18 As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter), and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea ​— ​for they were fishermen. 19 “Follow me,” he told them,“and I will make you fish for people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, preparing their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. -- Matthew 4:18-22

The First Disciples (Matthew 4:18-22)

‍

This week, Mike continued our GAME CHANGERS series, where we investigated the importance and role of community in the life of the believer.  

Following Jesus is personal but it is never private. The context of life with Jesus is always community. There are 95 images used throughout scripture to describe the form and the function of the local church. While each is different and emphasizes a particular facet of Christ's body, the common thread through them all is they are communal. They all depict an expression of various parts coming together as one.

Thus, to be a Christian is to share life together.

Our passage today, Matthew 4:18-22, depicts Jesus calling his first disciples. Jesus saw it fit to assemble a team for life and ministry. While Jesus preached to the masses and ministered to the many, the majority of his life on earth was spent with this team.

Christianity is a team sport. We need each other.

When Jesus calls Simon, Andrew, James, and John, he calls them out of their ordinary (fishing) and into the way of the Kingdom (fishers of men). The way of the Kingdom, the way of Jesus, is the work of inviting people to enter and live in the Kingdom of God.

Jesus, truly God and truly man, assembled his team of disciples to do life with, to train them in the way of Godliness, and to send them out on mission. Similarly, we need a team to lock arms with as we follow Jesus.

Who in your life has left the ordinary way and is walking with Jesus that you can group up with? We need Jesus. We need each other. Let's do this thing, together.