Jesus Calls with Authority

Mark 1:16-17, “Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’”

True discipleship means submission to the call of Christ. Jesus issued two words to Simon and Andrew that forever changed their purpose and direction in life. He called them with this simple phrase, “Follow Me.” David Garland explains that we must recognize the authority that the Son of God possesses when He speaks. To the sea He said, “Peace! Be still!” To Lazarus He said, “Lazarus, come out.” In both cases the winds and Lazarus obeyed Jesus. The call that Jesus issued came with authority. God speaks and things happen. If God wants to illuminate the world with light, He speaks and light comes forth. The call of Christ is issued with such authority. Christ calls people into service with authority. Perhaps, one of the greatest misunderstandings in the life of any church is the notion of volunteerism. I want to challenge you to find in the scripture where God is looking for volunteers. What is a volunteer? A volunteer is a someone who looks at an opportunity and then decides if he wants to participate in that opportunity. He decides he will do so until he decides that he no longer wants to volunteer for that opportunity. The salvation army looks for volunteers. The hospital auxiliary looks for volunteers. The local animal shelter looks for volunteers. The school district looks for volunteers. But, Christ is calling men and women into Kingdom service. This is very much different. A healthy church must have a great understanding of the call of Christ Jesus. Christ calls people. He is calling people into the work of Kingdom ministry. I want us to understand service to the Lord Jesus and His church as a response to the call of God and not as a volunteer opportunity. When we understand service this way we are altogether motivated with a God-centered motivation. May we answer Christ’s call.