Mark 1:16  Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
17  And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
18  And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.
19  And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.
20  And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.

Jesus is the eternal Son of God. He came to this earth to lay down His life for mankind. His work of salvation was finished when He went to the cross and died there and shed His blood there. He was buried and rose again the third day.
After He ascended back to glory, there would still be a need to tell others the truth. The Old Testament system was finished when Jesus finished His work of salvation. His shed blood did away with the animal sacrifices. His resurrection proved He was better than all the Old Testament system. It was ordained of God, but it had a time stamp on it. Jesus’ blood has no time stamp on it. There is nothing coming to do away with that blood.
Jesus declared that He would build His church on Himself. He would choose twelve men to be the first of many others who would serve Him as shepherds in His churches. The twelve disciples, one of whom was a devil and would be replaced with Saul/Paul, would be given special powers due to the transitional time they lived in. They would be able to do legitimate signs and wonders to prove they were the true apostles. Since their death, there has been no need for special signs and wonders and those who claim that ability today are liars. We need to be clear about that. Stop being deceived and read your Bible.
In our text we see Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee and begin to call His twelve men. Fishermen were men of endurance. They worked long hours and they worked in all kinds of weather. They were tough men.
Pencil pushers are not people of endurance. They are softies who look for a nice soft office chair and they need a pencil to twirl as they waste time in the office. They do not make good soldiers.
It takes a tough man to serve the Lord. It takes someone who can endure hardness. It takes someone who does not buckle under pressure. It takes someone who will trust in the Lord not just for salvation, but for all things. There are those who will enter heaven though as by fire. They are not much help in the cause of proclaiming the Gospel of Christ.
These twelve men were commanded to follow Jesus. Jesus began with choosing four fishermen. Notice they were men. He would make them fishers of men. We read in verse 18 that Simon and Andrew straightway forsook their nets and followed him. They did not know what they were getting into, but they heard the call of Jesus and they followed Him. They would have much to learn and they would need to be empowered by the Holy Ghost, but they chose to obey the call of Jesus.
Further along the seashore, Jesus saw two more fishermen. James and John were mending their nets. Jesus called them and they left their father and followed Jesus as well. They left their father and his hired servants. They also did not know what they were getting into, but they were willing to obey God’s call on their life.
Following God is of greater importance than family loyalty. The family business might be important. It may have been in the family for generations. There is nothing wrong with a family business, if it honours God. However, God knows that any family business will fall apart one day. Eternity is forever. Ministering to the spiritual needs of man is of much greater importance than maintaining or expanding the family business.
Following Jesus does not promise wealth or prestige. It promises a hard life with testings and trials. However, it is a blessing to be able to have a small part in making the name of Jesus Christ known to the lost and dying.
The greatest need of man is to know the truth. God is not crippled without man. Psalm 19 tells us:

Psalm 19:1  The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
2  Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
3  There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
4  Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
5  Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
6  His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

God’s creation declares there is a God. The fool rejects that and believes the lies of the devil. Evolution is a lie from start to finish. Those who are saved are called to stand for truth. Those who are called to be ministers of the Gospel must stand for truth. We must have a clear voice for truth and help people to see the folly of following lies. It should be obvious to all that evolution is foolishness and wickedness. Yet, we can see that the majority of society is willing to accept the lies of that system. The entire ‘climate change’ agenda is a lie that is being bought by far too many people. It is time for born again Christians to stand upon the truth and seek to help others to turn from their false gods to know the true and living God.
God calls on men to be willing to look beyond the materialism of this world, and to give their lives in service for Him. Yes, women can serve God as well, but not as leaders. There is no such a thing as a woman preacher. Women have important work as support workers.
God calls men to be in the forefront of the contending for the faith once delivered unto the saints. Jesus would spent 3 1/2 years training His twelve disciples. He would show them what walking by faith looks like. He would help them to see the importance of being there to help people even if they do not appreciate what is done for them. He would teach them not to be discouraged by scowling faces or threats on their lives. One of them, Judas, would be replaced with the apostle Paul.
It is important to be able to identify the voice of Jesus today. It will not be an audible voice. It will come through the inspired Word of God. God calls all to be saved first of all. He calls certain men to prepare for ministry. All saints need to be witnesses unto Jesus. However, there are those who are called to be evangelists, pastors and teachers. There is a great need to be willing to serve the Lord faithfully today. Those who are called into leadership positions, need to be humble men who will serve the Lord faithfully regardless of the results they see. We do not need smooth talking snake-oil salesmen who will try to build their resume so they can gain the title of “Dr.” so and so. Degrees often spoil the man.
Faithfulness is a key factor in being a true servant of the Lord. We do not need new methods. We need steadfastness. We need to be willing to reach out to a lost and dying world and serve the Lord with joy in our hearts.
Today is the Lord’s Day. True children of God will want to be in their Father’s house. They will want to honour their Father. In doing that we can help others to see the importance of knowing the Father and serving Him.
Pastor Bartel