Title: Follow Me (Mark 1:14-20)
Contents Follow Me (Mark 1:14-20) Author: Dong 2 Registration Date: 2003-12-16 18:59:58 , Views: 71 , Comments: 0 , Recommendation: 0 People The public life of Jesus has begun. Through the work of Jesus, it clearly shows what the Lord came to this earth for. The first was to spread the gospel of the kingdom of God, and the second was to raise disciples to preach the gospel. The living Jesus continues to do this through the body church today.
1. Evangelism of the Kingdom of God (14-16)
1) After John was arrested
John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus, was arrested and imprisoned by Herod. was no longer active. After John the Baptist's ministry ended, he left behind the scenes and Jesus appeared. The old era has passed and a new era has begun. The Age of Law has passed, the Age of Grace, and the Age of the New Testament has begun. (Luke 16:16)
2) Come to Galilee
Mark recorded almost all of Jesus' activities as a Galilean ministry. The work of Jerusalem in Judea only records the events of the Holy Week. The Galilee region was a place where they were discriminated against politically and economically and religiously despised enough to be called a Gentile Galilee. But the Lord's ministry in Galilee was the place prophesied by Isaiah. (Isa 9:14, Matthew 4:13-16)
3) He preached the gospel of the kingdom of God.
Evangelism was the central work of Jesus' life. (Luke 4:43) The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.
- The time is fulfilled: Jesus' ministry of blessing was fulfilled. A time (kairos) is a decisive time when God intervenes in history to accomplish His will. He was sensitive to the timing of Jesus and worked according to the timing.
- The kingdom of God is near: The kingdom of God is a kingdom that is in contrast to the kingdoms of the world, and it is a kingdom where Jesus reigns as king. The gospel is that anyone who acknowledges Jesus as King and accepts His rule will experience God's rule in every area of their life. At that time, when the emperor of the Roman Empire sent an edict to a place ruled by it, it was called the Gospel (Euangelion). However, it is a different country from the rule of the empire. The kingdom has come near with Jesus.
- Repent and believe the gospel: The way to heaven is to repent and believe the gospel. Repentance is turning around. Just as the prodigal son repents in the pigsty and returns to his father's house, he turns toward God. We must live a life of penance that turns our direction toward the world to God every day. We must forsake sin, turn away from sin, and turn to God. And you must believe the gospel. I have to believe that God loved me so much that He paid for my sins by giving up His only Son, Jesus, on the cross to atone for my sins, and I must believe that He forgave me and accepted me.
If you do not repent and believe in the gospel, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Those who say they believe but do not repent cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. (Pharisees, scribes) Therefore, repentance and faith must accompany us until we reach the gates of heaven.
Now we live in the age of fullness of waiting for the Second Coming of the Lord. Let us also devote ourselves to evangelism so that the Lord can preach the gospel through me. Let's repent and believe in the gospel so that we can live under the Lord's rule every day in order to live the lives of the people of God's kingdom.
2. A person to preach the gospel (Calling disciples) (16-20)
Jesus' ministry was to spread the gospel and make disciples. In particular, he devoted all his energy to discipleship. This is because only then can the gospel of the kingdom of God be preached to the ends of the earth until the Lord is great.
1) Follow me
When Jesus called his disciples, instead of telling him to be my disciple, he said, “Follow me” (Acarudio). This word means to follow the same path, and the first four disciples decided to follow the same path as Jesus. It is easy to know Jesus. It is also easy to think. But the path to follow is not easy. Stepping in the footsteps of Jesus and following his path has a price to be paid.
2) I will make you fishers of men.
Wouldn't it be like an absurd adventure to throw away the boats and nets that had been eating for generations and to leave your hometown and parents and follow a young man with a single word, "Follow me?" It is being held captive by the mighty challenge of the word of the Lord. And they are captivated by the vision the Lord gives them. It wasn't about the fish. It was a story about people. For those who have never thought about anything other than fishing in their entire lives, fishing for humans was really enough to inflate their dreams. The first disciples were caught in a dream and followed the Lord. A Christian is a person with affection for people, service to people, and a passion for saving souls.
3) They left their boats and nets and followed the Lord.
- Immediately followed immediately: The word immediately, immediately is the most used word in the Gospel of Mark. Soon, he acted immediately. If he had received the Lord's call and said, 'Teacher, give me a day or three, then I will think about it', would I have been able to follow along? Obedience requires immediate action.
- They left their boats and nets to follow: They were their occupation and all their possessions. Nevertheless, he left everything and followed Jesus because he found Jesus more precious than all his wealth. A marvelous world unfolded before them, who had devoted their entire lives to following Jesus, and they became permanent figures in history. They were people who boldly pursued their dreams rather than the status quo.
Today the Lord is calling us. Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.