Prepare to Follow

Originally preached March 15, 2026.

scripture

Matthew 4:218–22

series

Prepare the Way

summary

Jesus, early in his ministry and based in Capernaum in Galilee, walks along the lakeshore and calls four fishermen to follow him. To Simon, Andrew, James, and John (blue-collar workers with no standing in the religious world) he issues a simple, personal invitation: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Each pair immediately drops their nets, their boat, and even their father to go with him. In the sermon, this moment was presented as a window into the nature of true discipleship: Jesus takes the initiative, he calls ordinary people, he promises to do the transforming work himself, and that call reshapes every commitment they have ever made.

Prepare to Follow (Matthew 4:18-22)
Aaron Halstead

for reflection:

  1. What stands out to you about Jesus’ initiative in calling ordinary fishermen, and how does that challenge your assumptions about who God uses for his work?

  2. Where in your life do you sense Jesus inviting you to “drop your nets”—that is, to release a comfort, identity, or priority in order to follow him more fully?

  3. The disciples immediately reordered their commitments in response to Jesus’ call. What commitments in your life currently compete most with wholehearted discipleship, and what might it look like to place them under Jesus’ authority?