Christianity is Not a Spectator Sport

Since the New Testament defines the word church as the people (not the building), the challenge is to ask ourselves who we are and who God is leading us to be. What better place to begin then at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry? Maybe, by taking a look at how He began, we can see His top priorities and challenge ourselves to mold those into our lives today.

I would like to highlight three observations in here that give us a good picture of who Jesus is looking for in His followers. By looking at those observations, we will get a good glimpse at one of Jesus’ top priorities—that Christianity is NOT a spectator sport. Read Matthew 4:18-25 for the full story.

Jesus Didn’t Ask for Spectators (v19)

Jesus’ invitation to the disciples was an invitation to an active job. Being a fisherman was hard work (more like Deadliest Catch as opposed to a lazy river in the afternoon) and being a fisher of men would be even harder. This is clear in that when Jesus invited the disciples, the first things they would have to do is give up their income and their families. It was not a cushy job offer. If you were going to follow Jesus, you were going to have to give up everything and roll up your sleeves.

Jesus’ invitation is a call to action – He never asked for people who would just sit and stare—listening was nothing to Him if not followed by obedience (John 14:15). He wanted followers who would take action and help grow this new family He was creating.

Jesus Modeled Service (v23)

Jesus didn’t just talk about God’s kingdom, He showed it through service. He asked the disciples to be fishers and He modeled His priority not by talking, but by healing the sick and freeing the oppressed. Jesus chose to spread His message by service. Action was the language Jesus used to share the kingdom of God.

The Crowd Responded to His Action (v24-25)

The crowd shows they got His message – while they had seen Jesus work and heard Him speak, His fame rapidly intensified when they brought Him more people to help. They responded LIKEWISE to His action. This is so indicative of our culture now that there is a TIME.com article that says this exactly – if you want to do great things, you need to follow someone who does them. “Heroes aren’t just for kids. Adults who want to accomplish great things—a successful business, a happy family, a beautiful painting, meaningful work—need heroes as well.”