There are over 30 references of Jesus encouraging people to follow him in the four Gospels alone. Following Jesus is a very important and common theme in the Bible. So what does it mean? Most see it as general abstract concept. Following him is far more than just going in the same general direction. Instead, we can learn what it means to follow Jesus by observing the child's game: "Follow the Leader"
When children play that game, they do much more than migrate in the same direction. Instead they mimic the every movement of the leader. If the Leader moves about in a zig-zag fashion, all of the the follower trail every step. If the leader skips instead of walks, all begin to skip. If the leader starts to spin and wave their arms, the followers do the same. If we are going to be followers of Jesus, we too must learn to mimic, not only his direction, but also his every characteristic and action.
Mark Weaver is currently the minister of the Clarkson church of Christ in Clarkson, Kentucky. He has spoken at several 12 Hours of Jesus events in the past.