Matthew 4:19 Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

The Story
Mat 4:18-22 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. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 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. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

The Words of Jesus
Matthew 4:19 Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Background
Jesus came to save the world (Joh 3:17)...That has always been His mission. And he was laser-focused on doing the will of His father and let nothing distract Him.

Here is an example: Jesus healed Peter’s mother one day and the next morning a crowd of people was looking for Him; but the scripture says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!" Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." Mar 1:35-38

Today’s story also shows another portion of His strategy. It was that after his death and resurrection He would commission the church to carry His message to the ends of the earth. He sets the tone for that when He calls these fishermen to follow Him...and that He would make them fishers of men.

Application
We are men & women who have also been captured by His message, and as we follow Him, we too will become fishers of men. Our highest priority in evangelism is to learn to FOLLOW Him. It was interesting that His decision to go “to the nearby villages” per Mar 1:38 was an outcome of having gone “off to a solitary place, where he prayed”. What better place to learn to follow, than by spending time with Him in the solitary place of prayer.

May we too find ourselves committed to the solitary place.
May we too learn to hear His voice to make those strategic decisions.
May we too follow Him so that the natural outflow of that relationship is we catch men.