Follow Him
Matthew 4:18-22
18 As Yeshua walked by Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), he saw two brothers who were fishermen — Shim‘on (Simon), known as Kefa (Peter), and his brother Andrew — throwing their net into the lake. 19 Yeshua said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men!” 20 At once they left their nets and went with him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers — Ya’akov Ben-Zavdai (James, son of Zebedee) and Yochanan (John) his brother — in the boat with their father Zavdai (Zebedee), repairing their nets; and he called them. 22 At once they left the boat and their father and went with Yeshua.
The first disciples... Jesus saw them fishing, called them, and they "at once" left their nets. They "at once" left the boat and their father.
It is difficult for me to say what I would do if I was in a situation like this. Today the thoughts are that one must make sure the person you will follow is trustworthy and will not lead you into a strange situation. One must talk to the person and find out what they believe and who they really are. Rarely does someone just "up and follow" another person in an instant. Those who do are called ignorant by most people.
And yet, that is exactly what these young men did. They left "at once."
People might argue, "But it was Jesus and because it was Him they just knew from His Spirit." Yes, that probably was the case. However, if we are truly carrying the Spirit of Him inside of us, than people should want to be with us too. If we are truly like Christ than we should desire to be in community with one another and be there for one another. We should know instantly if someone is a follower of Christ and if we want to "hang out with them." And yet, we struggle. It is often difficult to know instantly like these young men did.
I also think that today too many people are following man, and not Jesus. They are becoming disciples of teachers, not disciples of Christ. This is complicated for me to write about and it is all spinning in my brain. I just hope I can write it so it makes sense. All of these thoughts I am about to write are the reason I often don't like to write. I don't want you to be led by my teachings. I want you to go to the Word of God and take the Word as Truth.
We must have teachers around us to learn from and have fellowship with. However, it should all lead back to God, not man's teaching. We are disciples of Christ; not Martin Luther, or Bethel, or Willow Creek or, or, or... the list goes on. Yes, the Word tells us to "go and make disciples," but they are to be disciples of Christ, not us.
We can, and should, read books and learn from one another. However, in all of the discussions and studies, make sure that you are asking HIM what He wants you to learn. If you are a writer, ask HIM what He wants you to write. Ask Him what will lead others to HIM and not your thoughts and ideas.
In all areas of life, never forget that the Word of God is LIVING and ACTIVE. The Word of God is there to TEACH YOU. The Words of God are written down so we can KNOW HIM in Spirit and Truth.
FOLLOW HIM. The disciples had to make a decision based on their true gut instinct. I am thankful that we have history and writings to show us WHO He is. Based on all that is there, I choose to FOLLOW HIM too.
Love and blessings,
Rose
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