I read a refreshing Facebook post from my friend Stuart Green and it said - "Follow Me, and I will make you" - successful? comfortable? happy? free? a bible scholar? a preacher? nope - "fishers of men". That is what Jesus said, huh? Let's work with it a bit. Jesus said many many times for his disciples to follow him, here are some familiar ones...
Matt 8:22 But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me , and let the dead bury their own dead."
Matt 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me .
Matt 19:21 Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me ."John 12:26 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me ; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
We've worked these verses over in Sunday School and have decided that basically what it means to follow Jesus is to live a good Christian life. But if Jesus is the master and we are the followers (the disciples) shouldn't Jesus decided what He makes us in to? And Jesus says that what He makes of His followers is fishers of men. So what exactly is that?
I've got a friend name Ricky. He is a "hunter of wild pigs". He knows where the pigs are, he knows how to catch them, and he catches them all the time. He even will take you out to catch 'em if you don't know how. It's like that being a fisher of men. You know where they are, you know how to catch them and do it all the time. And you will even take your friend out if they don't know how.
Being a missionary where you are is simply being a fisher of men. It is simply looking out for people who need Jesus. It is being aware of the Jesus moment in every life, everywhere, all the time. It is being ready at all times to give an answer for the hope that is within you. And you say, "O man that is scary and hard" or "that's for somebody else, not me".
Nope, for each of you who are following Him, that's who He is making you into.
How's He doing?
BC
Matt 8:22 But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me , and let the dead bury their own dead."
