Follow Me

We treat spiritual conversion like a one-time transaction, a box checked on a cosmic survey. Once the signature is on the contract, the deal is done. We become 'Christians'—a noun, a static identity, a label we wear. We collect the benefits, learn the club's vocabulary, and attend the meetings. But what if this entire framework is a grand, comforting, and dangerous misunderstanding? What if the invitation from Jesus was never to simply 'believe' in him, but to lose our life in order to find it? This re-frames the entire spiritual enterprise as a continuous, all-consuming journey to be lived—a journey where the cost is everything we have.

This very chasm between comfortable cultural Christianity and the radical call of Jesus is what compelled pastor David Platt to write "Follow Me". After years of leading a large church in the American South, he grew increasingly unsettled by the sheer number of people who identified as Christians but whose lives showed little evidence of being transformed by Christ. He saw a brand of faith that demanded very little and, consequently, offered very little in return. Platt wrote this book as an urgent plea, born from his own pastoral ministry, to abandon the spectator sport of being a 'fan' and to embrace the costly, life-altering, and ultimately more fulfilling path of being a true follower.

Module 1: The Misunderstood Invitation

Let's start with the fundamental premise. What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus? The modern answer often involves a simple transaction. Acknowledge certain facts. Say a specific prayer. But Platt argues this misses the point entirely. He points to Jesus's first disciples. They were fishermen, business owners with families and futures. Jesus didn't give them a pamphlet. He gave them a two-word command: "Follow me." And in that moment, everything changed.

This leads to a foundational insight. True discipleship is a summons to lose your life. The disciples left their nets, their boats, their security, and their families. They didn't add Jesus to their existing lives; they abandoned their lives to build a new one around him. Platt is blunt here. He says the call of Jesus is a call to "slay yourself." It’s a direct contradiction to our culture of self-help, self-promotion, and self-preservation.

But what about belief? Isn't that enough? This brings us to a critical distinction. Intellectual belief is insufficient; even demons believe orthodox truths about Jesus. Platt references the book of James, which notes that demons have a perfect theology. They know who Jesus is. They know he was resurrected. But they are not saved. Why? Because their belief doesn't lead to surrender. It doesn't produce a life of obedience. The author argues that many people today are in a similar position. They hold correct beliefs about Jesus but have never truly surrendered their lives to his leadership. They "know" him, but he doesn't know them.

So, here's what that means. Platt argues that a profession of faith without a real relationship is a path to destruction. He points to a chilling passage in Matthew 7 where Jesus describes people who performed miracles and did mighty works in his name. They call him "Lord, Lord." But Jesus's response is devastating: "I never knew you." Their religious activity was a substitute for a real relationship. They were active for Jesus but never truly with him. This is about clarifying the stakes. The goal is a deep, transformative relationship.

And it doesn't stop there. This relationship has a purpose. The initial call to the disciples wasn't just "Follow me." It was "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." The core purpose of a Christian is to make disciples. This isn't an optional add-on for the super-spiritual. It's the natural, reproductive function of a healthy follower. Platt uses Dawson Trotman's powerful question: Can you point to a single person living for Christ because of your influence? For many, the answer is no. This reveals a fundamental disconnect from the original mission.