Following Jesus · Study Guide
Week Six
What Does Jesus Ask of His Followers?
Jesus does not merely call us to admire His teaching. He calls us to live it.
Following Jesus is not only about what we believe. It affects how we live.
Jesus calls His followers to love God, love people, forgive, serve, pursue holiness, trust the Father, use what they have faithfully, care for those in need, and participate in His mission.
This week will help us see obedience not as a burden added to the Christian life, but as the natural response of someone who loves and follows Jesus.
Jesus calls His followers to love God wholeheartedly, love others sacrificially, obey His teaching, forgive freely, serve humbly, pursue holiness, trust God, steward their lives faithfully, and participate in His mission.
Read Before You Begin
When you think about what Jesus asks of His followers, what comes to mind first?
Teaching Summary
Jesus Asks Us to Love God
— Matthew 22:37
Jesus begins with love for God.
Not mere religious activity. Not outward appearance. Not rule keeping without relationship.
God is meant to become the center around which everything else is ordered.
Jesus Asks Us to Love Others
— Matthew 22:39
Christian love is more than emotion. It acts.
It notices, serves, listens, gives, tells the truth, forgives, carries burdens, and sometimes sacrifices.
Jesus does not separate love for God from the way we treat people.
Jesus Asks Us to Love as He Loved
— John 13:34
Jesus loved patiently, compassionately, truthfully, sacrificially, and faithfully.
Christian love is shaped by the love we first receive from Christ.
Jesus Asks Us to Obey
— John 14:15
Obedience is not the price of salvation.
We do not obey in order to make Jesus love us. We obey because He has already loved us.
Because I love Jesus, how can I faithfully respond to what He has taught me?
Jesus Asks Us to Deny Ourselves
— Luke 9:23
Self-denial does not mean believing we have no value.
It means we stop treating our own desires as the highest authority.
Sometimes following Jesus means saying no to pride, revenge, selfish ambition, sinful desire, or comfort.
Jesus Asks Us to Forgive
Forgiveness does not mean pretending that wrong behavior does not matter.
It does not always eliminate consequences or instantly restore trust.
Forgiveness means releasing personal vengeance and entrusting justice to God.
— Luke 6:37
Jesus Asks Us to Serve
On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus washed His disciples' feet.
— John 13:15
The Lord became the servant.
Who will quietly meet the need directly in front of them?
Jesus Asks Us to Pursue Holiness
Following Jesus means increasingly leaving behind what is contrary to God's character.
Jesus cares about our actions, words, thoughts, motives, private lives, relationships, and integrity.
Holiness does not mean pretending to be perfect. It means increasingly belonging fully to God.
Jesus Asks Us to Trust God
Jesus repeatedly taught His disciples not to live controlled by anxiety.
— Matthew 6:33
Trust does not mean we never feel fear.
It means fear no longer determines our ultimate direction.
Jesus Asks Us to Pray
Prayer belongs to the normal life of a disciple.
Jesus teaches us to pray for God's name to be honored, His kingdom to come, His will to be done, our daily needs, forgiveness, and protection.
Discipleship is lived in dependence upon God.
Jesus Asks Us to Be Generous
— Matthew 6:21
Money reveals what we value.
Generosity teaches us that what we possess is not our master.
We can give, share, help, support ministry, and care for people in need.
Jesus Asks Us to Care for People in Need
Jesus consistently noticed people who were easily overlooked.
The sick. The poor. The grieving. Children. Outsiders. People others considered unimportant.
Who needs someone simply to notice them?
Jesus Asks Us to Speak Truth with Grace
Jesus was full of both grace and truth.
Truth without love can become harsh. Love without truth can become empty sentiment.
Christian maturity learns to speak truth in a way that reflects Christ.
Jesus Asks Us to Love Our Enemies
— Matthew 5:44
This does not mean approving evil.
It means refusing to become like the person who wounds us.
We reject hatred, refuse revenge, pray for those who mistreat us, and entrust justice to God.
Jesus Asks Us to Use What He Has Given Us
God has entrusted every person with something: time, abilities, relationships, resources, experiences, opportunities, knowledge, and spiritual gifts.
What has God entrusted to me, and what would faithfulness look like?
Jesus Asks Us to Live Differently
— Matthew 5:14
Christian life should have visible difference.
When culture says promote yourself, Jesus teaches humility.
When culture says take revenge, Jesus teaches forgiveness.
When culture says accumulate, Jesus teaches generosity.
When culture says use people, Jesus teaches service.
Jesus Asks Us to Make Disciples
— Matthew 28:19
The Christian life eventually turns outward.
Making disciples can involve sharing the gospel, teaching Scripture, encouraging another believer, mentoring, parenting faithfully, leading a group, praying with someone, or walking beside another person.
Jesus Does Not Ask Us to Do This Alone
The commands of Jesus would be crushing if we were expected to fulfill them entirely through our own power.
God gives His people the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit strengthens, convicts, guides, produces fruit, reminds us of truth, and empowers obedience.
Grace Comes Before Obedience
This order matters.
Grace first. Then obedience.
Jesus saves. Then He teaches us how saved people live.
We do not obey to become worthy of grace. We obey because grace has already come to us.
Take Time to Reflect
- Which command of Jesus feels most natural for me to follow?
- Which one feels most difficult?
- Is there anyone I currently need to forgive?
- Is there an area where I know what Jesus teaches but have delayed obedience?
- How faithfully am I using the time, abilities, resources, and opportunities God has entrusted to me?
- Who around me may need practical compassion or service?
- Am I more concerned with being comfortable or being faithful?
- What is Jesus asking me to take more seriously in this season?
Talk About It Together
- Why should love for Jesus lead naturally toward obedience?
- What is the difference between obedience motivated by fear and obedience motivated by love?
- Why is forgiveness so difficult?
- How can Christians pursue holiness without becoming judgmental or self-righteous?
- What does servant leadership look like in everyday life?
- How does generosity reveal what is happening in our hearts?
- What opportunities do ordinary Christians have to participate in making disciples?
- Which teaching of Jesus most challenges the values of our culture today?
John 13:1–17
Read John 13:1–17 slowly.
Jesus knows He is approaching the cross. He knows who He is, where He came from, and where He is going.
Then He gets up from the table, takes a towel, and begins washing His disciples' feet.
Jesus knows who He is.
Because His identity is secure, He can stoop down.
He performs the task normally given to a servant.
Jesus tells His disciples, “I have given you an example.”
Following Jesus often looks like quietly meeting the need directly in front of us.
Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me before I could ever earn Your love. Teach me to respond to Your grace with faithful obedience. Help me love God wholeheartedly, love people sacrificially, forgive when I am hurt, serve without needing recognition, pursue holiness, trust the Father, and use what You have entrusted to me for Your purposes. Show me where I need to obey, and give me the strength of Your Spirit to take the next step. Amen.
Five Days in Scripture
What kind of people does Jesus describe as citizens of His kingdom?
What does Jesus teach about money, priorities, and trust?
What does Jesus ask of His followers in difficult relationships?
How does Jesus connect service and love with discipleship?
What mission does Jesus give His followers?
For each reading, ask:
What does Jesus ask of His followers?
Why might this be difficult?
How would obedience change the way I live?
Live What Jesus Teaches
Jesus does not call us merely to admire His teaching. He calls us to live it.
Love God. Love people. Forgive. Serve. Trust. Give. Pursue holiness. Care for those in need. Use what God has entrusted to you. Help others follow Jesus.
We will not do these things perfectly. That is why grace remains essential.
Keep asking: “Jesus, what would faithfulness to You look like here?”