Read Matthew 4:18-25

¹⁹ And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Have you ever known someone who seemed to have a ‘knack’ for a particular task? Some kind of unique, ‘miraculous’ ability to do things that others find difficult? Jesus had a ‘knack’ for bringing thousands of people to faith in God – what he called “fishing” for people. With a genuine desire to follow Jesus, many new Christians spend their energy striving to ‘win people for Jesus’, commonly resulting in many failed attempts. We feel that while Jesus and a small group of super Christians have the ‘knack’, it’s simply, “not our gift”.

This frustrating experience very easily leads us to settle for a life that does not meet the expectations we once held for ourselves. While we started out with the best of intentions, our execution is where the issue lies. Unlike our old life that is totally dependent on ourselves and aimed at ‘success’ as a Christian; our new life of faith must be founded upon Jesus and aimed at becoming like him as the priority. In Matthew 4:19 Jesus makes it very clear that before we “fish” he wants us to “follow”. In fact, at a basic level, he makes a promise to all those who’ve put their faith in him. He promises that if we are willing to follow then he will make [ensure, promise, guarantee] us into fishers of people just like him.

Anyone who has taken up a new hobby knows that no matter how many YouTube tutorials you watch, how much expensive gear you buy or how positive your mindset becomes, you can still end up looking like a fool (e.g. first-time surfing, fishing, drawing or driving). What we actually need is a coach, friend or professional who can walk alongside us, shaping us into the kind of person who makes it look effortless.

Following Jesus can be the same. Once we repent of our sin and are born again by faith we feel we are ready to save the world! However, like any other skill or hobby we are coached in, we must lay aside our self-assured mindset and simply and humbly follow his direction. It is in this posture of learning and worship that Jesus himself ensures that our lives will make the impact we were called and designed to have.

In striving to fish, many Christians fail to follow. If, like any humble student, you are willing to learn from Jesus step by step, it’s quite likely you could develop Jesus’ knack for introducing people to God without forcing him upon them.

And when you learn that, you’ll know that you are well on your way to becoming like Christ himself.