INTRO
Good morning family!
It’s great to be with you today. We’ve been diving deep into the book of Acts for some time now, looking at the early church and all the amazing things that happened after Jesus ascended into Heaven. But today, let’s take a step back for a moment. Let’s rewind a bit—back to the beginning (a beginning at least), back to when it all started.
As Jesus traveled throughout Israel, calling people to repentance and faith, there was one phrase he repeated over and over: “Follow me.” It was the very first thing he said to his disciples—“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Later, as the crowds gathered in full force, he laid out what that truly meant: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34). And near the very end of his earthly ministry, after Peter’s failure and restoration, Jesus said it again: “Follow me” (John 21:19).
But have you ever really stopped to think about what that means? What it means for your life? It’s so easy to just hear the words and move on. But there is such depth to these two simple words. Following Jesus isn’t just about agreeing with his teachings or admiring his life—it’s a call to something deeper, something greater, something that shapes our choices, our priorities, and our purpose.
So, what does it mean to follow Jesus?
Now, I want you to hold that thought as we jump back into Acts. We’re going to see the same call, the same challenge, and the same commitment to follow Jesus, no matter what it costs. Let’s talk about what it really means to follow Jesus, and what that looked like for those first disciples... and what it means for us today.
A HIGHER CALL TO OBEDIENCE
What does it mean to follow Jesus?
Following Jesus means a higher call to obedience.
As our passage of Acts this morning starts out, “all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade” (Acts 5:12).
This was the world’s first megachurch. No seriously. At Pentecost we read that 3,000 are added to their number. Then in the last chapter 5,000. Whether that is meant to be cumulative meaning that 3,000 had now become 5,000 or additive in the since that there were now 8,000 believers or more is uncertain. To add to the confusion, is this counting everyone or just heads of households? Could the actual number be much higher? They were gathering together in a place that could have held 30 to 50,000 people, some scholars have even thrown out a number like 250,000 people could fit in Soloman’s Colonnade or Porch.
Their numbers were certainly not that large. But what was the population of Jerusalem at the time? 20,000? 80,000? Most likely somewhere in the middle–40,000 perhaps. That’s almost a quarter (25%) of the city gathering regularly in this early Church.
And as this crowd gathers, we get a strange two verses which seem to contradict one another. Verse 13 starts off, “13 But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them.” Then verse 14 comes in, “14 Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women” (Acts 5:13-14).
Which was it? Did no one dare join them? Or were more and more people added to their number daily? It seems like a contradiction, but it’s not.
The story of Ananias and Saphira had spread not just among believers, but throughout the city. There was a strong understanding of what it cost to be a Christian. That it was no light or insignificant thing to decide to follow Jesus.
It was a serious commitment, as we still see to this day in places like Japan. I had a professor who spent 20 years as a missionary in Japan. He would talk about how slow the work is there, not because people don’t respond but because they understand what it means to say yet to Jesus. Saying yes to Jesus in Japan means saying no to your family and your culture.
In Japan much of Japanese culture and community activity revolves around the shrines and household gods of the family. To say yes to Jesus means saying no to participating as a member of the family. And so people respond favorably to the gospel and then after two years of discipleship they might make a commitment to follow Jesus. They understand the cost in a way that many of us in this cultural context do not.
In the first years of the Church, Christians had a great reputation among the people. As we’ll see next week, they took such good care of people inside and outside the Church that they gained a reputation that put the Romans to shame.
The Roman Emperor Flavius Claudius Julianus felt that Christians even gave the Roman government a bad reputation. He said, “Those Christians, take better care of Romans who are in need than we do. They not only take care of their own, but they care for any Roman, Christian or not.”
They had a stellar reputation, but people stood at a distance, unable to join for fear of the depth of the call that Christianity brought.
In our culture what that means many times in churches across the country is that we lower the bar to allow more people to join–to make it more palatable for the people of our time to have a smooth onramp into faith.
In the early church, following Jesus wasn’t casual—it was costly. The story of Ananias and Sapphira shows that God wasn’t lowering the bar; He was raising it. And yet, even with the weight of such holiness, the church grew. Jesus didn’t call people to an easy path but to take up their cross, lose their lives for His sake, and follow Him. The commitment was real, and the call to obedience was absolute.
Following Jesus means a higher call to obedience. It means I surrender everything. I surrender all. All to Jesus, I surrender. I lay my very life at His feet.
The bar is not lowered, it is set higher and still the Church grew.
Put Him in charge of your life and let Him make every decision for you. We’re talking about full surrender to Jesus—not just believing in Him, but actually allowing Him to lead every part of your life. It means recognizing that Jesus isn’t just our Savior—He’s also our Lord. That means we don’t just follow Him when it’s convenient or when we agree with Him. We trust Him enough to guide our decisions, shape our priorities, and direct our steps, even when it’s hard or doesn’t make immediate sense to us.
