NEW THRU 30 - day 1

day 1 (12/17) - matt. 1:1-12:50

here is an email i just sent to my UNT BSM leadership team after reading the above mentioned section of Scripture.

---

As I mentioned before, I am reading through the New Testament in 30 days, today is day one. Tonight I read through Matt. 1:1-12:50. It's amazing how much sticks out to you when you read huge sections of Scripture at once. The section tonight covered: the birth of Jesus, calling of the disciples, the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus' miracles, the sending out of the twelve, etc.

While there is so much that I could write about (believe me, you should see my journal)... I want to focus on one thing, Matthew 4:18-22, the Calling of the Disciples.

Here's the text:

¹⁸As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." ²⁰At once they left their nets and followed him.

²¹Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, ²²and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Here's what stood out to me tonight:

1. At once they dropped their nets and followed Him.
2. Immediately they left behind careers and families to follow Him.
3. There was an instant following. They didn't question Jesus. They didn't stop to "pray about it." The heard & obeyed.

Let me repeat that, they HEARD and OBEYED. Instant obedience.

Their responsibility was to follow Christ. His responsibility was to make them success fishermen. Their following of Christ involved more than physical nearness. It included their imitation of the character of Christ. Theirs was to be a ministry of character. What they were was more important than what they said or did.

In following Christ, the disciple learns:

• To go where the fish are swimming (Where are the lost people around you? Take out a piece of paper and all the people who don't love Jesus yet in your life. If you can't list anyone, you have a problem!)
• To use the proper lure (How do you communicate the Gospel to each person you interact with? The message stays the same, sometimes the method is different.)
• To endure discomfort and inconvenience (It's gonna be awkward and hard and you will have to rearrange your schedule to be obedient.)
• To be patient (Be intentional, persistent and filled with grace... and pray.)
• And to keep out of sight (It's not about you and me... it's about Him.)

In true faith, they responded immediately. In true commitment and devotion they followed Him. They acknowledged the priority of Jesus over all earthly ties.

They recognized who Jesus was... and by responding to His call they became key figures in the evangelization of the world. You see, recognition of the lordship of Christ makes all the difference in the world.

Ask yourself, how's your obedience to the call of Christ?

Praying for growth in each of our lives,

Stephanie