Here
in Minnesota, it is not only Mother’s Day this weekend, but the opening of the
fishing season. This is not only a beloved pastime, but a sacred tradition in
the “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” Needles to say, many are heading out on the water and gathering along the banks.
We,
as Christians, have been called to fishing. Jesus invites us to join Him on the
world’s greatest fishing expeditions of all time….fishing for people. Mark 1:16-20 is the Gospel story that
unfolds along the shores of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus comes upon Simon and
Andrew casting their nets into the water to begin their day of fishing.
We
are not sure how long Jesus stood there watching before engaging the two
brothers in conversation, but He broke His silence by saying, in verse 17, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” They must
have gotten the message and knew exactly what he meant, because their response
in verse 18, was, “they immediately left their nets and
followed him.”
Above
all that we do….prayer, reading and studying the Bible, service, obedience, and
worship, I will say the greatest thing we must do (in addition to all that) is
follow Jesus. When Jesus said “follow me” it was more than a commanding
statement, but a loving invitation to be with Him and to go with Him in order
to become like Him.
Most
importantly, by following Jesus, we will be empowered and equipped to fulfill
the “great commission” of Matthew
28:16-20, to “Go and make disciples
of all the nations.” Jesus promised that if we would follow Him intimately,
He would help us to become fishers of people. That is, Jesus would ensure our
fruitfulness of leading others to Jesus. We have the ability and capability of
helping others to find salvation in Jesus.
That
phrase, “I will make you become…” does
not mean that Jesus would wave a magic wand and “poof” you are automatically a
well-equipped, full-fledged disciple “ready to go.” No! Not at all! Notice
Jesus said that He would make you “become” a great disciple. “Becoming” a
disciple implies there is a “gradual process of training” to grow into being a
disciple. It will come with time, study, learning, doing, and being.
Just
like you would never pass your college courses if you never bothered to attend
class, the same is true in growing as a Christian and being able to lead others
to Christ. You can read, study, attend Church, pray and many other “religious”
faith-based things, but if you don’t invest it in a relationship with Jesus,
all those activities cannot take root and grow or flourish as it was intended.
What
we learn and store in our brain is wonderful, but it must go further by being
cultivated in the heart as well. The only way for this to happen is through a
close, intimate, loving relationship with Jesus. The only way to reach such a
depth of relationship is following Jesus, Himself.
Just
as the Disciples had to learn, so do we that the key component of all that we
do is grown from how deeply and closely we are following Jesus. If we truly
desire others to come to Jesus Christ, we must be following Jesus close enough
for others to see Him in us! We must be the example for others to emulate.
I’ve
heard it said, “Christ calls us, not so
much for what we are, as for what Jesus is able to make us become, if we are
prepared to obey Him.” So, I must ask where have you been most challenged
in getting closer to Jesus? What is preventing you and causing you to be
hesitant with sharing Jesus with others?
Are
you simply stuck? Have you not seen a whole lot of fruitfulness in your
ministry? Has this COVID-19 shaken your faith to the point of being anxious and
afraid? Let all these things be a measuring tool as to how closer you need to
get with Jesus. Let this awareness set you on a new course to change directions
and move closer to Jesus.
Look
to Jesus. Learn from Jesus! Be empowered by His Holy Spirit to be a stellar
angler of souls and a righteous magnet that draws people to Jesus. Let’s drop
what we’re doing and go follow Jesus!