"Follow me and I will make you to become fishers of men" (Mark 1:17).
I. Follow Me
To follow is to abide
1. What does the Word of God have to do with abiding? (John 15:1-8)
2. What does worship have to do with abiding? (Psalms 22:3)
3. What does prayer have to do with abiding? (Ephesians 6:18)
To follow is to obey
1. What does obedience have to do with following Jesus? (John. 14:15)
2. How do we prove the Lordship of Jesus in our lives? (Luke 6:46)
II. I will make you to become
Notice the word become. In the moment we placed our faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, we were born into the family of God as children of God. But God wants us to grow up into mature, fruitful disciples.
1. As we follow Jesus (abide, obey) what does He cause us to become?
2. What is the Lord’s responsibility in this process?
3. What is our responsibility?
4. From John 15:1-12, what would you say is the natural result of abiding in Jesus?
III. Fisher Folk
1. In 2 Corinthians 4:7 6:16, in Romans 8:9-11 and Galatians 2:20 we are told that we carry something special within us. What is it?
2. What does abiding, obeying and becoming have to do with this “treasure”?
3. Being Fisher Folk means sharing what?
Summary:
We carry the treasure of Jesus in our earthen vessels, our lives. Following Jesus — an intentional lifestyle of abiding, obeying — allows Him to conform our life to His life.
This is necessary, for whatever we say to the world, they will not believe us unless they can see Jesus in us. Our witness is not merely what we say. Our witness is who we are. Who we are is a function of Whose we are.
Fisher Folking, bearing witness of the kingdom of God breaking into history, is simply a matter of allowing Jesus to fill us with His life and spill out of us into the lives of those around us.
“Follow me and I will make you to become fishers of men.”
One-on-One:
Discuss your impressions of this lesson. Pray for one another.
At home:
Reflect on this lesson, asking God to show you areas of strength and weakness in your abiding and your obeying. Are you becoming a Fisher Folk?
Very briefly, maybe in two or three sentences, in your own words, who or what is a Fisher Folk?