December 31, 2012

“And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17).

I was listening to the radio on my way to work one morning, and heard a song that begins with a question, “If I met Jesus on the street and He said to come and follow me, would I love Him enough to give up everything?” It’s a catchy and moving song I had playing in my head all day, but it really struck me deep. How willing am I to step out on faith to give Him everything?

It says in Matthew 4 that the disciples were called by Jesus to “follow me,” and they “immediately” dropped everything to follow Him. They went into their communities to share the Gospel, and the hearts they touched in turn shared the Gospel with someone else. Disciples for Christ multiplied and the Gospel is shared today by those who drop “everything” to follow Him. Now, I’m not suggesting you leave your job, or that you need to leave the country to do full-time mission work! We have many opportunities to share the Gospel message, right here, in our own congregations.

Lutherans For Life encourages congregations to become involved with Renewal For Life®, because we are called to be fishers of men. When I think about making disciples, I think about our Life Team Leaders, who lead and guide Life Teams to be Gospel-motivated voices For Life, who then lead and guide their communities and families to connect the life issues of our day to the Gospel truth.