Follow Well Series

Series- Follow Well

Tag line: Learning how to follow well through Paul’s journey’s!

Questions: The art of following well how well do you follow? Who do you follow Jesus? Do you follow well or cause issues for Jesus? Do you do your own thing and wander off?

Scripture Texts on “Following Well:”

• Lev. 18:4: and be careful to follow my decrees.

• Dt. 5:1: Learn them and be sure to follow them…

• Mt. 16:24: and take up his cross and follow me ----Jesus

• Jn. 8:12: Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness…

• Jn 10:4: His sheep follow him because they know His voice…

• 1 Cor. 11:1: Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

• 1 Cor. 14:1: Follow the way of love and eagerly …

• Rev. 14:4: They follow the Lamb wherever he goes…

I Corinthians 10: 31-33: 11:1: 11:2-3:

31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

1Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

2I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you. 3Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread…

Thesis: Paul modeled, taught and demonstrated how to follow well after His encounter with Jesus on the Damascus road and through his writings to the Body of Christ. He followed Jesus and he encouraged others to follow his lead. Why? To dominate or control – No – so people would themselves find Jesus. Following well from the Bible means we follow God’s chain of command – it means we follow in Biblical authority and Biblical submission as modeled by Jesus example, and Paul’s example.

Introduction:

Following well is all about taping into the Spirit of Jesus (The Holy Spirit) and seeing how He followed the will and desires of God the Father. He had to say “Yes” to the Father and no His desires. The greatest example is found in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-42) “Where he said to God the Father not my will but your will be down!”

Following well was passed onto the Apostle Paul by Jesus on the Damascus Road see Acts 9. When He came out of his encounter with Jesus and stood up from the ground he initially was blind. I thought interesting – then I looked around me in the Prayer room. I saw and recalled the following.

Illustration: When I was International House of Prayer last week I watched a Father lead her daughter around the prayer room repeatedly as he prayed and she prayed for hours as they walked around, then I saw a lady leading a man around the prayer room who also was blind. I thought interesting I am writing this section of my sermon and I cannot say I ever saw a blind person in this place before and here are two them being led around the room as they are praying and walking – could this be an illustration for my sermon from the Holy Spirit? I thought “Is it coincidence in the moment I am reading this passage and am preaching on “Following Well” – I have a few God moments about following well – living examples – what do you think?

As I watched and observed these two blind people, I observed how they had to choose to follow well or they would suffer the consequences. They had to stop when their leader stopped – they had go when the leader went. They had to turn with their leader when he or she turned. Whether to the right or left. I watched this over and over and I said, “The two blind people followed well.” They never tripped over chairs, or ran into others or got lost in the prayer room – they just held onto the arm of the other, stayed in step with them and followed well! Over and over!

I went back and read about Paul on the Damascus road Acts 9:

Acts 9: Saul’s Conversion

1Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.