We say Jesus, take the wheel! And that about completely exhausts my references to country music of any kind.
We choose obedience.
It’s not always easy, and it won’t always be popular, but we choose the Lordship of Christ. That’s what it means to follow Jesus.
TRUSTING IN THE BIGNESS OF GOD
What does it mean to follow Jesus?
Following Jesus means trusting in the bigness of God.
Verse 17, “17 The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, 20 “Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!” 21 So at daybreak the apostles entered the Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching” (Acts 5:17-21).
When the apostles were thrown in prison, an angel set them free and told them to go back and preach—knowing full well it would likely lead to more trouble. Yet they obeyed, because they trusted in the greatness of God more than they feared the power of men. Their confidence wasn’t in their safety but in the One who holds all things in His hands.
The disciples are not found hiding.
The church must be visible. It must be seen. It must be felt.
The persecuted/underground church doesn’t grow like a wildfire because they are hiding. It grows because they are bold, knowing full well what it will cost them.
Fifty years ago, being a Christian in Iran meant you were part of a small, insignificant ethnic group who had existed for centuries. Then, in 1979, the Islamic Revolution, Sharia law was put in place, and persecution greatly intensified. It’s illegal to own a Bible in Farsi, illegal to share the gospel, and illegal to gather as a church. Christian leaders are arrested, interrogated, and imprisoned. Some have even been sentenced to death. The Iranian government refuses to acknowledge that Iranian converts to Christianity even exist.
And yet, here’s what no one expected: The church in Iran is growing faster than ever. Some estimate there may be over a million new believers. Despite the crackdowns, house churches are springing up all over the country.
It’s growing because everyday believers are sharing their faith one conversation at a time. They’re discipling each other and building communities that refuse to be silenced.
Persecution was supposed to eliminate Christianity in Iran. Instead, it’s become the catalyst for one of the fastest-growing churches in the world.
The apostles weren’t fearless because they were reckless. They were fearless because they knew the One they followed. They had seen the power of God, and they trusted that nothing—no prison cell, no beating, no threat—could stop His plan.
Following Jesus means trusting in the bigness of God.
The Church is meant to be seen. It’s meant to be felt. It’s meant to be visible. Here’s a question I remember being asked in various churches I have attended over the years of my life: If Mountainside closed up shop, would the community even notice? Shouldn’t we be so involved in the lives of those around us that our loss would be felt if we suddenly disappeared? We’ve got some work to do.
PEOPLE ARE SMALL
What does it mean to follow Jesus?
Following Jesus means people are small.
There’s that book. I’ve read some of it. I haven’t finished it though. “When People are Big and God is Small”. The apostles reverse that throughout the book of Acts. They live life with a big God surrounded by a bunch of small people. This is a statement against fear of man.
Verse 28, “28 ‘We gave you strict orders never again to teach in this man’s name!’ he said. ‘Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him, and you want to make us responsible for his death!’” Peter doesn’t shut up about the fact that the religious leaders killed Jesus. You think he would have learned that that makes them angry. “29 But Peter and the apostles replied, ‘We must obey God rather than any human authority’” (Acts 5:28-29).
They lived life with a big God, which made all the people around them very small in comparison.
I’m pretty sure I’ve shared this story from John Lennox with you all before. He’s a brilliant guy, a mathematician, a professor of mathematics at Oxford University, and an outspoken voice for God in the world of academia. Back when he was in university, one of his professors pulled him aside at a department event at the beginning of the semester. The professor warned him that if he kept talking about Jesus, his career was over. He actually sat him in a chair and surrounded him with a few other professors. They threatened him. But Lennox just looked at him and said, “What are you offering me that’s better than Jesus?” The professor didn’t have an answer. So Lennox made up his mind—I’m sticking with Jesus.
The apostles were told to stop preaching, they were arrested, beaten, and warned again—but they couldn’t stop. Why? Because they had something way bigger than what the world could offer.
It is the unknowing wisdom of Gamaliel, “If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God!” (Acts 5:38-39).
We may face these same pressures today. The pressure to stay silent. The pressure to compromise. The pressure to hold a private faith which is ineffective to the world around us. Is there anything better than Jesus? No, nothing compares. And so, like the apostles, like Lennox, and like countless others, we press on. We endure. We stick with Jesus.
When commanded to stop preaching, Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” They knew that no human authority, no earthly threat, could stand against the purposes of God.
I’m loving Hebrews chapter 13 lately. In verse 5 it says, “He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6).
Their faith wasn’t swayed by opposition because they knew who truly held power.
Following Jesus means people are small.
EXPECTING BIG THINGS
What does it mean to follow Jesus?
