What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus?

All religion is prejudiced. I understand my own religious prejudices only partially. There are parts of me that I will never know or understand. But my nescience does not excuse me from working very hard on self understanding.

I identify myself as a born again evangelical Christian in the Baptist tradition. This is my religious identity by birth, by choice, by education and by experience. I have always been a very religious person. I have never felt any pull toward any religion other than Christianity. My life intent has been to be a better follower of Jesus from Nazareth, the one I confess as savior and Lord.

I have had the benefit of very fine education, graduating from a prestigious Christian college and a renowned theological seminary. Both of these institutions demanded that I master critical thinking. Since completing graduate school almost 50 years ago I have spent a major portion of my life reading and studying to make sure that my thinking did not become stagnant.

For the past six months by the good graces of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman I have shared my best understanding of the foundations of the faith that I hold so dear. This is the last in the series. Next week I will go on to other topics.

My life signals come from Jesus from Nazareth. When Jesus was asked to name the greatest of all commandments, he responded with familiar Old Testament words: “You shall love the Lord your God with heart, mind and soul.” In my own personal belief system, if I do not get that one right I will never get the rest of my life right.

In the privacy of my heart and soul I think about that commandment and ponder its meaning. I spend private time most every day with the God of earth and the heavens. Every Sunday of my almost 80 years I have joined other people in collective worship. With others I have sung the praises of God, prayed the concerns of daily life and listened for fresh insights into the workings of God.

Jesus added a second great command: “You shall love your neighbor as if he were a member of your own household.” This is a tough, tough command. Jesus indicated that the second command had a direct connection to the first. The implication is that Jesus believed that ignoring the second command was a tacit denial of the first. On a human level, the command means that the life of my neighbor is a priority concern that goes beyond my own well-being.

There is no place for selfishness in the human economy of Jesus’ teachings.

My own assessment of Christian churches is that they have forsaken the good of community for the crock of pottage called personal salvation. Churches have done so with tragic results. Churches have become preoccupied with the saving of souls rather than building community in the human family. In my own study of the teachings and sayings of Jesus, I have concluded that he had no place for an understanding of personal salvation apart from community. Further, his prime interest was the building of the kingdom of God on earth, not in heaven.

The famous prayer that Jesus taught his disciples, the prayer almost every worshipping Christian repeats over and over, asks of God: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth.”

When Jesus taught about love of neighbor, he was repeating the great moral imperative of the Old Testament. When God asked Cain about the whereabouts of his brother Abel (whom Cain had killed), Cain responded with a rhetorical question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Jesus made it plain that the answer is yes.

I grieve over every expression of public officials about self-interest. I grieve over the actions of churches out of self-interest. I grieve over Christian individuals and groups that protect themselves out of self-interest. I am appalled by how easily I slip into that same mode of thinking.

When I survey the world of religion in America I am truly impressed with how much good is done by religious folk of all kinds. The accumulated good works of Roman Catholic charities is astounding. How about the Salvation Army? The Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Mormons, Pentecostals and others have impressive records of service to others. Jews have a pretty impressive record also.

Just think what we could do collectively if we could turn loose of every vestige of self-interest! Self-interest leads to conflicts and wars. Loving God and neighbor brings peace on earth and good will among human beings, the kingdom of God on earth.

I have concluded that the Jesus way is the better way.

The Rev. Howard Bess is the pastor of Church of the Covenant, an American Baptist church in Palmer. His e-mail address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.