Mathew Part 4 - Come follow me ...

Mathew Part 4

Matthew 4:18 – 22

Come follow me … and I will make you

I have often wondered what Jesus saw in those fishermen?

One of the greatest abilities we can ask God for is the ability to look down the hallway of time to see what God sees in an individual. When we get a glimpse of what that person will look like when God shows up in his world it can stir us and lift our faith to see more come to him and more come through for him.

The two aspects of this that I want of look at today have to do with salvation and leadership. I love the adventure of meeting someone who has net yet responded to Christ. I love the stirring of the Holy Spirit when He begins to lift my faith because he has shown me what he sees in this person.

Certainly one of the most dramatic examples of this happened when we first moved to Los Angeles. Part of leading that church included oversight of a preschool that ran on the campus. One afternoon a young father showed up to pick up his daughter as I was walking across the parking lot. He was in his late 20’s, shaved head, with multiple tattoos! He seriously looked like a white supremacist! I knew instantly that this guy was going to be my next salvation project. As I walked away, praying for him I heard the Spirit of God say that he would become one of my elders! As you can imagine my faith was lifted, stirred and impassioned for this young father. A couple of months later he got saved and about 18mts after that we ordained him onto the eldership of River Church.

The other aspect of this is leadership development. Several years ago while we were still pastoring in South Africa a young man joined our church. He lacked confidence and stuttered badly. But I had heard God about this guys future and it was an incredible privilege to watch what God The Father “made” him over the next few years. Today he leads a thriving church in North America, with a dynamic team that he has developed and the impact of his ministry is felt far beyond the walls of his church.

I wonder what Jesus saw when he looked at those fishermen? There is no indicator from scripture that he had met them before or that He had a protracted conversation with them. He simply saw something in these men that prompted him to issue the most incredible life changing invitation of all time … “Come follow me … I will make you …” 

Surely it is our highest privilege to follow Him. Surely it is just as high a privilege to invite others to follow Him into this amazing journey, be it those that have not yet met him or those that He desires to bring through into a fuller expression of leadership. Either way – it all starts when we see what He sees in people.