A Call to Discipleship

[Christsfreeservant]

“Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.” (Matthew 4:18-22 NASB1995)​

Jesus Christ had just begun his earthly ministry, and so he was calling disciples to himself to work alongside him in ministry. And when he calls us to put our faith and trust in him to be Lord and Savior of our lives, that is the call he is making on each and every one of our lives, too. For a call to believe in Jesus is not in words only, but it is a call to leave our former lives of sin behind us to now follow our Lord wherever he leads us in walks of obedience to his commands, living holy lives, pleasing to God, in his power.

I really like it that when Jesus called these men to be his disciples that they immediately left the lives they had been living behind them to follow Jesus Christ where he led them. Evidently they did not hesitate. But we do not know all the details of how this all took place because we were not there with them. But the point is that when Jesus called them to follow him, they followed him immediately. And to follow our Lord is to obey him, to do what he says that we are to do, and to be who he calls us to be for his service.

So, this sets the example for us as to what it should look like in our lives when Jesus calls us to himself to believe in him. For faith in Jesus Christ is not of our own doing, not of the will of human flesh. So we do not get to determine what that faith looks like. God does. And he is the one who gives us the faith to believe in Jesus. And he is the one who persuades us as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die to sin and to walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands, all in His power!

[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Acts 26:18]

But these were not perfect men. They were followers of Christ, yes! But they had a lot to learn, and Jesus taught them much about what it meant to be his followers. And sometimes he had to correct them and to help them to grow in their faith. And I really don’t know at what point Judas had a change of heart and mind, and when he decided to turn against Jesus, but he was one of Jesus’ disciples for three years alongside all the others who followed the Lord wherever he led them in doing what he called them to do.

So, our walks of faith in the Lord Jesus, in following him wherever he leads us, may not be “smooth sailing” (easy) all the time. For we are mere clay in the hands of the Potter (God/Jesus Christ) being molded into the likeness of Christ, which is a lifelong process, provided our faith is genuine, and we are cooperating with God’s work of grace in our lives. But we should be followers of Christ who are going where he leads us, and who are doing all that he commands us to do, as his followers. None of us should betray our Lord.

Now, Jesus said to the fishermen, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” And when we accept Jesus’ call upon our lives to put our faith in him, this is the call he is placing upon our lives, too. For a call to believe in Jesus is a call to discipleship, and it is a call to follow our Lord in ministry in sharing the truth of the gospel of Christ with the people of the world. It is a call to become whoever he created us to be in doing what he created us to do, for his service. We are his workmanship, created by God for good works.

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Living Sacrifices

Based off Romans 12:1-2; Romans 6:11-14 NIV
An Original Work / September 14, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Oh, holy ones, I counsel you,
In view of God’s mercy,
To give yourselves to God in love
As living offerings,
Pleasing to God, holy in love.
This is your true worship.
Do not conform to worldly lives.
Let God transform you today.
Then you’ll be able to
Test and approve of what
God’s will is – His pleasing
And perfect will. Oh, holy ones,
I counsel you – Offer yourselves unto God.

Oh, holy ones, I counsel you –
Do not be conceited.
Humble yourselves before your God.
Do not be self-righteous.
The strength you have to live in love
Comes from your Lord God, so
Live your new lives in pow’r of God.
Be changed in heart, mind and will.
Do this because of what
Christ did for you when
He died on the cross to save
The world from sin. Oh, holy ones,
I counsel you – Humble yourselves before God.

Oh, holy ones, I counsel you –
Count yourselves dead to sin,
But be alive to God in Christ.
Do not let sin reign in
Your earthly lives so you
Obey its evil desires.
Offer yourselves unto your God
As those who’ve been born again.
For sin shall no longer be
Your lord and master.
Give of yourselves to God
For righteousness. Oh, holy ones,
I counsel you – Be alive to God in Christ.

A Call to Discipleship
An Original Work / November 29, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love