Grace For Your Day January 29

In my studies this week, I came across an article entitled “10 Steps to Starting a Business” which said:

Starting a business is exciting; however, it can seem overwhelming at first. Our website has designed several steps in order to guide you as you take your professional ideas to the next level. They are as follows:
 
1). Research Your Product
2). Create a 5 Year Plan
3). Register Your Business
4). Prepare to Finance it
5). Zone and License it
6). Give it a Name
7). Seek Professional Guidance
8). Apply for a Federal Employee Identification Number
9). Hire Employees
10). Establish Roles within the Company

The point is that there is a lot that goes into starting your own business because it takes a serious amount of effort. It cannot be done haphazardly and Jesus displayed that in founding the church. Even though He was creating something so much greater than a secular corporation, He still had to carefully plan each step of the way as He demonstrated in calling the first disciples. Mark 1:16-18 says:

As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

In other words, Jesus’ first disciples were fishermen. They were not priests or Rabbis. They did not come from the upper crust of Jewish society because they were just ordinary, blue-collar guys who worked on the water. The next group of men that He summoned were exactly the same. Verses 19-20 says:

Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.

The personal details that Mark gives us in this passage are interesting because he says that these men were “in the boat mending the nets” which implies that they were doing so and had no plans to stop. When Jesus showed up, they were working at their trade and had every intention to carry on in that manner for the rest of their lives. However, Jesus changed all of that which raises the question: Why? What motivated Him to choose these people?

He did it in order to remind us that Jesus only saves those who “follow Me.” He does not call those who do whatever they want. He only selects people that are willing to deny themselves and take up their cross and go after Him (Luke 9:23) which is what we are going to talk about this week at Grace Fellowship Church.

This Sunday, we are going to talk about “The Calling of the First Disciples” in order to understand how the early church first began. In Mark 1:2-8, we learned about the ministry of John the Baptist. In Verses 9-13, we learned about the baptism and temptation of Jesus. However, now that all of that has occurred, we are going to see how Jesus assembled the people that He would use to start the Body of Christ.

On one hand, they will be extraordinary men because they will do things that baffle the mind like give prophecies, speak in tongues, and lead countless multitudes to Christ. However, on the other hand, they will also be proud, cowardly, impatient, and quick tempered to remind us that God does not call the qualified but He qualifies the called. He takes simple, contrite sinners and He uses them to accomplish His will which is why we can learn so much from studying their example.

Please join us as we do that over the weekend. The service will begin at 9:30 on Sunday morning and the sermon will be recorded and placed on our You Tube Channel afterwards for all those who cannot make it in person.

- Jeremy Cagle