After a year and a half, Jesus’ ministry was about to take a noticeable turn. Up to this point, John the Baptist had been the public movement leader. His brash, confrontational style of preaching, along with his rugged appearance, made him the quintessential Old Testament prophet, and in reality, he was the last prophet to point people to the Messiah. All prophets before had delivered the message, “He’s coming,” but John’s message was, “He’s here!” But soon John was put in prison, and things changed. For a year and a half, John’s public ministry had allowed Jesus to move freely under the radar as he drew followers to himself. But now Jesus was about to take center stage, and the curtain would come down on John.
Jesus relocated the base of his ministry from his small town of Nazareth to the thriving city of Capernaum, strategically located along the Via Maris international trade route and along the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. He also began preaching publicly to the crowds the same message of repentance that John had so powerfully spoken. Jesus’ disciples had done their best to follow Jesus during the day and }sh at night. They still had families to care for and bills to pay. But now Jesus was ready for them to take a significant step in following him.
A deeper call to follow
Matthew 4:18–22 marks this major transition. Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee, and while seeing Peter and John mending their nets after a night of fishing, he called to them: “Follow me . . . and I will make you }sh for people” (Matt. 4:19). Walking down the shore, he gave the same invitation to James and John, the sons of Zebedee. The key phrase, “Follow me,” stands out. Yes, Jesus had said those words before, but now they took on new meaning, and Jesus called these men to connect with him in a deeper way: he sought a total life commitment, not part-time followers. And the disciples were ready to make it. Without hesitation, each man walked away from their nets, their livelihoods, and their families to follow Jesus on the expedition of their lives: fishing for people.
Learning alongside Jesus
Over the next six months they saw the masses healed, a crippled man lowered from a dismantled roof to the feet of Jesus, a miraculous catch of fish, and a leper washed clean. Everything was new, exciting, and unexplainable. The swell of God’s power had lifted everyone around them, and history was in the making. During this time, the disciples connected with one another in a deeper way. From this point forward, they would be known as the “Jesus guys,”
the ones publicly following him.
They also connected with Jesus’ ministry in a deeper way. Jesus still did all the work. He taught, healed, and ministered as the disciples shadowed him. But they took it all in because soon Jesus would entrust this ministry into their hands. So Jesus connected these men to himself, to each other, and ultimately to his cause.
Connecting believers to the next step
Churches that connect believers well are churches that intentionally create pathways for new believers to take the next steps in their faith journey. They provide easy ways for them to go public in their commitment to follow Jesus. They make it easy to join the church and get into a group. They create on-ramps for new believers to serve and get their hands dirty in ministry and experience God using them in significant ways.
Creating opportunities to experience God at work
One of the best ways to do this is by serving in the local community. During a Christmas outreach event we hosted for underprivileged kids, a new believer took the risk of joining one of our ministry teams. He was uncertain God could use him in any significant way, but he was available. During the night, a young single mother from the community turned to him for help. She was all alone, raising children with no support and barely making ends meet. Then she asked him, “Would you pray for me?” Fear shot through his body like he had grabbed a live wire, but he steadied himself and said, “Sure.” He took her by the hand and prayed for God’s care for this young mother. Afterward, he told me with tears streaming down his face, “I can’t believe God chose to use me tonight!”
This blog features an excerpt from one of our books, The Disciple-Making Leader.
