Jesus calls: "Follow me!"
Come, let's follow Jesus!
Come, let's follow Jesus!
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. (Revelation 22:17)
We are not a registered or incorporated church, nor do we belong to any church, denomination, or religious community legally recognized by this world. We do not limit our fellowship to institutionalized frameworks in order to fulfill certain formal acts or entrenched human traditions. But behind our websites there is not some invisible or virtual community. We don't cultivate superficial relationships. We are Christians who even today experience the blessing of brotherly fellowship (Psalms 133), which is the result of the deep unity of faith among us (Romans 15:5-6). Jesus said to his disciples:
Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. (Matthew 18:19)
For even today, only our devoted, genuine brotherly love (1 John 4:20-21) can keep us united. We are far from even intending to found a church, so to speak. God has already established his one and only church (Ephesians 4:4-6) once and for all, which is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:19-22) through faith in Christ Jesus (Matthew 16:16-18). Paul writes:
For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:11)
Thanks to God's care, everything that the apostles experienced, what they saw and heard has been preserved in the Bible until today, so if we preach another Jesus, let him be accursed, because he builds his church exclusively on this Rock (Deuteronomy 32:4; 1 Samuel 2:2; 2 Samuel 22:32; 1 Corinthians 10:4). As it is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah:
Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any. (Isaiah 44:8)
As disciples of Jesus, we consider it our duty (Luke 17:10; 12:47-48) and our responsibility (Ezekiel 33:8-9) to share God's will with others as we have known it in our lives so far, not only via the Internet, but mainly in person. Many people claim that they act in the name of Jesus... We see around us the many religious self-deceptions that Jesus warned about in advance (Matthew 7:21-23; 8:11-12; John 16:2-3), and we are also aware that he does not only want a good beginning, but who has set off shall reach the aim (James 1:4; Philippians 3:12-14) so that we may win a full reward (1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 2 John 1:8-9).
We can already recognize what Paul was referring to, that the apostasy will occur (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4. 8-12): the early church made friends with this world. For where they only look at people and thus follow what the others do, and do not trust in the Lord and his word (Jeremiah 17:5-8), people are picky, biased and flattered. They boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart (2 Corinthians 5:12). For they do not love purity of heart (1 Timothy 1:5; 1 Peter 1:22-23), but live hypocritically. Thus, the various so-called in the wandering multitude of churches, everyone can now find for himself the religious hypocritical lifestyle and accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
For not all have faith (2 Thessalonians 3:2), but once for all was delivered only to the saints, who have the willingness to repent and the common fight for holiness (Jude 1:3).
Only if we do not conceal our sins also from each other can we have a deep, trustworthy and honest relationship (Proverbs 28:13-14; Psalm 32:5; James 5:16).
For through the word of his grace, the Holy Spirit still works today and calls us to the same holy fellowship as the apostles preached, so that we may have fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ (Acts 20:32; 1 John 1:7. 3).
