I’m going to guess that some of the most important people in your life and some of the most important opportunities that you have stepped into, came about through an invitation or chance encounter. Let me give you some of my examples.

It all started with a text; or I should say, with a flurry of texts from Pastor Ben. He wanted to know, without telling me why, my school and work schedule at the seminary and how much I was making. I told him. Then came the invitation. “We’ve got an offer you can’t refuse. We will pay you $1 more – it was a little more than that – to join our team.” Obviously I said yes – not to the money; but to the team and work. And just last month we celebrated 14 years since that invitation. Needless to say I have been blessed and marked by being a part of this team and this community – I’ve had a front row seat at all that God has done.

Here’s another one. I was 18 years old and working at the new mall just outside of West Palm Beach, FL – I was working at Stride Rite, a kids shoe store. And one day an acquaintance that I knew through some of my close friends came in. And it was Bea, who was not there shopping for kids shoes – although some did fit her – but she came in because she too was working at the mall (at Wet Seal) and just wanted to say hi. Now, I don’t think either one of us thought much about that encounter. But one thing led to another – I’ll spare you all the details; she can tell you how she first kissed me – but in 10 days we will be celebrating our 20 year wedding anniversary.

These opportunities changed my life in the best way possible. You have your list too. Even if those relationships or opportunities are not where you hoped – it’s important to remember where it all started.

But here’s the thing, as significant as these relationships are – 14 years on staff, 20 years of marriage – they can’t compare to the most important encounter and invitation of my life: and that happened the moment I met Jesus. Yes, my wife and this church have changed my life; but Jesus has changed all of that and my eternity.

And here's what I know to be true: Jesus continues to be in the business of encountering people and inviting them to follow. And he's looking to meet you right where you are today; he has an invitation specifically for you. Maybe you've already encountered him and count yourself as one of his disciples – if so, this is a chance to remember how it all started and to ask what fresh invitation he's extending to you now. Or maybe you're still wondering what believing in Jesus even means – there’s an invitation for you as well. No matter where you find yourself today, we're going to look at how Jesus first encountered and called some of his disciples, and see what their experience might mean for us.

Matthew 4:18-22

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

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

This passage is the classic text used to show how Jesus called four of his disciples – two sets of brothers – that became part of his close inner circle. There are a couple of things that I love about this passage. For starters, it shows that Discipleship begins with Jesus. It doesn’t begin with you or me or these two sets of brothers. Verse 18 and 21 say that while …Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he SAW two brothers…. He saw them; he went to them; and he invited them to follow him.

I love this because in Jewish tradition, a rabbi didn’t normally pick his disciples in this way. Typically what would happen is that a prospective disciple would approach a rabbi and ask to study with him – this is similar to what PhD students have to do when seeking out a faculty advisor. But Jesus flips the model on its head and he’s the one seeking out and calling the brothers to enter into a permanent relationship with him. The only other place in the Scriptures you see this is with Elijah calling Elisha to follow him. So it’s important for you to know that discipleship doesn’t begin with you; it begins with Jesus.

Here’s the other thing that I love about this passage. Jesus invites the most unlikely people to be his disciples. Jesus did not call professionally trained rabbis to be his disciples – he called fishermen. Now that just doesn’t seem wise to me. If I were building a movement that would outlive me and I was looking for the next generation of spiritual leaders I just wouldn’t start where Jesus started. But Jesus is different. He looks at these blue-collar workers and encourages them by saying, Your skills are serviceable in the kingdom of God – …follow me… and I will send you out to fish for people.” (v.19)

So I imagine that if Jesus were here today in San Francisco he would say to the tech worker, “Follow me, and I will send you out to build people up, not just products.” To the venture capitalist he would say, "Follow me, and I will send you out to invest in souls, not just startups." You get the point. What I want you to see is that if he called them (fishermen), what makes you think he won’t call you? It’s a different context, but the invitation remains the same.

One more brief thing that I love about this passage: The disciples respond without delay to Jesus’ invitation. In regards to Peter and Andrew, Matthew wrote, AT ONCE they left their nets and followed him. (v.20) With James and John, it says …and IMMEDIATELY they left the boat and their father and followed him. (v.22) Now, this is not me telling you that you need to leave your job to follow Jesus. But here's my question for you: What nets are you holding onto? What are the things in your life that keep you from following Jesus? For Peter and Andrew, the nets represented security. For James and John, family approval. What do your nets represent? What keeps you from immediately following Jesus? Is it fear? Is it comfort? Is it the voice that says "later" or "I'm not ready"? Whatever it is, let the disciples’ response be an inspiration and challenge to us to immediately and with faith let go of our nets – in order to take hold of what God is inviting us to.

Now that's what I love. But here's what I find confusing about this passage: it reads as if this is the first time the disciples are encountering Jesus. Matthew gives no context of there being any prior relationship. And yet, you have this massive invitation: "Come, follow me," and they immediately drop everything.

This would be like a stranger coming up to you after church and telling you to follow them. (Which, in San Francisco, could happen.) But think about it—what would it take for you to actually leave everything to follow a stranger?

Were the disciples just that gullible? No. The fact is that Jesus was no stranger to these guys. The other gospel writers – specifically John – give us a lot more of the backstory. Through John we learn that Andrew was first a disciple of John the Baptist – a different John. And John the Baptist was constantly talking about the coming messiah. One day, John sees Jesus and says, "Look, the Lamb of God!" (John 1:36b) Check out what happens next.

