"Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." - Matthew 4:19
"Those who had been scattered (all members of the church except the apostles) preached the Word wherever they went." - Acts 8:4
In many churches in the US, and here in Brazil, only the pastor(s) and a small group of members are actively sharing Christ with others in their daily lives (being a "fisher of men"). Many members justify this by saying that these people have a "gift" or a "calling" for evangelism, while their gift or calling lies elsewhere - in the choir, or teaching Sunday School, or elsewhere. Also, most people feel uncomfortable or fearful of sharing the wonderful news of Jesus with others, and thus they don't do it.
Jesus was speaking to all of His followers, all Christians, when He said "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men". He was not talking to just a certain few in the church, Jesus was talking to all of us. Yet only a small group of members are truly obeying and following Jesus' command to actively share the Good News with others. Another way to say what Jesus was saying in Matthew 4:19 is this: "If you are not being a "fisher of men", someone who actively shares Christ with others, then you are not truly following Me". To truly follow Jesus means to do all that He says or commands, not just the things we think we can do, or feel comfortable to do.
The early church in Acts is the example we need to follow. In the early church in Acts all members actively shared Christ with others, because they were passionate about their personal relationship with the Lord, and they fully understood the command that Jesus gave in Matthew 4:19. And they shared the Lord's love and passion to have a restored personal relationship with all people of the world. May God touch our hearts and give us His love and passion for others who do not know the joy and peace of having a personal relationship with God through Jesus.
Jesus was speaking to all of His followers, all Christians, when He said "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men". He was not talking to just a certain few in the church, Jesus was talking to all of us. Yet only a small group of members are truly obeying and following Jesus' command to actively share the Good News with others. Another way to say what Jesus was saying in Matthew 4:19 is this: "If you are not being a "fisher of men", someone who actively shares Christ with others, then you are not truly following Me". To truly follow Jesus means to do all that He says or commands, not just the things we think we can do, or feel comfortable to do.
The early church in Acts is the example we need to follow. In the early church in Acts all members actively shared Christ with others, because they were passionate about their personal relationship with the Lord, and they fully understood the command that Jesus gave in Matthew 4:19. And they shared the Lord's love and passion to have a restored personal relationship with all people of the world. May God touch our hearts and give us His love and passion for others who do not know the joy and peace of having a personal relationship with God through Jesus.
2 comments:
i believe that we should spread the word of god, for that is one of our purpose in christian life,to save more people and to accept christ love..amen! last week i just got my young brother saved! hallelujah! praise the lord! we must not give up on saving people!
Happy, thanks for the visit and comment. I am very happy to hear that your brother accepted Christ and now has a personal relationship with God. Keep sharing the great news of Jesus with others.
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