Who Are You Following? Becoming Disciples of Jesus

Matthew 16 frames a sharp question: who is really being followed? Jesus’ call to “Come, follow me” functions as an invitation into rabbinic apprenticeship rather than merely attendance at religious services. The passage highlights Peter’s confession—“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”—as the revelation that grounds authentic community and mission. The culture’s tendency to domesticate Jesus into a harmless baby or to reduce faith to membership, trivia, or moralism receives careful critique; mere church activity, credentials, or rule-keeping cannot substitute for knowing Christ.

Discipleship appears as a threefold pattern: be with the rabbi, become like the rabbi, and do as the rabbi did. Being with Jesus means sustained, everyday proximity to his life and Word—an intimacy that produces understanding, habits, and spiritual sensitivity. Becoming like Jesus occurs through apprenticeship: close observation, imitation, and formation until attitudes and reactions mirror the rabbi’s. Doing as Jesus did culminates in active witness—ambassadorship, compassion for the lost, and intentional disciple-making that carries the gospel beyond congregational walls.

Historic Jewish practice clarifies how twelve uneducated fishermen left their livelihoods: rabbinic apprenticeship offered a rare, life-shaping invitation. The aim was not membership but transformation that shows up in ordinary behavior—small acts of service, courage to engage strangers, and unexpected ministry opportunities. A contemporary example underlines this: a chance encounter with an elderly couple in distress becomes ministry because someone had been walking with Jesus and thus acted without calculation. The narrative insists that spiritual formation leads to practical mercy, not merely to increased church attendance.

A cautionary note surfaces through a modern witness: familiarity with facts about God can deceive. Large public ministry, religious credentials, or scriptural literacy do not guarantee friendship with Christ. The essential call requires honest appraisal—if church life functions like a country-club membership, then genuine discipleship remains absent. The concluding appeal invites concrete response: move from passive belonging to active following, study Scripture intimately, imitate Jesus in daily life, and take responsibility for making disciples so the world sees Jesus rather than mere religion.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Who are you really following? Knowing Jesus requires honest self-examination beyond slogans, political identity, or Sunday routines. The question demands clarity about ultimate allegiance, since behavior will eventually betray the true leader of the heart. This is not mere curiosity but a spiritual diagnosis: fruit reveals authority. [14:22]
• 2. Be with Jesus every day Proximity forms perception: daily attention to Scripture, prayer, and life with Christ cultivates real knowledge rather than secondhand facts. Intimacy with Jesus alters priorities and enables discernment in ordinary choices. Presence precedes power; formation precedes ministry. [34:42]
• 3. Become like your rabbi Apprenticeship means imitation until patterns become instinctive—responses, attitudes, and priorities shift to reflect the rabbi. Spiritual formation trains the eye and hand to act as Jesus acted, so discipleship yields moral and relational transformation. True learning produces likeness, not just information. [38:50]
• 4. Go and make disciples everywhere The aim of formation is mission: to live as ambassadors and to intentionally reproduce the way of Jesus in others. Disciple-making moves Christianity from a weekend club into a contagious way of life that changes communities. Authority without multiplication becomes stagnation. [43:53]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [12:07] - Worship and greetings
• [14:22] - Who are you following?
• [16:48] - Peter’s confession of Christ
• [19:15] - Baby Jesus vs. grown Jesus
• [21:26] - Knowing God vs. mere activity
• [28:29] - Jesus as rabbi and discipleship
• [34:42] - The three goals of discipleship
• [48:10] - Story: helping the elderly couple
• [58:23] - Billy Graham’s warning on knowing God
• [63:06] - Invitation and response

1. In Matthew 16, Jesus asks his disciples two questions: "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" and "But who do you say I am?" What are the different answers given, and how does Peter’s response stand out?
2. What does Jesus mean when he says, "Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it"?
3. The sermon mentions that many people treat faith like a "country club membership" [23:22]. What does that look like in everyday life?
4. How does the story of helping the elderly couple [48:10] illustrate what it means to be "covered in the dust of your rabbi"?

1. Why did Jesus respond so strongly to Peter’s confession, saying, "flesh and blood has not revealed this to you"? What does this say about how true understanding of Jesus comes?
2. Jesus warns that some who say "Lord, Lord" will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Who is he specifically addressing in this warning, and what does this reveal about the difference between knowing about Jesus and truly knowing him?
3. The concept of "being with the rabbi" involves more than just attending services. What would a life of daily apprenticeship with Jesus look like in a modern context?
4. Billy Graham is quoted as saying, "The greatest deception among Christians today is believing you know God because you know facts about God." [59:04] Why can knowing facts about God be deceptive, and how can someone move beyond facts to genuine relationship?

1. Who are you really following? Closely examine your daily choices, conversations, and reactions. Do they more closely reflect the values of Jesus or the values of a political party, cultural trend, or personal comfort?
2. What would it look like to intentionally "be with Jesus" every day this week, not just for a few minutes of devotion, but by consciously inviting his presence into your work, relationships, and decisions?
3. Becoming like Jesus means our attitudes and reactions begin to mirror his. Is there a specific situation coming up this week where you know your natural reaction will not be Christ-like? How can you prepare now to respond as he would?
4. The story of helping the elderly couple [48:10] was an unplanned opportunity to minister. What would it look like to go into each day expecting and looking for such "divine appointments," and how would that change your posture toward strangers or interruptions?
5. Jesus called his disciples to "fish for people." Who is one person in your life that doesn’t know Jesus, and what is one practical step you can take this month to intentionally build a relationship with them and reflect Christ to them?
6. If someone were to observe your life for a week, what would your actions and priorities tell them about who you are truly following? What is one area where your life doesn’t yet look like it’s covered in the dust of your Rabbi?
7. The sermon challenged the idea that faith is about belonging, behaving, and believing [24:23]. Which of these three do you find yourself relying on most to feel "Christian," and what would it look like to shift from that to a daily, intimate following of Jesus?