JesusSaidFollowMe Blog

This simple quiz is designed to help you know how well you are following Jesus Christ as your Teacher. (He is also our Priest and King.)

I have a personal confession to reveal…For the first 10 years of my Christian life, I followed Christ + men/a movement/a system. I over- esteemed them as “godly men,” until they became idols in my heart, rivaling my devotion to Christ. (Although, I thank God that He taught me many truths from them.)

Even now, I don’t claim infallibility, only teachability. So, if some of our answers differ below, then maybe together we can “search the Scriptures to see what is true.”

Now, examine yourself to see who you are following…

1. What is the Bible’s main message?

A. God loves you, make a decision for Christ & ask Him into your heart.

B. The Holy Spirit.

C. Holiness.

D. The doctrines of grace (Calvinism.)

E. The gospel of (sovereign) grace (which must include the doctrines of grace.)

F. The doctrine of the atonement, and the doctrine of the resurrection (systematic theology.)

G. The gospel about Jesus Christ Himself, especially that: He lived, died, rose, ascended, and will return. Repent from your sins and believe on Him.

2. Who is my brother, and what is the ground of Christian fellowship?

A. A sinner’s prayer.

B. The _______ Confession of Faith.

C. Regeneration.

3. Who is the greatest, and what is the measure of Christian maturity?

A. The most zealous.

B. Correct theology alone.

C. Heart + doctrine + obedience.

4. Who gets the credit for your decision for Christ?

A. The evangelist.

B. You.

C. God.

5. Who glorifies God more?

A. A Calvinist full of hypocrisy, pride, and lying.

B. An Arminian who is humble, godly, and obedient.

6. Why does the Lord entrust the conversion of His elect to a higher % of non-Calvinist evangelists than Calvinist evangelists? (This sad concession comes from a Calvinist. Most Calvinists testify they were saved through Arminian ministries, before understanding Calvinism later. So, why is God saving millions of sinners right now through non-Calvinist evangelists in persecuted countries like China and Vietnam?)

A. They’re probably not real converts.

B. The evangelists’ hearts.

7. Which theological system is true?

A. All of Covenant theology.

B. All of Traditional or Progressive Dispensationalism.

C. Part of both A. and B., plus more (New Covenant Theology.)

8. Which movement is true?

A. Anabaptist

B. Reformed

C. Puritanism

D. Reformed Baptist

E. Sovereign Grace Baptist

F. Pentecostalism/Charismatic

G. Fundamentalism

H. Evangelicalism

I. Church Growth/Seeker-Sensitive/Purpose Driven

J. There is no perfect movement - only a perfect Savior. A better question to ask is, “How much of each movement is true?” All movements consist of imperfect individuals. If we don’t believe in individual perfectionism, then we shouldn’t believe in corporate perfectionism, right?

All movements are passing fads, and mixtures of truth and error. Let’s learn from their strengths, while being aware of their weaknesses. Christ and the apostles started only one movement in the first century, for all believers, for all time: The Church. Do you love His Church (all who are regenerate) like He does?

P.S. See more Bible studies, blogs, and books at JesusSaidFollowMe.org

I have an embarrassing personal confession to make. For the first 10 years of my Christian life, I was an immature, carnal Christian…

“How,” you wonder? The truth is, I followed men. What I mean is that I couldn’t think for myself. You see, I gave my devotion and mind to men, a movement, and a system. Then, I unconsciously let them do my thinking for me.

Was it the Church of Rome, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, or the Mormons? No, believe it or not, it was a group of evangelicals who preached the gospel of Jesus Christ.

But, they didn’t welcome questions to their confession of faith and systematic theology. And unfortunately, I submitted my thinking to them because I over-esteemed them as godly men.

In the Bible, God has given us many descriptions of spiritual infancy vs. spiritual maturity. One of the descriptions of spiritual babes, in 1 Cor. 1:10-3:23, is dividing the Body by using labels, following men, and forming sub-groups.

Good Bible teachers not only proclaim Biblical truth, they also aren’t afraid to teach others how to study the Bible for themselves. To keep individual disciples from straying into error, God has given His Spirit, His Bible, and His Church.

Remember, we never need to be afraid of truth. (If you’re feeling fear right now, why not listen to your conscience? God gave it to you as a warning signal.)

The 8 signs of immature, carnal Christians are:

1. Reliance on an extra-biblical standard of authority such as:

* A leader (author, guru, pastor, or infallible pope.)

* An experience (feeling or alleged revelation.)

* A sectarian group, movement, or organization (denom.)

* A tradition (selective, truncated view of church history.)

* A document (book, confession of faith, or study-Bible footnotes.)

2. Fear and avoidance of:

* Talking to certain Christians who may challenge you.

* Preaching on certain Bible texts or topics.

* Allowing certain questions to be asked.

* Discussing certain biblical topics.

* Reading certain theological articles or books.

3. Unquestioned, uncritical agreement and allegiance to a human leader.

4. Unteachable and unwilling to listen to others from an open Bible.

5. Inability to think for oneself and form conclusions independent from outside influences and patterns of thinking received from others.

6. Reading an disproportionate percentage of books by one author or publisher.

7. Leaders micromanaging the details of their disciples’ lives which are normally areas of Christian liberty.

8. Cloning personality traits that are normally areas of Christian liberty.

Those characteristics are quite different from the Bereans whom Paul commended as “fair minded…in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).

Please understand, there is no perfect organization, movement, or group. All groups are made of imperfect individuals. And, since there is no individual perfection, then there is no corporate perfection. There is only one perfect God-Man. Point your faith to Him.

Ask yourself, “How much do I agree with my favorite group?” If you agree 100%, beware! This could be a sign you’re following men, instead of Christ. If you suspect that you may be blindly following human leaders, what should you do?

First of all, realize that the Holy Spirit is the only teacher you need to understand God…

“But the anointing (Holy Spirit’s teaching: cf. Jn. 14:26; 1 Jn. 2:20) which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.”

Second, realize that truth can set you free. Remember, never be afraid to pursue truth. The truth will liberate you. Jesus said,

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (Jn. 8:32).
“I AM…the truth…No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (Jn. 14:6)

The Truth is a Person: Jesus Christ. Trust in Him to take you to God the Father. Then, follow Him wherever He leads, whatever the cost.

And finally, simply pray to God, through Jesus Christ, asking Him to show you if you have been following men or Christ. And, ask Him to correct any false doctrines you may believe. He is faithful, and He will do it.

Jesus didn’t say, “Follow Me(n)” or “Follow (men’s interpretation of) Me.” Jesus said, “Follow Me.”

P.S. See more Bible studies, blogs, and books at JesusSaidFollowMe.org