That is why we want to get to know the Word of God: Jesus (Revelation 19:11-13) better and more deeply, through whom God most clearly reveals his will and himself to those who love him. For, on the one hand, we can only get to know Jesus better if we read God's word with an open heart in order to obey the word of life (1 John 1:1-2). On the other hand, we consider only the Bible to be the inspired Scripture of faith in Jesus, which has absolute authority for us, which is why we quote and refer to it directly in our writings. We subordinate all other sources to this authority, and therefore we ask you to do the same, that is, examine what we write in the light of this! Paul writes:
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
For the word of God has not lost its power even today! The words of Jesus will never pass away, because the living word of God remains forever (Luke 21:33; Psalms 119:89-90; 1 Peter 1:23-25) and abides in us if we do his will (1 John 2:17). If we love him by steadfastly keeping his word, the Holy Spirit will bring to life in us his words written in the Bible and reveal the secret of the gospel, so that we produce the fruit of truth for the glory of God (John 15:7-8) and remain sanctified in Jesus, who prayed for his disciples in the following way :
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17)
That is why we follow Jesus Christ - who is "the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6), the Word made flesh (John 1:1-5. 9. 14) - even today together, but also individually as a whole in our whole lives without all kinds of empty religious traditions, ceremonies, regulations or dogmas (see our page Christians follow Jesus). A religious person prefers to look and follow what the majority has in front of him: for example, a spectacular miracle that is striking, an overwhelming sermon that is logical, a striking sign that is convincing, a prophecy that declares the future... But God searches our innermost being and loves the truth in the secret heart (Hebrews 4:12-13; Psalms 51:6). He is the knower of hearts and the examiner of the minds, who looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7; Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 15:18-19; Psalms 7:9). Before God, the hidden person of the heart is precious, whose virtue is inner purity instead of external (1 Peter 3:3-4). For even today Jesus really set us free from all our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness (John 8:31-36; 1 John 1:9), so that we can love each other and all people by filling our hearts with his Spirit. Even today, the Holy Spirit transforms us from the inside, because only through the Spirit of our Father can our inner man be renewed and strengthened day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16; Ephesians 3:14-17), so that we can be a good example to each other in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity, as it was followed by the Christians known from the New Testament (1 Corinthians 11:1; Philippians 3:17; 1 Timothy 4:12).
The New Testament Christians were not hierarchically, but in humble service bound to their Lord and to each other (Luke 22:25-27), therefore among us the one who is the most humble has the greatest authority (Philippians 2:5; Matthew 11:29; John 13:13-15), since even today as brothers we want to consider only Jesus as our only Lord (Matthew 23:8-12).
We believe that only Jesus can truly make us one with himself and with each other so that we always seek and want to do God's will. For the unity of the Spirit can only be present among us based on him, and only built on him can it remain (Ephesians 4:1-6).
Therefore, we want to implement the teachings and intentions of Jesus and the apostles in all areas in community, and we are ready to practice this every single day with our brothers (Hebrews 3:12-13). God moves us to share our lives with each other, as Jesus did with his disciples, and the Holy Spirit led the first church to do so (Acts 2:37-47).
We believe that the love of our Master and Teacher transforms us and calls us to a life devoted to each other, resulting in daily self-denial (Luke 9:23-24) and mutual correction on the narrow path. The New Testament calls this sanctification, which in practice produces the fruit of encouragements, spiritual exhortations, and admonitions born of love that build each other up (Hebrews 10:24). The goal that is always in front of us can be reached right here and now, that is, we want to be like Jesus in everything (1 John 2:3-6). For the holy and true God can make us perfect, even though none of us are perfect. John writes:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
For there is no one who can consider himself righteous before God (Psalms 143:1-2), but he justifies everyone who believes in Jesus (Isaiah 53:11; Romans 3:26; 1 Corinthians 4:4, 6:11). He knows what dwells in man (John 2:24-25) and does not judge according to the flesh (John 8:15-16). He is the only one who sees all things and knows everything (Proverbs 5:21; 1 John 3:20; Psalms 139:4-6. 16-17), so we can trust him more than anyone else, including ourselves (Psalms 37:5; Proverbs 3:5-7). In front of him we can pour out our hearts at any time and under any circumstances (Psalms 62:5-8). For God is spirit (John 4:24), who is present everywhere and at all times (Psalms 139:7-10), therefore he has insight into everything. Only the Lord of all knows when what is best for us, and because God is love (1 John 4:8. 16), he always wants what is best for us. This is why Jesus died. Paul writes:
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9)
We love him even though we have never seen or heard him like the apostles who were eyewitnesses of Jesus. He is the chief Shepherd of our souls (1 Peter 2:25, 5:4), who cleanses us through his word (John 15:3), guides us, and makes us one. John writes:
He is the true God and eternal life. (1 John 5:20)
This is our creed even today, because we have the word of that faith (Romans 10:6-13), as Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), made a creed: to know him, who is the only true living God, who is Jesus Christ himself (Hebrews 3:1, 4:14; John 17:3; Colossians 2:2-3). John the Baptist (John 1:19-36), Nathanael (John 1:47-49), Peter (Matthew 16:15-17; John 6:66-69), John (John 19:33-35, 21:24; 1 John 4:14; Revelations 1:1-2), Thomas (John 20:24-29), Paul (Galatians 1:11-24) gave good testimony of this faith from God, and we could list more, but the Holy Spirit himself bears witness to the humble (Hebrews 10:15-17; Romans 8:16; 1 Corinthians 2:10-12). John writes:
If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. (1 John 5:9)
For the Creator God sent his only begotten Son into the world (see our page The goodness of God - the appearance of Jesus) to show his eternal goodness beyond all and his selfless love in Jesus, who by the grace of God died for all (see our page The grace of God - the death of Jesus). Paul writes:
and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. (2 Corinthians 5:15)
For Jesus is alive (Acts 1:3, 25:19), because God by his hidden wisdom and power raised the Author of life for us (see our page The wisdom of God - the resurrection of Jesus), because it was not possible for him to be held by death, for he is Lord of all! (Acts 2:24, 10:36) God was glorified in Jesus, and God also glorified him in himself (John 13:31-32).
