A Call of Duty

‘Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men’ (Mark 1:17).

The word Church is known as ‘KURIAKOS’ in the Greek, meaning ‘belonging to the Lord’. Another Greek word for it is ‘EKKLESIA’ denoting assembly; ek means out and klesia means to call, therefore the Church means ‘the assembly of the called out’. Thus, the Church is made up of individuals belonging to the Lord who have been called out of the world. Just as every part of the human body has a unique function, every Christian has been called for a particular purpose. The call of the first two disciples is a model or pattern for our individual callings. Three important keys stand out in this scripture, 'Come, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men' (Mark 1:17).

‘COME’ (The Call):

Just as Peter and Andrew were called by Jesus, every Christian is also called into the Christian faith. How does God call?

·                By his grace; ‘we are saved by grace through faith…’ (Eph 2:8). Rom 8:29,30 also teaches that ‘whom He foreknew He predestined, whom He predestined He called, whom He called He Justified and whom He justified He glorified’

·                Through Christ who is the power of God (1Cor 1:24).

·                Through the gospel, the spirit and the bride or Church (2 Thess2:14, Rev 22:17).

·                According to His purpose (Rom8:28).

‘FOLLOW ME’ (Discipleship):

After responding to God’s call through faith, the next step is to follow Christ. Peter, Andrew and all the other disciples followed Jesus both physically and spiritually. As we follow Christ and develop our relationship with Him, the old sinful man is transformed unto the image of Christ (Rom 12:2, John 10:34, 35).

·                Before they could follow Jesus they had to leave their old life and desires behind.  Salvation is a free gift but discipleship comes with a price (Matt 16:24 Mat 22:36, 37).

·                As they followed Jesus, He had fellowship with them and taught them (Mark 4:1, Acts 1:1, 2). A disciple is defined as a learner, an adherent to the teachings of another.

·                God calls you just as you are, but He does not use you just as you are. He calls the foolish but does not use them in their raw state (Titus 3:3-8). Grow in wisdom and understanding, all creation is waiting for your manifestation.

‘I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN’ (Fruitfulness and Multiplication):

Fruitfulness and multiplication becomes automatic when one ‘follows’ Christ. The primary duty of the Church is to reveal Christ unto the world, redeem it and restore men to God’s original plan for creating them. Every Christian is called for this purpose and possesses gifts for this commission. These gifts are usually grouped in this manner; Ministerial gifts (Eph 4:11, 12), Spiritual gifts (1 Cor 12:1-11), Grace Gifts (Rom12:6-8).

The question is, are all these gifts in full operation in our church? If not what are the reasons? God is counting on us to use our gifts to impact and transform our world. The lord is not going to accept any excuse for not putting your gifts to use. A plant that does not bear fruit is regarded dead (John 15:2).