppression removing power of the Holy Ghost)...and how HE WENT ABOUT (1) doing good (2) and healing ALL who were OPPRESSED by the devil (little d) FOR GOD WAS WITH HIM."

NOTE: If you follow Jesus...you can be assured that whatever circumstance or situation you are in...GOD IS WITH YOU.

"And the NEWS about Him went out in to all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were (1) ill (2) taken with various diseases (3) pains
(4) demoniacs (5) epileptics (5)paralytics...AND HE HEALED THEM ALL. (Matthew 4:24)

NOTE: The sea that Jesus was fishing in was the SEA OF HUMANITY. Jesus called fishermen...to become FISHERS OF MEN. He was showing them how to cast the nets into the waters...and pulling in the catch of hurting humanity. He was showing them not only how to be FISHERS OF MEN...but also how to be MENDERS OF MEN.

"And great multitudes FOLLOWED HIM from Galilee and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan."
(Matthew 4:25)

NOTE: It all started with Jesus calling two fishermen...and it mushroomed to include the local region where JESUS WENT ABOUT...and His FOLLOWERS followed Him. It then spread to include the ENTIRE WORLD...as FOLLOWER after FOLLOWER followed Jesus as a STREAM OF LIGHT INTO DARKENED CORNERS.

There are many more FOLLOW Scriptures including: Matthew 8:19-22; Matthew 9:9; Matthew 16:24; Matthew 19:21; John 10:27;
John 12:26; John 21:19-22 and my favorite FOLLOWING VERSE:

"For you have been CALLED for this PURPOSE...since Christ also suffered for you...LEAVING YOU AN EXAMPLE for you to FOLLOW IN HIS STEPS...who (1) committed no sin (2) nor was any deceit found in His mouth (3) and while being reviled, He did NOT revile in RETURN (4) while suffering, He UTTERED NO THREATS...BUT...KEPT ENTRUSTING HIMSELF TO HIM WHO JUDGES RIGHTEOUSLY...and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the CROSS...that WE MIGHT DIE TO SIN...and LIVE TO RIGHTEOUSNESS...for by His WOUNDS YOU ARE HEALED." (I Peter 2:21)

NOTE: You have a CALLING and you have a PURPOSE...and as you FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE..as you FOLLOW IN HIS STEPS...you will learn how to TRUST GOD...in the face of hard times and unreasonable people.

The FOOTSTEPS of Jesus....leads us to the CROSS...to the GRAVE...and to the RESURRECTED LIFE. The question remains how often to we have to face the CROSS. Jesus faced it ONCE FOR ALL. There is nothing else that can be done about our SINS...but as we WALK out this life of FOLLOWING...we...like Paul...MUST DIE DAILY (I Corinthians 15:31) "That I may KNOW HIM...and the power of His RESURRECTION and the FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERINGS...being CONFORMED to His DEATH...in order that I may attain to the RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD." (Philippians 4:10-11)


QUESTION: Are you FOLLOWING THE LEADER?

ANSWER: ?...aka Question Mark...to be decided.

Love and Follow The Leader Kisses
Rodney "Tag...You're It" Boyd