{"id":114,"date":"2015-09-20T10:15:45","date_gmt":"2015-09-20T10:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ecityemc.org\/resources\/?p=114"},"modified":"2016-08-20T16:44:37","modified_gmt":"2016-08-20T16:44:37","slug":"jesus-the-master-fisher-of-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecityemc.org\/resources\/blog\/devotions\/09\/20\/jesus-the-master-fisher-of-men\/","title":{"rendered":"Jesus the Master Fisher of Men"},"content":{"rendered":"

Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men. (Mark 1:17)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There is a striking honesty about Jesus\u2019 call. When he calls us to come follow him, it\u2019s never to come do something he isn\u2019t already doing, nor is it to come be something he isn\u2019t already himself. His call to all who would follow him is a calling to himself \u2012 to come and be what he is, to come and do what he does. If Jesus had been a general, he would have called these first followers to become soldiers. If he had been a scholar, he would have recruited them to his school. But Jesus\u2019 interest in people is not military or academic; he wants people\u2019s hearts<\/strong>. He wants to cast a net into the world and draw as many people to himself as he can, and he invites his followers to come join him in this endeavor.<\/p>\n

In Matthew 13, Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven as a net that is cast into the sea (vv. 47-50). His business is to fish for souls, and his business is our business, for he calls us to be and do what he is and does. That\u2019s the ultimate purpose of \u201cministry\u201d (not \u201cprofessional\u201d ministry, but ministry as in the \u201cworks of service\u201d expected of every member of the body \u2012 Eph. 4:12), to reach into the oceans of the world full of floundering souls and draw them to Christ. He doesn\u2019t need people who are skilled, or smart, or attractive. He needs people who will simply follow him and let him make them become like himself. This business of \u201cmaking disciples\u201d is just that: Becoming like Jesus and letting him use us to make others like him too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"excerpt Continue reading →<\/a>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotions"],"episode_featured_image":false,"episode_player_image":"https:\/\/www.ecityemc.org\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/logo-itunes.jpg","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/www.ecityemc.org\/resources\/feed\/podcast\/elizabeth-city-emc-podcast","embedCode":"

Jesus the Master Fisher of Men<\/a><\/blockquote>