Arguably the two most important words ever uttered ... Sometimes, "Christianity" seems so complicated ... To listen to some, it's a chain of do's, don't's, theological precepts, evangelistic instructions, hermeneutical convictions, homiletical viewpoints, worship responses, apologetic maturities and behavioral requirements. We'd propose, however, that Jesus might have some good news of disagreement ... "this is really simple!" (By the way, simple doesn't necessarily mean easy. Uncomplicated? Yes. But challenging / difficult? Frequently.). Do you remember the old TV show, "Name That Tune?" Contestants would be given a hint about a song (title), and the winner was the one who could successfully "name that tune" after hearing the band play the fewest number of opening notes? Well, we'd propose that 6,000 years of redemptive history, capped by 3 1/2 years of God walking the planet in the person of His Son, can be reduced to two words. That's right ... the entire message of redemptive history, Olt Testament and New, in two words. We'll "name that tune" as ...

"Follow Me ..."

The one thing Jesus consistently did throughout every minute of every day of His earthly ministry was to issue the invitation to humans ...

"Follow Me ..."

He issued the command initially with the disciples, individually or in groups ...

"Follow Me ..."

He issued the command to them hundreds of times throughout each day as He took them on their 1,000-day discipleship training trek ...

"Follow Me ..."

He issued the command to the multitudes as He claimed to be the only way into the Kingdom of God ...

"Follow Me ..."

He (God) issued the command to Adam & Eve ...

"Follow Me ..."

He issued the command to Abraham ...

"Follow Me ..."

He issued the command to Moses and the people of Israel ...

"Follow Me ..."

He issued the command to the Judges ...

"Follow Me ..."

He issued the command to the kings of Israel ...

"Follow Me ..."

He issued the command to and through the Prophets ...

"Follow Me ..."

Then, ... when He showed up down here as a human, He continued issuing the same words ...

"Follow Me ..."

Well, we'd propose that two thousand years later, nothing has changed. Today, the entire message of the Gospel (the "good news" of God) can be reduced to two words ...

"Follow Me ..."

What the first twelve disciples had to do was ...

"Follow Me ..."

(a) keep their eyes and ears on Jesus (to see when He awoke, when He put out the campfire, when He turned right, when He turned left, when He stopped, etc.), and ... (b) follow Him whenever He called, wherever He went. In 1,970 years, nothing has changed. Today He issues the call to each of us hundreds of times per day. (Usually in a whisper.) "Pssst ... come over here and be my hands in this hurting person's life ..." "Pssst ... come be my words of encouragement in this life ..." "Pssst ... I'm over here to encourage you ..." "Pssst ... Then, just like the FIRST twelve, all we have to do is follow ... listen and obey. All grace. No frenzies of faith. No hammering ourselves into an agenda of daily "brownie points for God." No ineffective evangelism because we fear our immature theological response capabilities.

"Follow Me ..."

Just follow. Listen (through prayer) and follow (through faith) ...

"Follow Me ..."

Even a child could do that, right? Will you follow Him? We don't have to have all the answers. Will you listen for His whisper? (We have to ignore the world's high-volume attempts to drown Him out.) Will you say 'yes?' What a world awaits those who will ...

"Follow Me ..."

So simple ... So rewarding ... Sounds like something God would do ...