
Followers of Him Become Fishers of Men
Matthew 4:18-22
18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”
1. The command is to FOLLOW.
The focus isn’t on WHERE we are following, the focus is on WHO we are following
“It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger, now and then, with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice.” -David Livingston
“If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?” -David Livingston
Their Response:
They lay down their nets
They leave behind the boat
The Consequence is to FISH
Share your story:
1) Your Story has three main parts. See Paul’s testimony in Acts 26:4-23.
a) Your life before Christ - Who you were, what you believed, and how you lived before we believed in Jesus. (v.9)
b) How you came to believe in Jesus – how you heard the gospel, how you realized that you needed a savior, and how you believed in Jesus. (v.12-16)
c) How Jesus has changed your life – what is different about how you live and act. (v. 19)
2) Why tell Your Story?
a) It’s Biblical – Paul tells his story both in Acts 22:3-21 and Acts 26: 4-23.
b) It’s Powerful – it happened to you, nobody can argue with it or deny it.
c) It’s Relatable – people connect to the parts of your story that are similar to their lives.
Share God’s Story:
See the 3 Circles video in our “Who’s your one?” Resources section, or take a printed copy from the lobby as you leave today