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus…. (John 1:40-42)

Thank God for the Andrews in our lives who share about Jesus and bring us to him. Because once we're introduced, Jesus takes it from there. Spend enough time with Jesus – put yourself in environments where he is – and you will see your life changed. And that’s what the disciples did. Many commentators believe that before Jesus called the brothers to follow him in Matthew 4, they had already spent significant time with him. They were likely at the wedding in Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle. And this is what John writes about that encounter:

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. (John 2:11)

When you encounter Jesus – I mean, truly encounter him - not just his teaching but you encounter his power, his glory, his love - it changes you; you can’t help but believe in him. I remember the first time I encountered Jesus in that way.

It was April 2002. I was at a retreat – it was a weekend away the church actually called an Encounter Retreat. At that time I still did not consider myself a Christian. I had been attending church for several months; but I was about done. I felt like a hypocrite. I only went because Bea invited me. Nevertheless, I came in with a prayer in my heart. I didn’t know it then, but this was my prayer / my hope: God, I just need to know that you’re real. Now, that statement wasn’t me testing God – like, if you’re real, prove it. It was more like a cry of desperation: I NEED to know that you’re real. God can work with that honest doubt. I went into that retreat feeling lost, scared, and like a loser. But at that retreat I encountered the presence of God in a powerful way. And even though my circumstances hadn’t changed, everything changed. I left feeling the opposite of how I came in. I felt peace, loved, free, purposeful. It was a complete 180. That moment changed my life.

Before the big invitation to follow Jesus, just like me the disciples had their own ‘Encounter Retreat’ moments. And it was more than just the wedding in Cana. They had seen enough and experienced enough to have contemplated who Jesus is and what his mission was. One commentator writes, “This was no emotional, spur-of-the-moment decision. They must have been waiting for this momentous occasion to join Jesus as he embarks on his kingdom mission…”

Now we don't know why the disciples went back to fishing if they were already familiar with Jesus and spending time with him. But here’s what we need to understand: An encounter with Jesus is not enough. Yes, those moments can be a catalyst that lead us to believe in him – just as the wedding in Cana led the disciples to believe. But believing is not enough. True discipleship always involves what Jesus invites the brothers to do – and that is to follow him.

Why is believing not enough? James sarcastically writes, You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. (James 2:19) Demons believe in God and yet they are still demons. But the goal of discipleship is transformation. That’s why believing is not enough.  

The way John Mark Comer and others have defined discipleship is in three categories.

Discipleship involves:

- Being with Jesus;

- Becoming like Jesus;

- and Doing what Jesus did.

Discipleship requires closeness to the teacher, imitation of his ways, which leads to transformation over time. Believing alone doesn’t lead to that.

I like how Rich Villodas put it. He says, "There is an important but subtle difference between believing in Jesus and following Him. In much of American Christianity, we've made it easy to believe in Jesus without following Him. We can believe that Jesus existed, that He loves us, that He died for our sins and rose from the dead. But believing in all those things does not mean anything if we are not following Jesus. So, the greatest enemy of Christianity is not atheism. The greatest enemy to Christianity is a version of Christianity that believes in Jesus but doesn't follow Him."

So are you simply believing in Jesus, or are you following Him? You might ask, what does following Jesus look like? Well, we’re going to get to that in this year of discipleship. But here are a few things. It means staying connected to Jesus daily—not just when you’re at church. And we can do that through prayer and the reading of His Word, among other things. It also means being transformed from the inside out, not just managing our external behavior. It means serving others when no one is watching and forgiving when it’s hard. Following Jesus is a daily decision to orient our entire lives around him – to let him lead our relationships, our finances, and our pain. You and I never stop being disciples – we never stop following. We don’t graduate to being independent from Jesus.

As Paul said, Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1) Paul never stopped following Jesus. You and I can’t stop either. So let me ask again: Are you believing, or are you following?

That’s the invitation that Jesus is extending to each and every single one of us today: to follow him. He first wants you to encounter him – for you to know that he's real, that he sees you, that he loves you. And he's inviting you to follow – not just to believe in him from a distance, but to walk with him, to be changed by him, to join his mission. He’s calling out to you.

And as Hebrews 3:15 says, Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…. Not tomorrow. Today.

Let me get specific about what responding might look like for you today, because I know you're all in different places on this journey:

Maybe you're here and you've never put your faith in Jesus. You've been curious, maybe skeptical, but you've never actually said ‘yes’ to him. You need what I needed at that retreat – to encounter Jesus and to trust him with your life. Tell Jesus you want to trust in him. Come up and receive prayer. My moment happened during a time of prayer.

For others of you, you've encountered Jesus and believe in him, but you know you haven't been following him. You've kept one hand on your nets. You've been holding back. Today is the day to let go – to move from simply believing to actually following. You can tell Jesus today, I want to commit to you.

For others, you're already following Jesus, but you know you've drifted. The daily connection has slipped. Prayer has become sporadic. You haven't opened your Bible in weeks, maybe months. You need to get back to the basics – to being with Jesus. So your response might be to commit to reading the gospels daily and prayer.

And lastly, some of you are following Jesus and you sense him inviting you to something new this year: to take a step of obedience; to start serving in a specific way; to get baptized; to mend a broken relationship; to lay down a habit. You know what your nets are – those things keeping you from obeying Christ. Your response is to name what Jesus is inviting you into and to say yes.

Jesus is here – ready to encounter you. He's extending an invitation. Let’s respond.