Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Fishers of Men - Matthew 4:19

Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."

After Jesus' baptism and being filled with the Holy Spirit, and after He had been tempted in every way, He began His ministry by calling men to join Him - men He would disciple and who would later shake the world for God. Jesus' call is simple and applicable to every Christian today.

1. Jesus calls us to follow Him
"Follow Me," were His words. We are to follow Christ, and follow Him exclusively. That means we are not to follow other men or our own inclinations. Neither are we to follow the lure of comfort, wealth and position. We are to follow Him and Him alone.

2. Jesus makes us fishers of men
Jesus said, "I will make you..." That means it is not us who make ourselves fishers of men. We don't become evangelists by studying or getting a certificate, nor do we do so by undergoing a course or by practice. It is Jesus and Jesus alone who makes us fishers of man. The only personal effort required on our part is to "follow Him". When we do, He will make us fishers of men.

3. Following Jesus means being fishers of men
Jesus' command to follow Him is a command, not an option. All Christians are called to follow our Lord. If we are following Christ, and if He is the one who makes us fishers of men as we follow Him, the question for us is naturally: "Are we being fishers of men?" Because we cannot say we are followers of Christ if we are not fishers of men, since that is what He makes His followers into. May the Lord help us to see that our priority is to follow Him, and that to follow Him is to be fishers of men.

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