Daily Devotional For Wednesday, June 18, 2025
We are looking at what it means to follow Jesus. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus said this to His first disciples: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (NASB). Pastor and author David Platt says, “Notice in his invitation that Jesus does not tell his disciples what he will call them to do. Instead, Jesus tells them what he will cause them to do.” It may seem here that Platt is splitting words, but he is not. To make disciples is nothing you and I can do. It is what the Lord does in and through us. Notice that the call to salvation is a call to make disciples. Over the next 3 years, as the disciples spent time with Jesus, He would transform their lives from being self-centered, opinionated, prideful, posturing for position, to true servants like Himself.
Jesus’ initial disciples were fishermen. So, Jesus uses a metaphor they could understand. Just like their vocation as fishermen had occupied their time and had been their mission, now as disciples Jesus was giving them and us a lifetime mission that should occupy our lives as well. It is not a coincidence that one of Jesus’ disciples gives us the final words to His followers at the end of Matthew in Matthew 28:9-20:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (NASB).
So, over 3 years Jesus had trained His disciples to be “fisher of men.” After the Resurrection, these same disciples would not only give their lives to being disciples, but also to making disciples. And in many cases, they literally gave their lives to this life-time mission from Christ through being martyrs. After Pentecost, when Peter preached, over 3,000 Jews received eternal life and salvation from Christ. It would not be long before Peter would be crucified upside down by Rome for preaching the Gospel and making disciples. It would not be long that “doubting” Thomas would be speared through his side and martyred in India. It would not long until Philip would be stoned to death and Matthew burned at the stake. These disciples literally gave their lives to make disciples.
It is obvious that justification led to sanctification that led to transformation that led to multiplication of making disciples. This is one way you know you are truly saved. Are you making disciples? When people are dying or leaving and you will probably never see them again, whatever they say to you is so important to them that they never want you to forget it. Jesus knew on that mountain 40 days after the Resurrection that He was ascending back to heaven. Of all the things He could have said to His followers, His last words were: “As My disciples go and make disciples.”
So, what was the proof these disciples had been justified, sanctified and transformed? – they went in the power of the Holy Spirit and made disciples. This means they were so grateful and loved Jesus for what He had done for them, they went out and emulated what was most important to Him. In a nutshell, Jesus had radically transformed their lives to something bigger than themselves for the glory of God.
The mission and goal of Southside is to make disciples. Our goal is not to have hundreds and hundreds coming to us, but as we grow making disciples to then go multiple ourselves in starting new churches. Why? This is the model we see in the New Testament. The disciples went all over the Roman Empire making disciples and starting new churches. But when you look at the modern church today, we do not do that. We help people receive Christ’s life in them, then we baptize them, and we have them all sit in one place.
What I see today in the modern church is that we have encouraged this lie from the devil: we hire staff to make disciples, but you, the members, have no personal responsibility to make disciples. No one is exempted from making disciples with the intent for those to go out and make disciples. When we look at the New Testament, from the very beginning every disciples of Jesus saw that their primary purpose was to become a “fishers of men” – to make disciples. So, why isn’t the modern church doing this? Maybe this explains the main reason for churches dying and closing all over America.
We think we are to come together each week for ourselves. NO! We come to encourage and rally ourselves to be fishers of men. If Christianity is nothing more than following a bunch of dos and refusing to do the don’ts, then what makes us distinct? This is the same structure as Hinduism and Islam. In this case, we are advocating that all roads lead to God and Heaven. Why not just be a Muslim or a Hindu or a Sikh or a Jehovah Witness or Mormon? Why not just stay home and try to live a good life? What makes us distinct is that every follower of Jesus Christ is to be a “fisher of men.”
When following Jesus is reduced to a superficial belief then it only creates spectators in the church. I believe there is no way someone as BIG as God can come into your life and you simply become a spectator. When we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, then out of gratitude for what He has done for us, we want to become “fishers of men.” I believe true followers of Christ do not have to be manipulated or made to feel guilty or bribed to make disciples. Why? They have a supernatural desire from the Lord Jesus Christ to do what He did when He came here.
What shocks me is there are so many in the church today who get more excited about doing things in the church such as serving on a committee or ministry team than they are in making disciples. They get so involved and worked up about budgets, buildings and by-laws than they do about obeying the Bible – to go and make disciples. Making disciples was a command from Christ before there were buildings, budgets and by-laws. Are these urgent? Yes, but they are not as important as making disciples. Truly transformed people make disciples. Those who think they are transformed and do not make disciples, are not genuinely transformed. They are living life free form, making up their walk with Christ as they live, without realizing they are still lost in their sin.
The fruit of a transformed follower of Christ is making disciples. Why? Because you have a new heart, a new mission, a new desire, a new purpose and a new motivation because you have been captivated by the love of Christ to make disciples. Genuine followers of Christ have the power to be “fishers of men.”
Assignment: If you claim you are a follower of Christ, are you making disciples? Does your heart have the same heart of Christ for the lost? Christ’s passion was to make disciples. Is your passion His passion? If you are not making disciples, why? Is it because you do not love Christ and are grateful for all He has done for you? Do you think making disciples is limited to only the paid staff? It is not. When Jesus gave this command to make disciples, there were no paid staff. There were just people who loved the Lord and were grateful and went out and made disciples. If you were to die today and stand before the Lord and He were to ask you, “On earth, who did you disciple? Who did you become a ”fisher of men” for Me? What would be your answer? Are you so captivated by Jesus that your primary mission and purpose in life is to make disciples?
Scripture To Meditate On: Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I want a love for You that your passion becomes my passion and Your purpose on this earth when You were here becomes my purpose. Lord, I do not want to be known more as a good church member. I want to be known as a disciple maker. Lord, if I am not genuinely regenerate, please give Your life so that I can be used by You to bring Your life to them. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly