Posted on 01/31/2022 12:44:48 PM PST by metmom
“Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother” (Matthew 4:18).
When Jesus called His first disciples, such as Peter and Andrew, He was gathering together the original group of evangelists to help fulfill His Great Commission. The Lord had the sovereign prerogative to carry out the Great Commission by Himself, but that was not His plan. Instead, He wanted to have partners in ministry. His plan was to use disciples to make other disciples. Jesus would teach them other things and mandate other responsibilities, but His first call to the disciples was for them to be “fishers of men.”
Jesus’ decision to select twelve apostles follows the pattern God established many centuries earlier. The Father always chose His most significant partners in ministry, such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and all the prophets. He chose Israel as an entire nation of ministry partners—“a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:6). So it is no wonder that Christ told the disciples, “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain” (John 15:16; cf. 6:70; 13:18; Rom. 16:5).
Our Lord commands that all His followers be evangelistic fishermen. The command “follow Me” in the Greek literally means “come here.” The original text also has the term “after,” which indicates the place we must come to: “Your place is following after Me!” This is His chosen place and posture for you.
Ask Yourself
If we truly knew the gravity of this, we would never get over our amazement that the God of the universe has chosen to live in relationship with us. What goes missing from your life when you forget that you have been personally called by God to your kingdom tasks and priorities?
From Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, Vol. 1, John MacArthur. Copyright © 2008. Used by permission of Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 60610, www.moodypublishers.com.
Studying God’s Word ping
Thank you
I thought that Jesus didn't change Simon's name until...
Matthew 16:18?
There you go, interjecting facts again.
The Bible is FACTUAL??
Only when convenient.......
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