The Most Basic Order

"Follow Me!"

These are the words echoed across a place in southern Georgia known as "Sand Hill". They are the motto of the infantry. Young recruits who will someday be called soldiers are taught that this is the spirit they must adopt in order to become one who will someday stand on the forefront of our nations struggles. They are to stand before all others, lock their eyes upon the objective ahead and obey the command, "Follow me!" while issuing the same to those who will come after them.

"Follow Christ," is the simple message that has become so cluttered it is nearly lost to an entire generation. Pastors, parents, popes, politicians, and peers have all contributed to the ever increasing confusion. Many people sit in churches today that will gladly teach concerning prophesy, financial prosperity, marital compromise, or dogmatic legalism. Many of these would gladly comment on political concerns or social degradation. However, these same churches are content to allow individuals to exit through the double doors without ever being told they have a responsibility to follow Christ in body, mind, and spirit.

I have been in many environments where it would be easy to find someone willing to converse with me about how conservative fundamentalists who were chasing the unsaved away from churches. Likewise, I have stepped in churches where it would be all too easy to find someone willing to denounce liberal compromisers over their choice of music, clothes, or bible translation. In all these cases I would have been hard pressed to find someone willing to show and individual how to follow Christ on a daily basis.

In any place of worship today, one is more likely to hear, "By the way, have you seen our new family life center?" than, "You are required to forsake all and spread the gospel of Christ."

The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John record almost twenty times when Jesus would make this simple, effective, inclusive, undefeatable, and utterly most important statement. Christians in America should learn a valuable lesson from the Infantry Soldier fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. We are called to disregard the noise and confusion of the battlefield. We should lock our eyes on the One Who Leads Us; and move with courage and boldness when He commands, "Follow Me!"