Mark 1: 17 in the Bible records that Jesus called Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, “Come, follow me. And I will make you fishers of men.” He went a bit further and called James and John to follow Him. The four disciples were fishermen.
Many believers have no problem responding to the call of Jesus to follow Him. They know that believing in Jesus as His disciples means to follow the Lord. However, some may be a bit hesitant about winning over people like catching fish. Is it evangelism? Whether it is personal evangelism or serving as a minister, winning a person over seems to mean sharing the Gospel to lead him/her into God’s kingdom.
If Jesus’ call was focused on asking people to give up their original occupations and use their skills in sharing the Gospel, why didn’t He say to Matthew the tax collector, “Follow me. I want you to win over people like money?”
What occupations did the twelve apostles have before following Jesus? The Bible does not fully record all the information. Luke 6: 12-16 mentions that Jesus, after prayers, chose twelve apostles from among the many disciples. According to church tradition, except for Judas, all of them would later become full-time preachers. Even so, when Jesus called his disciples, the focus was on following Him, not on whether to give up one’s previous profession.
Isn’t this Jesus’ call to every believer today?
Following Jesus means getting to know Him, going where He wants to go, seeing the people He wants to see, and doing what He wants to do. Through the process, you will imitate how He treats people, say what He wants you to say, embrace His position, and live the way He wants you to live. Believers need to have a full understanding of Jesus’ life and words, and, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, communicate with the resurrected Lord constantly.
Let us encourage each other: Follow His teachings and be a faithful disciple.
(Ken, retired pastor. Ken served in 3 different churches from 1987-2020.)
