Jesus said to them, "COME with me. I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass." (Matthew 4:19) MSB.
“GO out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19) MSB.
When someone lacks control, it’s often said that such an individual only hears 'go', but that he doesn't understand 'come'. This illustration aptly summarized the situation of most Christians. Putting the two scriptures quoted above side by side, it becomes very clear that the Master, basically, gave two simple instructions to all His followers;
1. Come.
2. Go.
Now, “come with me” is a followership concept. It focuses on learning and training while “go out” is targeted at leadership. It focuses on the trained who are now being saddled with leadership responsibility to go out and train others. Jesus said, “come with me...”; and then, he said, “go out...”. We have somehow turned these simple but very vital instructions the other way around for lack of knowledge and self-centered reasons. Some people “go out” first and do the “come with me” later on when issues arise or they may choose to be doing the “go out” and “come with me” concurrently. For this simple error, we have a nation that is awash with many ministries and churches but with much unrighteousness and corruption.
Actually, an average Nigerian is fiercely independent and will prefer leading, albeit poorly, to following excellently. Not too long ago, a BBC correspondent described Nigeria as a nation of leaders (sounds good on the surface) and not a nation of followers (how do we become leaders if we are not a nation of followers?). Take the last presidential elections for instance; how many presidential candidates vied to be elected as President from the over ninety political parties registered at that time? I lost counts. Incidentally, the vast majority of those candidates were greenhorns and political neophytes who ought to be learning the ropes as interns under political veterans. But like I said earlier, Nigerians are fiercely independent people. We are leaders and not followers.
Now, should the Christian community suffer from this same illness too? There seems to be this deliberate attempt by everyone to be in the leadership role. This is killing the church and causing the church's revival to lose its cutting edge. Everywhere you turn, it's one shade of leadership conference or the other. Where are the followership conferences to help the people to be honest, loyal, focus, tenacious and happy while they are still following? Followers always outnumber leaders. Shouldn't we be making greater efforts toward followership development, or if you like, call it discipleship programs? Leadership and followership are two sides of a coin. If there are leadership skills to learn, then there must be followership skills to learn as well.
The prophetic relationship between Elijah and Elisha provides a good template to learn key followership principles. In this case, Elijah being the leader and Elisha being the exemplary follower would be our focus.
Elisha began from Gilgal:
“And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal” (2Kings 2:1).
To be a successful follower, the journey must begin at Gilgal. Gilgal is a place of freedom and liberty. Even if a man was born into Christianity, at Gilgal he will personally reestablish his relationship with God and rededicate his life. Gilgal is that place where new converts are circumcised and welcomed into the new covenant life. Gilgal is the basis of our beliefs. Those simple teachings that first introduced us to life in the spiritual. Those teachings that we revisit as we fight our early battles for reformation, trying to find our feet and putting our life in order. Gilgal is that first place of camping when one’s journey to the promise land begin. It is a place of reference. It is a place of separation, cutting, bleeding and healing. It is a place of definite decision. A man without a definite starting point will most likely fall by the way side. A man whose followership did not begin at Gilgal may not be big on loyalty. At the slightest ‘provocation’, he may find another leader to attach himself to and then begin another journey without the Gilgal experiences.
Elisha was at the place of His presence:
“And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel” (2Kings 2:2).
Bethel is a place of power. It is a place of prayer and enquiry of things from God. It is a place of revelation. Bethel is the house of God and the gate of Heaven. It speaks of God’s presence. Bethel is a place where desire to know God more will be birthed. Encounters and transformations happen at Bethel. It is that place where God teaches our hands for war and fingers for battle. Here, a follower will see things. He will see the heavens open. He will see God’s angels ministering to him. It is also a place of marks. Unlike Elisha, most followers stop following from this point. What else does he need after all? He has learnt the art of prevailing prayer. He sees things and he is kind of marked now with a touch of God. This stage of followership comes with a huge temptation to think that one can stand alone or even start a ministry. Wise followers should be wary of this pitfall.
Elisha survived Jericho:
“And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho” (2Kings 2:4).
Jericho is a place of raw spiritual warfare and inexplicable victory. Jericho represents miracles and healings. Hardened sinners are won over for God at Jericho. It is a place where the power and revelation gifts become very prominent. A place where the captain of the host of the Lord comes out to assist in battle. Jericho is a place of deliverance. Jericho is a place of learning to walk by faith and not by sight. It is a realm of unwavering trust in God. At Jericho, a follower will witness raw power of God at work. If he hitherto has had any doubt about his master’s ministry, such will be perished at Jericho. It will feel as though Jericho is the climax because the exploit at Jericho will be published and noised far and near. Followers who survived Bethel hardly survive Jericho. Jericho is a moment of glory and many followers become entitled and push for more recognition. Only the Elishas survive Jericho.
Elisha dare to cross
“And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on” (2Kings 2:6).
Jordan is a place of no return! It is a place of crossing to the other side. A place where all personal ambitions are perished. Jordan is the final hurdle to the promised land. Jordan demonstrates the laying down of our lives. It is a place of willingness to lose one’s life for His sake (Matthew 10:39). Jordan is that place where even the sons of the prophets “stood to view afar off” (2Kings 2:7). Jordan is a place where only the Elishas who stayed absolutely loyal to their Elijahs cross into. Only dogged loyalist who served without an iota of ulterior motive dare to cross over to Jordan. The sons of the prophets dwell at Bethel and Jericho but the dwelling place for elite prophets is across Jordan!
Elisha demonstrated unflinching loyalty and acquired a servant's heart by knowing and following the unspoken wishes of God and the man He put over him. Without this qualities, no one can effectively follow and ultimately serve as God's representative. One last thing. Never be fooled into thinking that it is the job of your discipler or mentor to pursue you all around. If this happens, it only shows how unserious you are. As the biblical account about Elijah and Elisha reveals, Elisha's success was found in his relentless pursuit of Elijah and his determination to follow him to a logical end.
By: G. O. Philip Bamiteko