God gave the most in his only-begotten Son, which he could give, because the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily in Jesus (Colossians 1:19-20, 2:9), who offered himself without blemish to God for us. For God is greater than mortal man (Job 33:12), and yet how precious we are: that he did not even spare his own beloved Son, but gave him up for the ungodly, the Holy and Righteous (Romans 8:32, 5:6-8), who did not even open his mouth, but like a lamb innocently suffered to be tortured and crucified (Isaiah 53:7). For such is our great and almighty God, Lord of lords and King of kings (Revelation 17:14), who wanted the best for us even when he literally gave his life for us, that is, he redeemed us with his own blood (Acts 20:28; Hebrews 9:11-14). John writes:
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! (Revelation 5:12)
Everyone who believes and steadfastly does God's will is justified by him even today, until the Lord comes! (Revelation 14:12; Hebrews 10:35-39) Then we will all give him an account of ourselves one by one (2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:12). God is just and knows very well what he can expect from us and what he will hold us accountable for (Hebrews 4:13). We owe him by giving our lives to one another, that is, to love and bear one another (1 John 4:11; Romans 13:8, 15:1-2). If we love Jesus, then we must also love our brothers, and we know that we love one another, when we love God and obey his commandments. (1 John 4:20-5:3) Paul writes:
If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! (1 Corinthians 16:22)
We want to honor our Lord and our God by serving each other faithfully in love with a sincere and pure heart (2 Timothy 2:22), because just as in the lives of the first Christians, time is pressing on us today (Romans 13:11-12). And no one knows that day and hour, but the Father only (Matthew 24:36), so for Christians, the coming of Jesus was near in that sense (1 Peter 4:7; Philippians 4:5; Revelation 3:11, 22:7. 10. 12-13. 20), and now it is close to us also because, on the one hand, we do not know what tomorrow will bring, and on the other hand, we have already opened the door of our hearts to him, so that we can be strengthened in faith and love with grace and in lives of holiness and godliness (2 Peter 3:11-12; 1 Thessalonians 3:13). For although almost 2000 years have passed, the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise (2 Peter 3:9; Hebrews 10:36-39), and because the appointed time of our life has grown similarly very short in this world (1 Corinthians 7:29-31), that is why we fear God and do not become self-assured, but listen to what Peter writes:
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-11)
So we don't speculate on when Jesus will come back, but we listen to the Word as a lamp shining in a dark place (2 Peter 1:19-21), keeping in mind that most people will experience the day of the second coming when dies, so in this sense Jesus will surely come soon for us too (see our page The judgement of God - the coming of Jesus). Therefore, let us cry out to our God with one heart and one soul, and then with all the saints we say:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20)
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10)
And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. (1 John 3:23)
se Jesus said: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. (John 13:34)
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. (John 15:13-14)
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. (1 John 3:16)
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. (1 John 4:20-5:1)
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 6:23)
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. (Revelation 22:21)