Christian, Drop Your Nets, Follow Jesus
by Randall Murphree
May 18, 2005
(AgapePress) - Joseph Stowell is clearly passionate about his relationship to Christ. He is compassionate, yet challenging, as he calls Christians to examine their faith walk. He is blunt and uncompromising in his portrayal of our culture. His latest title, The Trouble With Jesus (Moody Publishers, 2003), is a solid analysis of the Christian and the Christ in a troubled culture.Dr. Stowell always moves me with his passion for Jesus. For me over the past few years, his words in print have had more life than those from any other contemporary writer. A couple of years back, his little book Simply Jesus had great impact on me. In it, he established himself as a man whose heart is to follow Jesus above all else. He wrote, "I just get flat out tired of me. But I never get tired of Jesus."
With eager anticipation I attended a recent Evangelical Press convention at which he brought the morning devotions. He captured our attention with an insightful and colorful re-telling of Jesus calling his fishermen-disciples. His remarks echoed principles from The Trouble With Jesus:
"[I]n order to make a difference, like those first followers, we must drop our nets to follow Him. What are the nets that distract you from being a devoted follower? What are the issues you cling to that keep Jesus from being central in your life? What obstructions are you still hiding behind?
Followers are netless believers!
If we are genuinely committed to following Jesus, the path behind us will be littered with the nets we have refused to carry and our eyes will be fixed on Jesus, who leads us on the greatest adventure in life ... following Him."
Stowell calls the Christian to renewal and commitment. He also indicts our culture and implicates the Church as complicit in squeezing Jesus from the public square. The opening pages of this new volume carry an account of his emotional response to a post-9/11 Chicago Leadership Prayer Breakfast when culture and church came together in a religious event at which Jesus was noticeably unwelcome.
Stowell says he had been attending the annual event for years, and can recall when the name of Jesus was welcome there. But no more. He writes: "[T]his year's event was marked by what seemed to be an intentional effort to eliminate references to Jesus from the platform .... I kept waiting to hear it, but Jesus' name was not mentioned once."
Former president of Moody Bible Institute, Dr. Stowell is now teaching pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel in Elgin, Illinois. Hearing him in person is an experience to savor. Still, as I have said before, his words on paper are moving as well.
The author/teacher/preacher is an insightful observer of Christians and the Church in our day. In The Trouble With Jesus, he shines the spotlight on a culture committed to expunging the Christian faith. He brings to light the desperate need for Christians to be unwavering advocates for Jesus in a world that exhibits increasing intolerance for Him and His followers. He sets standards that dare believers to give all, to drop their nets and follow Jesus.
Randall Murphree, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is editor of AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association.
