Matthew 4:18-20
And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
One of the newer trends on social media is internet challenges. These challenges range from intricate dance steps, creative food recipes, physical strength demonstrations to mischievous and dangerous acts that no one should be doing. But for some reason challenges are captivating the hearts and minds of young people today. Well, I have a challenge that everyone can participate in. It’s not dangerous, mischievous or illegal. It’s called the Discipleship Challenge.
While we’ve undoubtedly read, studied, preached and taught from Matthew 4 dozens of times, I can only wonder have we adequately taken the challenge seriously. I mean, it’s one thing to follow Jesus up and down the street, and another to actually become true fishers of men. The inference in the invitation of Christ to his followers was (and is), imitating him will transform you into a fisher of men. The process is a bit more complex than simply showing up. Just like regular fishing, there’s work to do to accomplish the task. The fish don’t just walk up out the water to dry land, or jump into your boat. In other words, fish don’t catch themselves. To the extent fishing (discipling) is not our primary concern, we can deduce we’ve made a wrong turn here or there. If we’re not fishing, we’re not following.
In a recent meeting with my good brother Rev. Reggie, I discovered he was a fisherman. I also enjoy fishing, so I engaged him in a discussion, but quickly realized I was in deep water (pun intended). You see, Rev. Reggie is a true angler, and I’m just a recreational bystander holding a fishing rod.
Now, if you saw both of us, you would think we were both experienced and skilled fishermen. He has a rod and I have a rod. He has bait and I have bait. Look in his bucket and he’s caught some fish. Look in my bucket and I caught some fish. So what’s the difference? Well, I’m glad you asked.
Rev. Reggie has developed expert knowledge of the fish he’s looking for. He knows where they swim and how they swim. He knows the season they come out, the bait they like, and the lores they will be attracted to. He has pertinent information and advanced analytics on the makeup and demeanor of the prey he’s looking to capture. This gives him a decidedly significant advantage in meeting his goal. So when he gets a catch he knows exactly what he has and how to prepare it for future use.
Me in the other hand...I’m what you call, a recreational fisherman. I pay to go out on a party boat. The captain of the boat finds a spot where fish are swimming, provides the poll, bait, lores and anything else we need. We look like we know what we’re doing but in reality, we catch whatever hits our line. Sometimes it’s sharks, blow fish, puffers and other inedible creatures. Generally we don’t even takes the fish home to eat. The activity was for recreation, not sustenance. Now, if you’re only interested in having a good time, come with me. But if your goal is truly to feed your family and have a nutritious meal, Rev. Reggie is your guy.
The same principle applies to our challenge this morning. To the extent we just want to jump, shout and have a good time, exclusively fellowshipping with one another fits the bill. But if there are a few that want to truly demonstrate we are followers of Jesus, there’s work to be done.
So here’s the challenge. Select 12 people that you know. People you have on your heart or have a fondness for. And for the next 52 weeks, join me and make a commitment to send a weekly message of love, inspiration, devotion or prayer to your 12. These people can be anyone you feel may need or appreciate some love, encouragement and support.
Once you’ve done that send me your name to add to my list of 12. I will be sending you what God has on my heart for you. Together we will help each other transform into the best fisher of men the world has ever seen…since Jesus!
Email me at: praywithmenow@gmail.com
God bless
