Witnessing
“And He saith unto them,
Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19).
The first thing that Jesus
did when He entered into His public ministry in Galilee was to preach and call people
to repent. His second act was to band together a few men who would do likewise.
We are told: "He ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that
he might send them forth to preach" (Mark 3:14).
Galilee was a remote part of
the nation and those who lived there were less cultured and refined than those
who served in Herod's court or among the Pharisees of Jerusalem. They had sort
of a broad, country accent and were easily identified in Jerusalem. Their
speech betrayed them.
Jesus was walking near the
sea one day and saw two fishermen casting their nets into the sea. In that
setting to those two unlikely men, rough hewn, un-educated working men he threw
out a challenge that still rings through the corridors of time. "Follow me
and I will make you fishers of men."
Try to imagine their
reaction. Were they startled? Surprised? Frightened? Overjoyed? What if the
Lord Jesus were to come to you today with the same challenge. What would your
reaction be? Would you begin to make excuse? Why me, Lord! I am not well
educated. I am not cultured and refined. I am a plain person, I work for a
living, I'm a laborer or a businessman.
Would any of those excuses
mean a thing? No, of course not. Because that's exactly who Jesus was talking
to: men who were employed in business, accustomed to the hazards and hardships
of their trade. So let us set aside the smoke screen of excuses and take a
good, long, hard look at what the call of Christ is all about. In these words
is a command and a request. The command is to follow Christ now. What does that
entail? What is involved?
First of all, let's be clear
about one thing. He did not say "listen to me," but "follow
me." Far more is involved than just hearing and knowing what He wants. It
means having his love, concern and compassion flowing through our lives. It
means taking the same view toward sin and worldliness that He took.
In other words, it means to
be like Him, to have the mind of Christ. How can we do that? How can we be
conformed more and more into His image? There are two key words that give the
answer: fellowship and obedience. By these means we are transformed more and
more into His image, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
What is the result of all
this? The answer is thrilling. He will make us fishers of men. He will do it.
Christ Himself will undertake the training to make our lives channels of His
love and redemption to a lost world.
Do you want that? Of course
you do! Be assured of this fact. Whatever your occupation is, Jesus wants us to
follow Him and be involved with Him in reaching others with the Gospel.
This vital Bible verse is
just one of 60 carefully selected scriptures that are contained in the
Navigators Scripture Memory course. If you want to
memorize Scripture, but aren't sure what to memorize or how to get started,
this is exactly what you need. The Topical Memory System includes memory verse cards in four different Bible versions -
NIV, KJV, NASB, NKJV. Topics include all of the basics of the Christ-centered
Spirit-filled life, sharing your faith, and growing on to maturity in your walk
with God. May God bless you as you fill your life with His Word.
© Copyright 2002, LeRoy Eims