Following Jesus: Foolishness to the World, Power for Disciples

The world looks at those who follow Jesus with incomprehension. Why give up everything? Why cling to a man who died two thousand years ago? Why obey rules that seem to belong to another era? In the eyes of the world, the call of Christ looks like foolishness. Yet for those who answer it, that very invitation becomes a power that transforms life from the inside out.

In this sermon given at ICC Montreal on March 22, 2026, Pastor Kevin ANGO returns to Jesus' invitation as it runs through the whole Bible. He shows who is doing the inviting, what he offers, and why some hearts refuse while others enter into a new dynamic. The thread running through it all: the call to follow Jesus is not a simple religious option, it is a solemn invitation from the Creator himself.

Outline of the Sermon

1. A glorious sender: the one who invites you is the Creator

Before looking at those who receive the invitation, we must first look at the one who issues it. Kevin ANGO invites us to go back to the source. When you want to know who Jesus is, your first reflex should not be ChatGPT, Gemini, TikTok, or Instagram. These tools can be useful, but algorithms filter information. The source, on the other hand, does not distort anything: it is the Word.

Colossians 1:15-19 describes the one who invites. This Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. In him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities. All things were created through him and for him. He was already there before all things, and in him all things hold together.

The pastor insists: the Milky Way, Andromeda, the entire visible and invisible universe, is held together by a single person, the very one who is inviting you. The Church is his body. He alone is its head. He is the firstborn from the dead, the one in whom a new humanity begins (2 Corinthians 5:17). God decided, in his sovereignty, that all his fullness should dwell in him. Whatever you are looking for, you find it in Jesus.

The invitation is therefore solemn. This is not an ordinary man calling you, it is the Creator. And because he is the image of the invisible God, following him is a shortcut: instead of exhausting yourself chasing your own paths while believing you are heading toward the truth, you receive more than you could ever ask.

2. Many invitations, one single call

The Bible is full of invitations that Jesus addresses to different hearts:

• John 7:37, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink." This is the invitation to become a source of blessing for others.
• Matthew 4:19, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." This is the invitation to recover your true life and let yourself be transformed.
• Matthew 11:28, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." This is the invitation to lay your burdens down at the Master's feet.
• Matthew 19:21, "Go, sell what you possess... and come, follow me." This is the invitation to give the kingdom first priority.

Faced with these invitations, two types of receivers emerge: those who refuse, and those who respond.

3. The negative receivers: the trap of a hardened heart

John 1:11 puts it bluntly: "He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him." Jesus tells the same story himself in the parable of the wedding feast (Matthew 22:3-5). The king prepares the banquet, sends his servants, insists, pleads. And yet the guests walk away, one to his field, another to his business. The royal invitation leaves them completely indifferent.

Hosea 4:6 sums up the tragedy: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." This is not intellectual knowledge but an intimate knowledge, a living relationship with God.

Kevin ANGO insists: whatever reasons are given for refusing the invitation (wounds, disappointments, painful experiences), God traces it all back to the same diagnosis: a hardened heart. Jesus himself pointed this out concerning divorce (Matthew 19:8): if Moses allowed a certificate of divorce, it was because of the hardness of hearts. That certificate was a protection for the women of that time, but it acknowledged a reality: when the heart hardens, relationship becomes impossible.

To refuse the invitation is to refuse to become what the Lord is calling you to become, to refuse to possess what he is calling you to possess, to refuse to do what he is calling you to do. The pastor gives the example of David. Rejected, mistreated, forgotten by his own family, David could have given up. He did not. He did not let life's experiences poison or block his future. That is why God calls him a man after his own heart. Hearts of stone can become hearts of flesh, and that is exactly why we are together in the Church.

4. The positive receivers: two ways of responding

Among those who accept the invitation, not everyone experiences the same thing. The pastor identifies two categories.

Those who come in but function their own way. They are inside, but they want their own rules, their own shortcuts. They refuse the process of preparation, they reject correction, they move at their own pace. They belong to the group without accepting its dynamic.

Those who truly get on board. They follow the rules, they enter into the dynamic of the family, they accept being adjusted. It is this second category that Jesus calls disciples. Becoming a disciple is not simply believing or having given your life to Jesus. It is growing up. A child does not choose to be born into a family, they are welcomed into it; but growing up, taking the milk, becomes their own responsibility. We too have come to Christ, but God now expects us to grow through the Word (Matthew 4:4).

