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What kind
of people will the King of Israel choose to be
closest to Him? What kind of men will He surround
Himself with? Who will form His royal court? Will
it be the religious scholars of first century
Judaism? Will it be the members of the Sanhedrin?
Will it be the wealthy and the powerful? Let's
see who Yeshua chooses for His first disciples
(and a disciple is like a student or apprentice
-- one who submits himself to a master, who learns
from the master, takes and receives from the master).
Let's try and understand what Yeshua's choice
of disciples means for us.
The
Call of Simon and Andrew, Jacob and John
As He
was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw
Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting
a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And
Yeshua said to them, "Come, follow Me, and I will
make you become fishers of men." Immediately they
left their nets and followed Him. Going on a little
farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and
John his brother, who were also in the boat mending
the nets. Immediately He called them; and they
left their father Zebedee in the boat with the
hired servants, and went away to follow Him.
Those
whom Messiah Yeshua chose to be closest to Himself,
and who would be entrusted with His most important
mission when He was no longer physically present
on Earth, were 12 ordinary men.
The people
Messiah chose to set up His kingdom weren't chosen
from the great and powerful men of Israel's Sanhedrin.
They weren't chosen from the rabbinical schools.
Instead Messiah picked ordinary men - in this
case, fishermen from the shores of Lake Kinneret.
Messiah
didn't choose the intellectuals or the scholars
trained in the rabbinic schools of the day. He
chose regular, hard working men, who were willing
to leave all and follow Him. These men were chosen
not for who they were when Yeshua first met them,
but because of their willingness to entrust themselves
into Messiah's hands, and allow themselves to
be molded into what they would become.
Isn't
this the way God still works? God has chosen the
foolish things of the world to shame the wise,
and the weak things of the world to shame the
things which are strong, and God has chosen the
common things of the world, and the despised,
and the things that are not, that He might nullify
the things that are, so that no man should boast
before God.
This is
very encouraging, because most of us are ordinary
men and women. Outwardly we are not that impressive.
Most of us are not doctors or lawyers, or wealthy,
or successful businessmen, but that's OK, because
with God, power, position, money, don't matter.
It's faith in God, willingness to come and follow
the Messiah, being yielded to the Holy Spirit,
that matters, and that we have. We are not chosen
for who we are when God calls us, but more for
what God will do through us, and make of us!
If you
didn't know the rest of the New Testament, it
would appear at first glance that Yeshua met these
men for the very first time, called them, and
they were so mesmerized by this young, traveling
carpenter-turned-Rabbi that they immediately dropped
what they were doing and blindly followed Him.
But this was not the first time these men had
met Yeshua; they had been with the prophet, John
the Baptist, south in Judea. They had listed to
John's burning messages that the Messiah was coming,
and that the Jewish people need to be ready to
follow Him when He arrived. They listened as John
asked all of Israel to repent of their sins. No
doubt these men had turned away from their sins,
and had come closer to God.
They had
also heard John speak about Yeshua, and knew that
He was Israel's King and Messiah. These men had
been prepared. They had followed God's plan, taking
the message of the forerunner of the Son of God
to heart, identifying the Messiah and transferring
their allegiance to Him. They had been prepared,
now they were ready to make a final commitment
to follow.
The
Invitation that Yeshua extends to Them Shows Us
What True Christianity and Messianic Judaism Is
All About
It involves
four things: "Come, follow Me, and I will make
you into fishers for men!"
- Hearing Messiah Calling
- Coming
- Following
- Fishing for men
True
Christianity and Messianic Judaism involves hearing.
Hearing means having a close personal relationship
with the King. True Christianity and Messianic
Judaism isn't primarily about theological systems,
or keeping rules, or even helping other people,
although those things are important. It is primarily
about hearing the King's voice calling to you,
then coming to Him, and following Him and sharing
His mission. Can you hear Yeshua calling to you?
Do you know that He is real? That He is alive?
That He is the Living Messiah?
True
Christianity and Messianic Judaism involves coming.
You must come. Many hear, but they don't want
to come. They want to stay -- stay in a comfortable
place. Coming involves leaving the place you are
in, and coming to another place, a place that
is in close proximity to the King.
Over the
years I have found that one factor more than almost
any other makes the difference if someone has
a successful spiritual life, and it involves coming
to Yeshua. And where is Yeshua? You would be right
if you answered, seated at the right hand of God
in Heaven. You would be right if you answered
that by means of His Spirit, He is everywhere.
But, in
a most practical way, the place where He is, is
among His people. Where two of three of His disciples
are gathered, there He is especially present.
We are the Temple where He lives.
