333 Words

333 WORDS….

“The Lord of the harvest” made an interesting proposal to two brothers busy doing their fishing thing: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Peter and Andrew obviously considered being “fishers of men” a more worthy and interesting occupation than fishers of fish, for “they immediately left their nets and followed Him.”

Over the years there have been imaginative schemes to evangelize. None have improved the Lord’s simple plan: “Follow Me.” The brothers, having made a decision to follow, now had another decision: Do I follow Christ from a distance, or up close?

The tighter the relationship, the more successful the lifelong fishing expedition.

Of the twelve, John, James and Peter followed closer, Judas was most distant, probably John was closest, none were exactly equal in fervency. We are not talking physical nearness, but relational. On the night of His arrest, at the Passover meal, Judas was with Jesus, but Judas was not with Jesus.

The two fishermen-turned-disciples had three years to observe the carpenter-turned-evangelist. Jesus was their, and our, example. To learn from others is most unreasonable, most diminishing.

There was forthrightness in their leader, always telling it like it is. Regarding the outcome of those who embraced His message and those who rejected, the Truth spoke the truth, all of it. The GOD-IS-LOVE-only people should note that soon after John 3:16 comes 3:18: “He who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son.”

Supplementary to the inspirational beatitudes were references to “hell fire”. Mercy, not criticism, informed the hell-bound they were hell-bound. Attaining heaven is but half the salvation message, escaping hell equally important.

Christians avoid speaking ‘hell’ (like it was a four letter word or something). Not good.

Lord Jesus spoke the words of Him who sent Him. These words include: hell, destruction, everlasting punishment, torment, gehenna, judgment. Christ’s sent-ones ought to be diligent to speak the language of our Sender. That’s what faithful ambassadors do.