Christians are to follow Jesus' steps 1 Pet 2:21, how?

[Tenchi]

You make it seem like a bad thing to "follow His steps" in anything but His suffering.
Why?

How did I make it seem this way, exactly?

 

[JLB]

Christians are to follow Jesus' steps 1 Pet 2:21, how?

The Gospels are the best way to come to know Jesus. They contain a historical account of the life and ministry of Jesus. They show us what he did, said, felt, and taught his followers. In effect, they contain those footsteps we are to follow.

To benefit fully from the Gospels, we must do more than just read them. We need to study them carefully and meditate on them as well. When studying them bring them to life, picture yourself among his disciples as he taught them, and observe the assignments he gave them. Imitate his footsteps in your life. Use your imagination to see, hear, and feel what was happening.

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. John 14:12

• he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Acts 10:38

• who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil

And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; Mark 16:17












JLB

 

[Hopeful]

How did I make it seem this way, exactly?

Almost all that is written can be given or received in multiple ways.
Almost everything is multi-faceted.
By inferring that something is wrong, you take their incites and kinda smear it.
You should have just said it was "off topic".
I call "walking in Jesus' steps" a topic that is multi-faceted.

 

[Tenchi]

Almost all that is written can be given or received in multiple ways.
Almost everything is multi-faceted.
By inferring that something is wrong, you take their incites and kinda smear it.
You should have just said it was "off topic".
I call "walking in Jesus' steps" a topic that is multi-faceted.

So, I didn't write anything that actually communicated that I thought following in Jesus' steps except in suffering was a bad thing, you just decided to assert that this was my view regardless. Interesting...

Well, I don't think following Christ's example is a bad thing except in suffering, nor did I write that it was.

I didn't need to say that the 1 Peter 2 passage was "off topic," only that it was taken out of context, which I did. My goal was not to "smear insights" but to clarify and to urge better handling of God's word.

Yes, walking in Jesus' steps is a multi-faceted thing. I've not suggested otherwise.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. John 14:12

Can you imagine ANY Christian pastor who would openly say and rejoice if their congregation would do better than they?

• he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Acts 10:38

• who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil

And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; Mark 16:17

What would happen if this became the sign that a person was a christian instead of saying a prayer “asking Jesus into the heart?”

 

[Highway54]

If we read a biography of Donald Trump will we equally get to know him personally? And can we tell others we know what he does, says, thinks and feels without listening anything he says. Can we use our imagination to fill in the gaps? Would he agree we then know him and can say we’re friends?

Jn 17:3 maam

 

[Highway54]

Hi Highway54

Yes they were. And Jesus' instructions to them were to do that. But his instruction to teach 'them' all that he had commanded comes after the command to baptize them. So, as I see the process, Jesus wants us all to share the gospel. But to then take the additional time to 'teach them all that he commanded' seems to be reserved for those, to whom we have shared the gospel, and have then accepted and believed it and been baptized. Then we begin the discipling process.

God bless, Bob
Ted

During their training that is true, however the assignment given at his departure was not Mat 28:19,20; Acts 1:8

 

[Dorothy Mae]

Jn 17:3 maam

Not a word about eternal life being found in reading a book, sir. Eternal life is not reading the Bible.

 

[Highway54]

We agree on the truth that Christ is the example all of his disciples are to follow. But I don't agree that this general truth is what Peter was writing about in 1 Peter 2:18-24. I find that Christians these days are often taking verses out of their immediate context and then applying them inappropriately to circumstances and subjects the verses don't actually address. Many times, this results in serious contortions of God's Truth. And so, when I come across such instances, I usually make comment on it - as in this thread. In context, Peter's command to his readers to "walk in his steps" is specifically referring to the Christian patiently suffering unjustly, as Jesus did. To speak of the principle of following Jesus' example in everything, less specific statements to this effect exist in Scripture and should be used rather Peter's very particular application of this principle. Essentially, I'm just urging as careful a handling of God's word as possible.

Jesus was not wrong in anything he did sir as we would agree. We are to imitate everything he did to the best of our ability, as he lived God's law perfectly. If it is not what he did because someone interpreted it incorrectly, then you are quite correct, but that is simple common sense. We were given an assignment, and expected to carry it out to the best of our ability.

 

[Highway54]

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. John 14:12

• he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Acts 10:38

• who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil

And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; Mark 16:17












JLB

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Acts 10:38

Who anointed and was with Jesus sir?

 

[Dorothy Mae]

Jesus was not wrong in anything he did sir as we would agree. We are to imitate everything he did to the best of our ability, as he lived God's law perfectly. If it is not what he did because someone interpreted it incorrectly, then you are quite correct, but that is simple common sense. We were given an assignment, and expected to carry it out to the best of our ability.