So, I
have found that the one factor more than almost
any other makes the difference if someone has
a successful spiritual life, is whether or not
they come to the synagogue. Those who come, and
continue to come regularly, and make that a priority,
and rearrange their lives and schedules around
coming, grow in their relationship to the Lord.
The Lord uses them, and they have a successful
life. Those who do not come, do not grow, and
never accomplish much.
True
Christianity and Messianic Judaism involve not
a one time coming, but a following -- a continual
following of King Yeshua. You must see where
the King is, come to where He is, and continue
to go where He goes. You must follow. If the King
has left His country and is on a journey, then,
if you are a loyal subject, then you must go on
a journey with Him. If the King is living the
life of a pilgrim and a stranger, then you must
become a pilgrim and a stranger. If your King
is on a very important mission, then you must
go with Him and share His mission with Him.
True
Christianity and Messianic Judaism involves fishing
-- becoming a fisher of men. "I will make you
fishers for men." That is what the King came
for, and that is what He wants to train us to
do. If the Messiah is fishing for men, trying
to save them from the cold, dark, confusing, deadly
waters they are dying in, then you too must become
a fisher of men. If the King is seeking to save
those who are lost, so that they can enter His
eternal Kingdom, then you must help Him restore
those rebels who have aligned themselves with
His enemies. His burden for fallen humanity must
become your burden for the sinful sons and daughters
of Adam and Eve; His passion to rescue the lost
must become your passion to help the lost; His
mission must become your mission. Is it?
It's not
only these first disciples who are called to be
fishers for men. It is our mission as well! A
healthy believer is one who knows he has a mission
to be a fisher for men. A healthy congregation
is one which knows it has a mission to be a fisher
for men. A healthy denomination is one which has
as its purpose to be fishers for men.
Good preaching
and teaching will encourage you to be a better
fisher for men. Any teaching and preaching that
does not motivate you to take on the King's mission,
and reach the lost with the Good News, and instead
focuses on improving your material life in this
world, and getting more and more goodies, is not
the message of the King.
If your
heart doesn't yearn to bring the knowledge of
the King to those who are lost and perishing,
then I suggest that something is deficient with
your spiritual life, your relationship to God,
and your knowledge of God and His Word.
Do you
make an effort to share the Good News of the Kingdom
with others? Do you at least feel a little guilty
if you don't, or miss an opportunity? Pray to
share the King's burden to share the Good News
with others. Pray for opportunities. Learn how
be a better fisher for men. Fishing is a skill
that needs to be learned. I used to love fishing,
and over the years, I learned more and more, so
that I became more skillful, and a better fisherman.
The same holds true for fishing for men. Learn
how to be a better evangelist. Study how the Messiah
caught men. Read books and articles on evangelism.
Talk to those experienced in evangelism. Go out
with those who do evangelism.
True
Christianity and Messianic Judaism also involves
leaving. Immediately they (Simon and Andrew)
left their nets and followed Him. Going on a little
farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and
John his brother, who were also in the boat mending
the nets. Immediately He called them; and they
left their father Zebedee in the boat with the
hired servants, and went away to follow Him.
Simon
and Andrew, James and John, left their nets. To
be a disciple means that if you are a fisherman,
you must be willing to leave your nets. You must
be willing to leave your business, job, career,
source of income, and trust God to provide.
To be
a disciple means that you must be willing to leave
your family. James and John left their father.
God comes before father, mother, sister, brother,
son or daughter, husband or wife.
Being
a disciple means you must be willing to leave
your friends. James and John left the hired servants.
These hired servants worked closely with James
and John. They were hired servants, but they may
well have been friends and comrades as well, sharing
life and adventures together on the Kinneret.
Activity like that tends to create bonds of comradery
and friendship. But, following Messiah can mean
leaving your friends. If Messiah calls you to
follow Him, and your friends aren't willing to
come with you, you must still follow the Messiah,
and go with Him, and often that involves a separation
from your friends who remain behind.
No matter
who you are, you must be willing to leave all
-- your job, family, friends; your goals, your
agenda for your life, all for the sake of being
with your King, pleasing and obeying Him.
Abraham
left Ur of the Chaldees. Moses turned his back
on Egypt. Paul was crucified to the world, and
the world was crucified to him. He considered
everything else to be like garbage compared to
the surpassing value of knowing and following
the Messiah. But God's grace was sufficient for
them all, so that they were able to forsake all
in order to follow God. And, His grace is sufficient
for you in order to forsake all and follow Him!
So, will you?
A disciple
must hear, come, follow, leave, fish! Are you?
Do you?
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