Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men. (Mark 1:17)
There is a striking honesty about Jesus’ call. When he calls us to come follow him, it’s never to come do something he isn’t already doing, nor is it to come be something he isn’t already himself. His call to all who would follow him is a calling to himself ‒ to come and be what he is, to come and do what he does. If Jesus had been a general, he would have called these first followers to become soldiers. If he had been a scholar, he would have recruited them to his school. But Jesus’ interest in people is not military or academic; he wants people’s hearts. He wants to cast a net into the world and draw as many people to himself as he can, and he invites his followers to come join him in this endeavor.
In Matthew 13, Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven as a net that is cast into the sea (vv. 47-50). His business is to fish for souls, and his business is our business, for he calls us to be and do what he is and does. That’s the ultimate purpose of “ministry” (not “professional” ministry, but ministry as in the “works of service” expected of every member of the body ‒ Eph. 4:12), to reach into the oceans of the world full of floundering souls and draw them to Christ. He doesn’t need people who are skilled, or smart, or attractive. He needs people who will simply follow him and let him make them become like himself. This business of “making disciples” is just that: Becoming like Jesus and letting him use us to make others like him too.
- The Church in Sin City - February 23, 2023
- 1-23-22 Sunday Service Update - January 22, 2022
- Looking Forward to the 75th Anniversary - August 31, 2021
