God is calling us to higher and more radical levels of faith. He is calling us to share His goodness with people daily. God is coming for a people that don’t have to see, touch, and feel Him before they are radical for Him and radically in love with those that don’t know Him yet. The Kingdom of God is established in your heart by faith that Jesus, the Son of God, died for your sins and is truly the lover of your soul.

To be radical and in love with Jesus and radical for Jesus you must have an encounter with Him. The encounter is what changes you. The encounter is what you hold in your heart forever. The encounter is yours and no one else’s. The first disciples had this type of encounter, and they got the benefit of seeing Jesus face to face. However, today we allow the Holy Spirit to use us to share God’s magnificent love with those that need these types of encounters.

Encounter: to come upon or meet with, especially unexpectedly.

Peter and Andrew encountered Jesus in an ordinary but unexpected way in the bible. Peter was fishing with his brother Andrew, as this was the way they earned a living, and Jesus said to them, “Follow Me. I will make you fish for men!” At once they left their nets and followed Him.” (Matthew 4:19)

Let’s look at this a bit further. They were very good fisherman, and it says, they followed Jesus immediately. Do you think Peter and Andrew really understood the magnitude of “following” Jesus? To follow anyone is different than being their “fan”. To follow someone means to submit to their leadership and guidance they give you no matter how it “feels”.

Many people are followers of Jesus when He’s doing really great things in their life, however, fall away when dealing with life’s painful events and difficulties. James and John, two more brothers, also followed Jesus, leaving everything behind. These four men must have seen something in Jesus that was worth following. Let me ask you, is the Jesus inside of you worth following?  Are you radically abandoned in your faith to walk up to the Peters and Andrews of today and say, “Come over here, I’ll show you a different way.” Are you willing to take the Peters and Andrews where they are at, and just do life with them?

Remember, Jesus gave them a choice. He didn’t have a whip out pressuring them.

They saw genuine love in Jesus, not manipulation or coercion. He was their friend, but also their leader. To be a leader that others want to follow, we need to show the love we have for them first. When others know you love and care for them, they will follow. When people see you living a life of integrity they will follow. When they know you will show up in their life when things get tough, they will follow. Great leaders have even greater love. They will lay their life down for their brother or sister, like Jesus.

When Jesus walked up to these two sets of brothers they saw something different. They saw a man worth following. When you have your own encounter with Jesus you may not leave your career behind, but God is calling you to follow Jesus with all your heart, mind, and soul. You think differently about everything. You look at life now with the eyes of Christ. This doesn’t mean life is a bowl of cherries 24-7. It means the encounter you had with Jesus was real and no matter what life throws at you, you are a rock like Peter. You are a follower, not a fan.

Peter made tons of mistakes! He denied Jesus three times because he was afraid for his own life, but guess what, the love encounter is a two way street with Jesus. He encountered Peter as well! He loved him, mistakes and all! He loves YOU just like Peter! He will never stop loving you! His love will always come find you no matter what mistake you’ve made. When Jesus was resurrected from the dead, He went and found Peter!

Peter probably said to himself, man, I was more of a fan, than a follower, but Jesus knew his heart. He knew Peter thought he had failed Him and was going to live the rest of his life in guilt and pain. Again, Jesus was a different type of leader. He was a faithful leader, a leader of fierce love. Jesus never gave up on Peter, and He hasn’t given up on you. You are called to greatness!

Who is God calling you to go back and love on that is perhaps thinking they have failed you or God? Who is God calling you to step out and love that’s been in your path for days, months, or even years, that you haven’t talked to yet?

God is looking for people that are warriors of love and lead like generals. March is the month for leaping forward into God’s purposes. Lead with love as a husband or wife in your home. Lead with love as an awesome business person. Lead with love as a volunteer at your child’s school. Lead with love in athletics. Lead with love in everything you put your hand to!

God’s number one purpose on this earth is to fill the kingdom of heaven with more souls.  Eyes up, head up, shoulders back, arms extended and feet moving!

We’ve got work to do leaders!

 Written by: Hilary Lynne