5. The markers of a true disciple

Kevin ANGO gives two concrete markers for recognizing an authentic disciple.

First marker: the disciple does not go it alone, he enters into a group dynamic. Luke 6:46 asks the question that settles the matter: "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?" You cannot call Jesus "Lord" and refuse to obey his instructions, especially the ones he gives through the leaders he places in the Church.

2 Samuel 7:10 reminds us that God gives his people a dwelling place: "I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place." When the Lord calls you, he brings you into a family. He does not let you grow up in isolation.

Proverbs 18:1 warns: "Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment." Isolating yourself weakens you, exposes you, and amounts to refusing to become what God has prepared. No one changes by staying alone in a corner. It is by rubbing shoulders with your brothers and sisters, in a department, in a ministry, in a family of disciples, that what you have received gets tested and refined.

Second marker: within the group, he does not play solo either, the goal is bigger than the position. Kevin ANGO uses the image of soccer and basketball. On a team, there are forwards, defenders, goalkeepers, playmakers, shooters. Each one has their role. But the goal remains bigger than the position: winning the match. When the goal is clear, the position becomes secondary.

The pastor quotes John Maxwell: "One is too small a number to achieve greatness." The Bible says it another way: one puts a thousand to flight, and two put ten thousand to flight (Deuteronomy 32:30). Collective synergy is essential. Yes, you must seek God personally, pray personally. But collective dynamics are part of the plan.

Key Takeaways

• The one inviting you to follow him is the Creator himself, the image of the invisible God in whom all fullness dwells (Colossians 1:15-19).
• Do not look for Jesus first on social media or through AI. Go to the source: the Word.
• Refusing the invitation is never neutral: it means refusing to become what God has prepared for you.
• Entering the Church without accepting its dynamic means staying beside the calling. A disciple does not operate solo.
• The goal of the kingdom is always bigger than your personal position or role.

Personal Application

1. Where do you go first when you want to understand something spiritual: social media, AI, or the Word? What can you change this week in that reflex?
2. Is there a specific invitation from the Lord you have received and have been putting off for a while? What is holding back your "yes"?
3. Has your heart become hardened because of a past wound? Are you ready to let God's love restore what was broken, as he did for David?
4. Are you part of a real spiritual family, or have you been operating solo for a long time? What is the first step you can take to get involved?
5. In the service or ministry where you are placed, are you seeking your own role first or the common goal? How does your posture need to change?

Verses Cited

• Colossians 1:15-19 - Christ is the image of the invisible God, all fullness dwells in him
• John 1:11 - He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him
• John 1:14 - The Word became flesh
• John 7:37 - If anyone thirsts, let him come to me
• Matthew 4:19 - Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men
• Matthew 11:28 - Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden
• Matthew 19:21 - Go, sell what you possess, then come and follow me
• Matthew 22:3-5 - The parable of the wedding guests
• Matthew 4:4 - Man shall not live by bread alone
• Luke 6:46 - Why do you call me Lord, Lord!
• Hosea 4:6 - My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge
• Proverbs 18:1 - Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire
• 2 Samuel 7:10 - A dwelling place for the people of God
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 - If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation
• Deuteronomy 32:30 - One puts a thousand to flight, two put ten thousand to flight
• Joshua 24:15 - As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord
• Psalm 133:1 - How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity

FAQ

Why does Kevin ANGO say that following Jesus is "foolishness to the world"?
Because the world does not understand the logic of the cross. To someone living without God, giving up everything for an invisible master, obeying a Word written centuries ago, submitting to a spiritual family, all of it looks absurd. Yet this "foolishness" becomes the doorway to a power that truly transforms disciples from the inside out.

What should I do when my heart has hardened because of past wounds?
The pastor reminds us that a hardened heart is a trap that keeps you from becoming who you were meant to be. But God's love restores everything. David went through rejection and mistreatment without letting those experiences poison his future, and God called him a man after his own heart. Restoration comes through the Word, through prayer, and through truly entering a spiritual family instead of staying alone with your wound.

Can someone be a disciple of Jesus without committing to a local church?
According to this sermon, no. The first marker of a true disciple is that he does not act alone but joins a group dynamic. 2 Samuel 7:10 shows that God gives his people a dwelling place, and Proverbs 18:1 warns that whoever isolates himself only seeks his own desire. Personal faith is vital, but collective synergy is part of God's plan.