“Apart from Me you can do nothing.”. We are called to follow Him in relationship, not given a commission to “do our best” on our own.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

Who anointed and was with Jesus sir?

The God who was with Jesus AND WAS Jesus.

 

[atpollard]

Yes I understand, Ted. But that’s not the point. I’ll say the point plainly.

No one reading the New Testament imagining what Jesus did and said will come to know him. No one. What will happen is they form their idea of the man completely from their own thinking and imagination. No interaction with the REAL Jesus needed.

If a good writer writes a biography about you, would you say anyone reading it knows what you think and feel and really knows YOU based on reading that book?

The NT books were written so that we may believe and believing, have life is his name.

I get it … meditating ABOUT Jesus is not life; getting to know the real Jesus is life (and that requires more than reading about Him and imagination, that requires salvation, prayer, a relationship with the risen Lord).

 

[JLB]

Can you imagine ANY Christian pastor who would openly say and rejoice if their congregation would do better than they?

They are few and far between.

 

[JLB]

What would happen if this became the sign that a person was a christian instead of saying a prayer “asking Jesus into the heart?”

Then they the Church would have the mind of Christ; a Christ like(Christian) mindset, and would be doing the work of God’s original intent.

Being fruitful, multiplying fruitfulness, subduing the earth and having dominion.

They way Jesus demonstrated.

Christian means follower of Christ; doer of His work.

But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. James 1:25

• not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

JLB

 

[JLB]

Who anointed and was with Jesus sir?

Brother do you understand God BECAME flesh?

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.
1 Timothy 3:16

The Man Christ Jesus was made a little lower than the angels.

As a man He was anointed by God the Father, with the Holy Spirit, Who is the anointing.


All the fullness of the Godhead dwelt in Him bodily.




JLB

 

[Hopeful]

So, I didn't write anything that actually communicated that I thought following in Jesus' steps except in suffering was a bad thing, you just decided to assert that this was my view regardless. Interesting...

Yeah, you are right.
It wasn't a big thing.

Well, I don't think following Christ's example is a bad thing except in suffering, nor did I write that it was.

I am glad my perception of it was off.

I didn't need to say that the 1 Peter 2 passage was "off topic," only that it was taken out of context, which I did. My goal was not to "smear insights" but to clarify and to urge better handling of God's word.

OK.

Yes, walking in Jesus' steps is a multi-faceted thing. I've not suggested otherwise.

You were context-centric, (not necessarily a bad thing), and I was not so, locked in,...so to speak.
I don't mind applying one point to several other situations.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

After church yesterday, my husband said, “the church is no longer the light of the world.”

 

[Highway54]

Not a word about eternal life being found in reading a book, sir. Eternal life is not reading the Bible.

Jn 17:3 is the first step Dorothy. After many of Jesus' followers left him to go back to their normal lives, he asked his Apostles if they wanted to leave as well. Notice what Peter told him maam: (John 6:68, 69) . . .Simon Peter answered him: “Lord, whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life. 69 We have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

The only way we are aware of that statement, or life eternal at all is because of the Bible. And I fully recognize it may be true or it may not be, and only time will reveal the truth of the matter, but there are a lot of fulfilled prophecies that convince many that the Bible is not something mere man could product. Joshua said something to God's people millenniums ago that really applies today on this subject maam, he said: (Joshua 23:14) . . .“Now look! I am about to die, and you well know with all your heart and with all your soul that not one word out of all the good promises that Jehovah your God has spoken to you has failed. They have all come true for you. Not one word of them has failed.
Now they had literally lived those things and knew what he said was true, and we have seen so much of the rest of the Bible come true as well, much more than they ever saw, so that has moved me to believe that if it is yet to be fulfilled, it will be.

God pointed out in His Word that everlasting life would be given to some, and I believe it Dorothy.

 

[Highway54]

“Apart from Me you can do nothing.”. We are called to follow Him in relationship, not given a commission to “do our best” on our own.

That is exactly correct Dorothy. That is were individually comes in. I once met a man I was witnessing to and he told me he wanted to do just what was required to go to heaven, nothing more. I had never really heard or even thought about that before, but I didn't understand the concept. True, I know there is a breakoff point in which road we will be on, but me personally I don't want to be teetering on the edge if you know what I mean.

Another line of evidence is the parable of the talents Dorothy, Three men were selected and assigned a portion of responsibility according to their capability with Jesus' goods, and we can see how each one of them acted on that assignment. I think this lesson would apply as well maam, to how we exert ourselves in our assignment. Mat 25:14-30