Day 4: Follow to Lead

Although we are familiar with Jesus’ call to Peter, “Follow me and I will make you a fisher of men,” most of his calls to people were merely, “follow me,” or “sin no more.” We understand and see the “fisher of men” reference, but perhaps that day it was a little strange to Peter. Since we have the luxury of seeing Peter’s temperament, he’s not adverse to the strange. Consider the rough timeline of how Jesus interacted with his disciples:

1. Jesus initially called his disciples to merely follow him.
2. The disciples watched Jesus teach and heal.
3. Jesus began to include the disciples in the functions of his miracles, even if they weren’t performing them, such as gathering fishes and loaves.
4. The disciples began to imitate Jesus in the conducting of miracles, like when they prayed for sick.
5. Jesus provided guidance when things didn’t always go as planned, such as when they couldn’t cast the demon out of the sick child.
6. Jesus provided the disciples with the Great Commission.
7. After Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, the disciples’ ministry not only mirrored, but indeed exceeded Jesus’ earthly three-year ministry.

Don’t Put a Two-Ton Truck on a One-Ton Bridge

The GoFish series is rooted in wisdom. Surely you will be putting a massive load on someone if you follow up your introduction with, “you can do greater things than Jesus.” As a parallel to the above timeline which mirrors the great commission, consider the following steps in disciple making:

1. Simply give them space to follow Christ. In the very beginning, this could be as easy as a prayer of repentance. Build a relationship where there is a mutual exchange of the heart, and your encouraging letter edifies them.
2. Allow them to imitate you in your Christian service to others. What they should see are the Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit. They will quickly realize that there is no way to imitate these qualities and one can only receive them through baptism in the water and spirit.
3. Lead them into a covenant relationship with Jesus through the New Birth experience by leading them to the Word, and letting the word of God work on their heart.
4. Teach them the above three steps as they find disciples for themselves.

Follow to Lead

There is a keen expectation that you will not merely “follow” your entire Christian life, but will one day “lead”. We follow so that we can lead. We should be teaching others to follow so they can lead. And we want to replicate this over and over again. Stan Gleason pens it this way, “When you have a follower, you have the power of one; but if you have a leader you have the power of exponential growth.” You have the ability to make leaders… to make disciple-makers out of those you are discipling today.

Biblical Devotion

Matthew 4:18-23  While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.  (19) And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (20) Immediately they left their nets and followed him. (21) And 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.  (22) Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. (23) And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

Matthew 8:19-22  And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”  (20) And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (21)  Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” (22) And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Matthew 9:9  As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

John 2:1-10  On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.  (2) Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. (3) When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”  (4) And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” (5) His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”  (6) Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. (7) Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.  (8) And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. (9) When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom  (10) and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”

Matthew 14:15-21  Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”  (16) But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” (17) They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” (18) And he said, “Bring them here to me.” (19)  Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.  (20) And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. (21) And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Mark 9:14-29  And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them.  (15) And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him.  (16) And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” (17) And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute.  (18) And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” (19) And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” (20)  And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. (21) And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. (22) And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”  (23) And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” (24) Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (25) And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” (26) And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.”  (27) But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. (28) And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” (29) And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

Acts 8:4-8  Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.  (5) Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.  (6) And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did.  (7) For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. (8)  So there was much joy in that city.

Acts 9:31-35  So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.  (32) Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. (33) There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed.  (34) And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose. (35) And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.