Follow Me: What It Takes To Be a Fisher of Men

Thesis: In his call to the disciples, Jesus revealed that the keys to effective evangelism are staying on message, being in His will, and making Him our highest priority.

Objective: Call believers to evaluate their evangelistic efforts in light of Jesus' call to the first disciples and challenge them to stay on message, abandon any hindrances and follow Jesus always, and always make holiness and ministry a priority.

1. We must have the right message (14-15).
   1. It's the good news of God (“proclaiming the good news of God” (14); We need to remember that this isn't about the “thou shalt not's.” We have the greatest news of all, which comes from and tells about God. We must proclaim it!).
   2. It's the imminent kingdom of God (“The time has come. The kingdom of God is near” (15); The kingdom of God is near; time is very short. For some, this may be the one and only chance they have to hear and respond. We must be urgent about it.).
   3. It's repent and believe (“Repent and believe” (15); The crux of the message is two-fold: repent is a radical reversal of behavior from wrong to right, and believe is a radical change of heart from rejection, apathy, or ignorance to absolute affirmation of truth.).
2. We must have the right spot (16-17).
   1. It's not where we were (16; We all were somewhere, doing something when Jesus came calling. We need to realize that he's not calling us to stay where we are and keep doing what we're doing. Something needs to change. For Peter and Andrew, it was going to mean a complete change of profession. For us, it could be a change of routine, a change of location, a change of vocation, etc.).
   2. It's where Jesus is (“Come, follow me” (17); The challenge that we have is to come to Jesus and follow him wherever he goes. This implies Christ-likeness, a resolve to obey, and a wariness of our own tendency to get ahead of God.).
   3. It's called fishing for a reason (“I will make you fishers of men” (17); We need to remember that, even in the greatest of spots, we are not guaranteed success. It's cliché, but if we were guaranteed success, it would be called catching. All we can do is put out the message to the best of our ability time after time.).
3. We must have the right priorities (18-20).
   1. Vocations come later (18; Peter and Andrew immediately dropped their nets to follow Jesus. We don't even know that they pulled them back in and stowed them properly. Such was the priority they placed on following Jesus.).
   2. Families come second (20; James and John left their father without delay to follow Jesus. Families are by no means unimportant, but they must not be as important as following the Lord.).
   3. Following Jesus takes precedence (“and followed him” (18, 20); Our priority must be to follow Jesus. Wherever he goes, whatever he does, we must follow.).