Follow Me, And I Will Make You Fishers Of Men
Matthew 4:18-20 – “And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two Brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishermen. And He said unto them, Follow Me (the Messiah’s advent was signaled by three great words: ‘Repent,’ ‘Follow,’ and ‘Blessed’ [Mat. 5:3]), and I will make you fishers of men (the greatest Call of all). And they straightway (immediately) left their nets (their fishing business) and followed Him.” – Matthew 4:18-20
As is obvious, these Verses give to us the account of the Call of Peter and Andrew to serve as the Lord’s Disciples. However, there are some things that I want to bring out that are applicable to all Believers.
THE LORD SAW THEM
Of course, we understand that in the literal meaning of the statement, this means that the Lord physically, literally “looked” at these two men. However, it does present to us the following. Just as the Lord saw Peter and Andrew, He sees us, too. So many people think of the Lord as some impersonal deity in Heaven removed from the affairs of His Children, but that’s not the case. The Lord sees each of His Children. We are never out of the sight of the Lord.
Hebrews 4:13 tells us that “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His Sight.”
Job 34:21 says, “For His Eyes are upon the ways of man, and He sees all of his goings.”
Exodus 3:7-8 says, “And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of My People who are in Egypt and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians. . . .”
These Passages plainly tell us that not only does God see you, but He knows you, He hears you. Every day the Lord has His Eyes on you, so don’t let Satan fill your mind with the thought that the Lord doesn’t watch over you.
HE SAID UNTO THEM
Not only did the Lord “speak” to Peter and Andrew, but He speaks to us today. I don’t know how many times I have been asked, “Does God speak today?” The answer is, “Yes, He still speaks to His Children.”
The real question should be, “How does the Lord speak to us?” He speaks to us in the following manner:
He speaks to us through His Word. The Bible is God’s Word, inspired by the Holy Spirit as He Moved upon the hearts of holy men of God to write what He wanted written (II Peter 1:21). Therefore, every time you open God’s Word to read, it’s the same as God Speaking to you. That statement has one qualification to consider. If you are reading some of these modern translations, which are not word-for-word translations, or you are reading a paraphrased version of the Bible, then you are not reading God’s Word and, therefore, that version cannot speak to your heart. Make sure your Bible is a word-for-word translation of the Bible such as the King James Version (KJV) or the New American Standard Bible (NASB).
- He speaks to us through prayer. As we pray, the Spirit of God will begin to impress upon our spirits things that He wants us to know. Whatever is impressed upon your spirit will always be backed up by Scripture.
- He speaks to us through anointed preaching. As a message is being preached, the Lord, at times, will take a specific thought or statement and quicken it to your heart. At times, it may register with many in the congregation, or, at times, there may be only one person it is intended for.
- The Lord speaks to us through the Gifts of the Spirit. These are just a few of the Ways that the Lord still speaks to us today.
FOLLOW ME
This comment to Peter and Andrew meant far more than the act of following from place to place, but an immediate detachment from their present occupation and a solid attachment to the Lord Jesus Christ as their Leader. Today we, as Believers, are to follow Christ with the same loyalty and dedication, which means that we don’t allow anyone or anything to have preeminence in our life. We don’t follow denominations. We don’t follow men blindly or slavishly. We don’t follow certain doctrines, but we follow Christ.
AND I WILL MAKE
The Lord doesn’t just save us to take us to Heaven, but He wants to make something out of us. He desires to do a work in our lives, a work that will make us like Him, if we will allow it. In Revelation 3:12, we read, “Him who overcomes will I make a pillar in the Temple of My God.” In I Kings 7:13-21, the Lord uses the description of two pillars that stood in front of Solomon’s Temple. They were made of brass and when they were properly shined to a high gloss, and when the sun’s rays would shine upon them, they would bathe the front of the Temple in light. That’s what He wants to make of us, pillars that shine the Light of God’s Glory.
FISHERS OF MEN
This is the greatest calling of all! Make no mistake, the greatest calling in the world is the Call of the proclamation of the Gospel to the world. Please understand everyone is called by God to world evangelism. While only a small few, compared to the total, are called to stand in the five-fold Ministry Gifts (Eph. 4:11), the rest have a part to play in the Harvest as well. Paul, in Romans 10:13-15 bears out the parts we are to play. Some are called to preach and the rest are called to send the preacher. In effect, when you help us each month during the “Bible-thons” and “Share-a-thons,” you are becoming a “fisher of men,” and there is no higher Calling.
Are you doing your part?
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