ARTICLE: JESUS HAS CALLED US TO BE "FISHERS 
OF MEN"!

Matthew 4:19. "Come, follow Me, Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men".

My beloved, please notice what Jesus told his chosen disciples in the passage of scripture above: ..."and I will MAKE you fishers of men". There are no "self-made Christians" in His service; they are all "Christ-made". Self-made men are usually not made up of good material, and they can be wrapped up in a very small parcel. But those whom the Lord wants and wins, are those He is able to fashion into human books to tell the story of His love and grace.

The men that Jesus hand-picked were ordinary, uneducated men with no indications of outward "qualifications"; and in fact, Jesus didn't pick any of the twelve disciples who had previous "religious leadership" experience. In truth, Jesus didn't select any man from the "religious leaders", The Pharisees or Sadducees from The Sanhedrin. Why? I believe it was because Jesus didn't want His chosen disciples to be polluted with man's tradition and religiosity, but rather, He wanted them to learn how to have a "relationship" with Him and His Heavenly Father (and The Great Comforter, The Holy Spirit, when Jesus ascended into heaven and sat on "the right hand of God".) Jesus chose farmers, shepherds and fishermen; men that some would refer to as the "peasants" from their communities. Why did Jesus pick these twelve "common-folk" to come follow him? What qualified these chosen twelve men was that Jesus instinctively knew the kind of men He would need for "the path He would have to walk and the plans His Heavenly Father had called Him to fulfill". "Christ called unto Him whom He would" (Mark 3:13). Those He called were not consulted beforehand, nor did He seek anyone's advice upon the qualifications of those He called. The choice was of His own sovereign will and purpose. On another note, these "ordinary everyday guys" saw something special in Jesus; enough, in fact, to be willing to leave everything behind and to devote their undivided attention to "Jesus' teachings, discipleship, mentorship, leadership and friendship. These men saw "Jesus as THE Messiah" and Jesus "MADE them "Fishers of Men"-- Jesus led these men by His example; demonstrating what was authentic "love for His Heavenly Father" and "love for their neighbors as themselves":

Luke 10:27 says, "He (Jesus) answered, "Love the Lord Your God with all of your heart and all of your soul and with all of your strength and with all of your mind", and, "Love your neighbor as yourself".

As it is in the "Apprenticeship of Christ" today, the disciples submitted themselves "to following Christ" daily and learning of, and from, Him (Matthew 11:29). 
Duly note, that there was initially many who began following Jesus around in the group before Jesus would make His choice of the twelve disciples. It was only after a night of continued and fervent prayer before His Heavenly Father, that come daylight, "He called unto Him His disciples, and of them He chose twelve, whom also He named apostles". (Luke 6:12, 13). The number of disciples from whom a selection of the twelve was ultimately made, we are not told, nor are we given any hint of the method of choice. Jesus "taught His chosen" how to minister (healing, deliverance-- many miracles, signs and wonders, ALL DONE IN THE AUTHORITY AND THE NAME OF JESUS, and after a time of "training", He sent them out into their assigned "harvest/vineyard/seaport" and they "put into practice what they had learned from Jesus"; separated from the world and unto Him, that they would bring forth fruit (John 15:16-19).

Out of those who were witnesses of Jesus' performing miracles, signs and wonders, seventy-two went out and "in the Authority of Jesus Christ' name", they began casting out demons. They were joyous and zealous as they came back and gave Jesus the report of how "even the demons were subject to the authority of the Name of Jesus Christ (Luke 10:17). Then Jesus makes an important statement in Luke 10:20 in response to the seventy-two, "Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but that your name is written in heaven. NOTE: For those of us whom The Holy Spirit uses in "The Gifts of The Spirit", it is indeed wonderful when we experience the manifestation of miracles, signs and wonders, and see how folks getting saved, however, we should rejoice that "our names are written in The Lambs Book of Life"! Amen?!

My beloved, let us be reminded that it is Jesus who MAKES us "fishers of men"! As we continue in the "Apprenticeship of Christ", may we go forth in the "authority and the powerful Name of Jesus Christ". As we gather in "The Net" from out of the Sea of Humanity, may our "catch" be abundant; ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD AND THE ADVANCEMENT OF HIS KINGDOM-- Amen!!

I pray this FB Article has blessed you today! Praise Father God that He takes the "ordinary" and transformed them into "extraordinary" in Christ Jesus! I love you all and pray you have a blessed Memorial Day and give honor to the memory of all of our soldiers, police officers and firefighters who have given their lives in service to our blessed nation! Also, may you walk in the favor of Father God today and for the rest of your week! Be blessed and be a blessing! 

05-30-16 J.