Follow and be made.
“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt 4:19). Ministry is a call, that is why it is sometimes referred to as ‘calling.’ It is a call, primary to follow, not to lead. And until you follow well you cannot lead well. It is sad to note in ministry today that most people only want to be masters and commanders, very few want to follow. And that is why they are not made. There is no making without a following. Abraham followed God and God made him. Peter and the other disciples followed Jesus and they were made. Apostle Paul said, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). Your making is at the mercy of your following.
The phrase “…I will make you…” implies a process. So, a call into ministry is a call to submit yourself to God who will now take you through His factory and ultimately bring you out as a finished product to be displayed in the show room. So, a man doesn’t just happen, every man is made and until you follow you cannot be made. Moses went through the process of making before he was brought to the show room in Egypt to display the power of God. For 40 years, he was at the back of the desert keeping the sheep of his father-in-law but God was making him. Those who truly follow don’t see themselves as been used but as being made
How Do I Follow?
It is not every follower that ends up being made, only those who follow wholly are made. Judas was among the disciples that followed Jesus but he was not made. The Israelites followed God through Moses out of Egypt on their way to the Promised Land but in Numbers 32:11-12 God said concerning them, “Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt…shall see the land…because they have not wholly followed me. Save Caleb…and Joshua…they have wholly followed the Lord.” It takes wholesome follwership to access your place in destiny. Wholesomeness of life answers to wholesome following. What does it take to follow wholly?
When Jesus said to Peter and his brother, “Follow me”, the Bible says, “…They straightway left their nets, and followed him” (Matt 4:20). That is one of the requirements for true followership - total abandonment of self. They left all and followed Him, that was why He was able to make them.
Exalt divine purpose above personal plans because your personal plan can never take near where divine plan will take you. Be prepared to pay the prize, give it all it takes to see divine purpose fulfilled in your life, rather than staying with the convenience of personal plan. No man’s plan ever makes him in this kingdom, it is only divine purpose that takes a man beyond his plan.
Have a placement perspective rather than position perspective. Placement is divine but position is man made. No matter the position or title that men give you, it cannot compare to your divine placement in God. Your fulfillment in ministry is tied to divine placement not position or title. So, you need to locate your place in God and stay there! If He has called to serve under another man of God, do it with utmost commitment just as Elisha followed Elijah because that is the route to your making. There is no superiority or inferiority in leading and following. Only those who are in ministry for position feel inferior when they are called to follow. Be may more concerned about your divine placement because that is what defines your relevance. Placement has to do with duties and functions, it defines the uniqueness of your assignment and purpose in life. Those who are placement conscious are never competitive or contentious in ministry, they simply locate their lane and keep following, not minding what anybody is doing. They are focused!
Following wholly also means following to the end. Despite the distractions on his way, Elisha followed to the end and he was made. So, when you stop following, God stops making. But as long as you keep following, God will not stop making you. Don’t let the enemy stop you from following. Despise circumstances and distractions that want to stop you from following. Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow joyfully (Matt. 16:24). You have been following before, but you can be more committed from now. Who would have known Moses today even if he had become a Pharaoh in Egypt? Who would have heard of Peter or Paul, or Elisha if not that they followed to the end? You can’t follow God and be left behind. You will never be left behind again! It’s a new day for you!
The phrase “…I will make you…” implies a process. So, a call into ministry is a call to submit yourself to God who will now take you through His factory and ultimately bring you out as a finished product to be displayed in the show room. So, a man doesn’t just happen, every man is made and until you follow you cannot be made. Moses went through the process of making before he was brought to the show room in Egypt to display the power of God. For 40 years, he was at the back of the desert keeping the sheep of his father-in-law but God was making him. Those who truly follow don’t see themselves as been used but as being made
How Do I Follow?
It is not every follower that ends up being made, only those who follow wholly are made. Judas was among the disciples that followed Jesus but he was not made. The Israelites followed God through Moses out of Egypt on their way to the Promised Land but in Numbers 32:11-12 God said concerning them, “Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt…shall see the land…because they have not wholly followed me. Save Caleb…and Joshua…they have wholly followed the Lord.” It takes wholesome follwership to access your place in destiny. Wholesomeness of life answers to wholesome following. What does it take to follow wholly?
When Jesus said to Peter and his brother, “Follow me”, the Bible says, “…They straightway left their nets, and followed him” (Matt 4:20). That is one of the requirements for true followership - total abandonment of self. They left all and followed Him, that was why He was able to make them.
Exalt divine purpose above personal plans because your personal plan can never take near where divine plan will take you. Be prepared to pay the prize, give it all it takes to see divine purpose fulfilled in your life, rather than staying with the convenience of personal plan. No man’s plan ever makes him in this kingdom, it is only divine purpose that takes a man beyond his plan.
Have a placement perspective rather than position perspective. Placement is divine but position is man made. No matter the position or title that men give you, it cannot compare to your divine placement in God. Your fulfillment in ministry is tied to divine placement not position or title. So, you need to locate your place in God and stay there! If He has called to serve under another man of God, do it with utmost commitment just as Elisha followed Elijah because that is the route to your making. There is no superiority or inferiority in leading and following. Only those who are in ministry for position feel inferior when they are called to follow. Be may more concerned about your divine placement because that is what defines your relevance. Placement has to do with duties and functions, it defines the uniqueness of your assignment and purpose in life. Those who are placement conscious are never competitive or contentious in ministry, they simply locate their lane and keep following, not minding what anybody is doing. They are focused!
Following wholly also means following to the end. Despite the distractions on his way, Elisha followed to the end and he was made. So, when you stop following, God stops making. But as long as you keep following, God will not stop making you. Don’t let the enemy stop you from following. Despise circumstances and distractions that want to stop you from following. Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow joyfully (Matt. 16:24). You have been following before, but you can be more committed from now. Who would have known Moses today even if he had become a Pharaoh in Egypt? Who would have heard of Peter or Paul, or Elisha if not that they followed to the end? You can’t follow God and be left behind. You will never be left behind again! It’s a new day for you!
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