Following Jesus means expecting big things and being faithful with the small.
The early church saw miracles. People believed that even Peter’s shadow might bring healing. Verse 15 says, “15 As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. 16 Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed.” (Acts 5:15-16)
Interestingly enough, it doesn’t ever say that Peter’s shadow ever healed any of them. But they were healed nonetheless as they gathered in faith that this big God could do big things.
This wasn’t about Peter—it was about a God who moves in power.
Jesus had already told them, “12 I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! (John 14:12-14).
They walked in that expectation, knowing that God was still at work.
And that’s where we find ourselves today. We’re praying, we’re waiting, and we’re expecting God to move—not just in stories from the past, not just in places far away, but right here, right now, in our church, in our community, in our lives. God has not grown weak with time. He is just as powerful today as He was in the book of Acts. The same God who healed the sick, set captives free, and emboldened His church to stand firm in the face of persecution is the same God we serve today. So we pray with expectation, we step forward in faith, and we trust that He is still doing big things.
Following Jesus means expecting big things and being faithful with the small.
PERSECUTION IS NOT THE EXCEPTION
What does it mean to follow Jesus?
Following Jesus means that persecution is not the exception.
Persecution is to be expected.
In the first weeks of this series, I shared a video of a friend of mine—a church leader in Uzbekistan. He once told me the story of a woman who had recently become a Christian. Their church had a strategy: new believers were discipled for at least two years before joining the larger fellowship because too many times, someone had faked a conversion just to betray the church to the police.
This woman had been a believer for about two years when the entire church—including my friend—was arrested. They were dragged into interrogation rooms, beaten, and threatened. My friend, as you may remember from his testimony, has severe asthma, so the officers chain-smoked and blew smoke directly into his face. Finally, after enduring all of this, they were released with heavy fines.
But this new believer, after all of it—after the arrest, the beatings, and the intimidation—turned to the others and said, “That’s it? That’s what persecution is? That’s what I’ve heard you all talk about for the past two years? That’s all they’ve got? We can endure that! God is so much greater than this light and momentary suffering.”
Don’t misunderstand me. When the disciples were beaten by the Sanhedran. It hurt. It hurt bad! The word used has the idea of being skinned, which probably means they were whipped severely. But their suffering seemed small because their Jesus was so big. In fact, they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus. “41 The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus” (Acts 5:41).
Persecution is not an exception but a natural consequence of faith.
Jesus Himself said, “A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). Following Jesus doesn’t mean avoiding suffering; it means embracing the cost, knowing He is worth it.
Our suffering will not compare to the rejoicing that awaits us. Paul reminds us in Romans 8, "18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are" (Romans 8:18-19).
The trials we endure now are temporary, but the reward is eternal. The apostles understood this—they left the Sanhedrin rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus. Persecution does not hinder the gospel, it is instead confirmation that they were walking in the footsteps of our Savior.
Following Jesus means that persecution is not the exception.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FOLLOW JESUS?
So we press on, not weighed down by fear, but strengthened by the certainty that our God is greater. The same God who sustained the apostles, the persecuted church, and every believer who has counted the cost—He is the same God who walks with us today.
So, what does it mean to follow Jesus?
It means a higher call to obedience. It means trusting in the bigness of God. It means people are small. It means expecting God to do big things and being faithful with the little. It means that persecution is not the exception.
For the apostles, it wasn’t a one-time decision—it was a daily commitment. From the beginning of Acts 5, we see that following Jesus was their way of life, something they lived out every day. And even after they were beaten and threatened, that didn’t change. The chapter closes with these words:
"42 And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah." (Acts 5:42)
Every day, they kept going. Every day, they obeyed. Every day, they trusted in the bigness of God, refused to fear man, expected God to move, and embraced the cost of following Christ.
That’s what it means to follow Jesus. It’s not just believing in Him—it’s living for Him. Every day.
And it led Peter to write these words later in his life to encourage others, to encourage us as well to endure and rejoice with boldness as they did.
“12 Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. 13 Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.
14 If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. 15 If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs. 16 But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name!” (1 Peter 4:12-16).
PRAYER/RESPONSE
Take a few moments to pray silently. If you would like someone to pray with you, a few of us will be standing and ready to pray alongside you. Ask God to reveal the depth of His call to follow Him, to show you where you may have compromised or given your devotion to other things. Seek His grace to renew your commitment and follow Him wholeheartedly as your Lord and Savior.
Resources (*the views expressed within the following content are solely the author's and may not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Mountainside Church):
Christian Post - 10 Reasons why Jesus is the big story for everyone's story
C.S. Lewis Institute - Following Jesus Christ
The world's fastest growing church
Phone: (828) 202-9143
Email: hello@mcboone.com