by Benjamin Fech
On Sunday, 11th of September, I had the privilege to minister at the “FGC Youth Frankfurt” and preach on the topic “Discipleship”.
Have you ever thought about how we follow people on Instagram, and we think to know them because we follow their stories and posts? We watch the lives of these people on a screen and only see what they want us to see. Does this make us followers or spectators? Just because you follow someone on Instagram and know every detail of that person’s life, doesn´t mean that the person knows you, or about you!
As we have seen recently with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, people everywhere are talking about her life and for many she was a role model. The fact of the matter, however, is that even though many claim to have “known” her, she hardly knew any of them…
The same applies to you and me. It is not important how much you and I know about Jesus, but that Jesus knows you and me. If we want to follow Jesus, then our decision to invite Jesus into our lives is inevitable, and out of that decision follows an obedience to do what the Master calls us to do. Without a personal relationship with Jesus, is it impossible to be a follower of Christ. Jesus says in Luke 9:23 “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” The grace of God is free, but to follow Jesus costs you to submit your whole life.
At the end of my sermon, I asked if there were areas in anyone’s life that had to be “crucified.” Every young person who attended received a piece of paper, wrote down the area of his/her life that needed to be laid down before the Lord and then they threw the notes in a box. I felt led to burn these notes as a prophetic act, and so we did that outside in the yard. The cheering was great as the notes went up in flames and we all proclaimed the victory of Jesus over everything. Some came forward for prayer and we saw people receiving a newfound freedom in the Lord.
God is doing so much in our midst, and it is encouraging to see a young generation of uncompromising followers of Jesus standing up in our city, Frankfurt.