Thank you for joining today as we seek God’s wisdom together. Let us begin with prayer.
“Lord Jesus, I ask that you search our hearts and see if there be anything wicked in them. We ask that your Holy Spirit show us what you are saying to us today. I ask that the words on this page would jump out to us as you speak to our hearts and minds truth and life. In Jesus name, Amen.”
Matthew 4: 18-25 NASB
“Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19And He *said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of people.” 20Immediatelythey left their nets and followed Him. 21Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets; and He called them. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.”
What the Word is Saying
This passage of scripture highlights the forming of Jesus’ disciples. Contrary, to what was customary at the time Jesus chooses His disciples. Rather than the disciples choosing to follow a teacher. I think the most obvious reason for this is the backgrounds of those He chose. These were not the intellectual, spiritual, or philosophical elite that one would expect the Heir to the throne to select. Rather, these were fishermen and common folk who had a heart that thirsted after God.
Matthew gives us the first four chosen, of which three (Peter, James, and John) would be His closest disciples. Andrew was the fourth and the brother of Peter, but He was not in the inner circle like the other three were. Matthew makes a point to emphasize the immediacy in which the four responded to Jesus’ call. Peter and Andrew dropped their nets and followed Him. James and John left their nets and their Father and followed Him. We are not told of previous experience with Jesus by the four of them. Some have presumed they knew of Him from the Baptism He had with John. One might assume that His Fame had begun to flow through the small community. Imagine a man from Nazareth comes to town speaking of the Kingdom of God. Certainly, His name would be talked about in the circles of the community. Maybe they even had heard Him speak. Regardless, it is important to notice that when Jesus called, they did not hesitate and immediately followed him. Perhaps, in reading this you feel as though Jesus is calling you to follow Him. Do not hesitate to answer the call immediately.
If you have not received Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I implore you to do so now. All He asks for is for you to accept the free gift He gave you. Therefore, humble yourself and acknowledge that Jesus is Lord of all. He alone is all powerful and you submit to His authority. Next you must believe He did what He did. That is; die on a cross and rise again from the dead. These are both actions of faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for with evidence not seen. Meaning you believe even though you don’t have physical evidence to prove it. I know you made it to this page for a reason and the Holy Spirit is working on your heart. The Father has drawn you and He alone can reveal to you the truth of what I am saying. I know that He is now, and you need to take a step of faith and pray these words with me.
Right where you are; say these words out loud: “Jesus I confess that you are Lord of all, I yield my will to your will for you are greater than me. I believe you came to this world and lived a sinless life; I believe you suffered and died on cross for my sins, I believe they put your lifeless body in a tomb, and three days later you rose from the dead. I confess to you that I am a sinner and ask you to forgive me. I also ask that you send me your Holy Spirit to give me power to live a sanctified life and to lead me into all truth. In Jesus name, Amen.”
If you prayed that prayer, I urge you to contact us here so that we might come beside you and hold you up in prayer as you begin your journey with Jesus. I assure you that we have all been where you are. We may have committed different sins, but we are just as guilty, nonetheless. We all needed forgiveness and someone else supported us as we began our Journey with Him.
Thank you for joining me today as we searched the scriptures for What the Word is Saying. I pray that God will send His Holy Spirit into our lives anew and fill us again with His love and His purpose for us. So that we can fulfill the mission He left us in bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.
“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB (New American Standard Bible) Copyright 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” lockman.org.
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