I am a sucker for any TV series that has anything to do with solving crime, adventure, behavior analysis or has political overtones. Some of my favorite shows through the years have been “24,” “Law & Order” and “Criminal Minds.” These shows get your mind and heart racing. Shows such as these also have allowed me to get a unique perspective on human nature. They tend to show the consequences of how sinful the human heart is and how if left unchecked terrible things can happen. This past winter, a new show really caught my attention: “The Following.”

“The Following” centers on a serial killer and a group of people he has convinced to act as acolytes and continue killing for him while he is locked up in prison. It is amazing the dynamic tension that has been created between the killer and his following. These followers are completely loyal to John Carroll and will die for him if the occasion presents itself. As the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) tries to pinpoint the next move of these followers, they try to get inside the head of the killer who is in a Maximum Security Prison. One of the FBI agents is brought out of retirement to shed light on this killer because he was the one who captured him eight years prior. They think if they can understand the mind of this killer, they might be able to predict the next move of his followers. As I watched this show, I could not help but think about how this contrasts with how the world views the church and Christians.

The world has developed a view of Christ based on the behavior of His followers. The world assumes that if the followers of Christ act in a particular way, Jesus must be the same way. I can see how the world might think that way. If the world only hears what we as followers are against, the world never knows what we are for as Christians. The world has developed a skewed few of the One we follow. We as followers do a poor job carrying out the mission that was left for us to undertake. In order to be good followers, we must get a clear picture of the message and mission that must be carried out and not waver from that mission. We must be willing to give ourselves fully to the mission of the One we follow without any regard for our own need and well-being.

In “The Following,” acolytes will do whatever it takes to make sure the mission is fulfilled. No obstacle is too big for them to overcome to accomplish their mission.

The other concept that really struck me is they wanted to make sure the one they follow knew their devotion and how much they believed in the mission. In one episode, a follower wanted make sure Joe knew he did everything he could do to make things work. He wanted Joe to know he did his best. When he felt he had completed his mission, although he failed, he killed himself rather than live with the knowledge that he had failed the one he followed. It seems as if the acolytes the killer has found to follow him almost have had their souls invaded and are so drawn to him that they cannot help but be obedient to him. How would the world look if every believer followed Christ with such reckless abandon?

When we hear the call to follow Christ, it is more than just a physical or mental decision to follow Him. In Matthew 4:19, we see that when Jesus called His disciples, it was a request to follow a Rabbi and Teacher. In the Jewish culture, young men studied the law and prophets. Periodically, they interviewed with rabbis to see if they had what it took to be disciples. There were several stages a young man would go through to see if he had the right stuff. If he passed the test, he would follow the rabbi and take on his yoke or teaching. If he did not pass the test, he would be encouraged to take on the trade of his father. The fisherman Jesus called on the shore in Galilee had failed their tests. They were working in the trade of their fathers. So when the Rabbi came and said, “Follow Me,” they left all to follow. They realized He saw the right stuff within them. This was a physical following. Peter later would be called to an inward following.

In John 20:22, we see the resurrected Jesus talking with His disciples and giving them a blessed gift. He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This was a down payment of what was going to happen at Pentecost. They were sealed and filled with the Holy Spirit at that moment, just as we are the moment we commit our lives to Christ. When the Holy Spirit was given to them, it was an invasion of the soul. It invaded the very core of their being. An invasion is a military offensive consisting of all or large parts of the armed forces of one geopolitical entity aggressively entering territory controlled by another such entity, generally with the objective of conquering, liberating or reestablishing control or authority over a territory, forcing the partition of a country, altering the established government or gaining concessions from said government, or a combination thereof. An invasion can be the cause of a war, be used as a part of a larger strategy to end a war, or it can constitute an entire war in itself. Due to the large scale of the operations associated with invasions, they usually are planned and executed strategically. This particular invasion ended the war between God and man. God strategically planned this invasion before the foundations of the world. We have been liberated from the power and bondage of sin. Our relationship has been restored.

Jesus later restored Peter by asking him a series of questions to check Peter’s motives. Earlier in the Book of John, Peter vowed to give his life to follow Christ, but later denied Him. Peter was quick to commit the flesh to something it was not capable of doing. After Peter and been broken and came to the end of himself, he realized that apart from Christ he could do nothing. After the Holy Spirit was given and Peter was restored, Jesus gave a command that He also gives us today. In John 21:19, Jesus commanded Peter: “Follow Me.”

Apart from the Holy Spirit, we cannot truly follow Christ. We must inwardly be broken and surrender daily to the Spirit in order to fully follow Christ. We must allow ourselves to be invaded by the Holy Spirit. If you have not yet surrendered to Christ, let 2013 be the year of invasion. May Christ invade all that you endeavor in the coming year. Let the invasion begin and follow the One and true Savior Jesus Christ.