B.E.C.O.M.E. - The Call | Ps. Craig Dillman | 20261018

Jesus calls Simon Peter into a lifelong journey of learning to trust him, obey him, and participate in his mission. His call begins with an encounter, but it reaches into everything Peter will become. Jesus gives Simon the name Peter, the rock, because he sees something Peter cannot yet see in himself. Jesus has the “naming rights,” the authority and wisdom to say who a person is and what that life can become. The pressure to invent an identity gives way to trusting the One who can make something no person can make alone.

Luke 5 brings that authority right into Peter’s fishing boat. Jesus tells an experienced fisherman to put out into deep water after a whole night of catching nothing. His direction cuts across Peter’s experience, but his word proves trustworthy. The catch fills two boats until they begin to sink. The miracle does more than impress Peter. Christ’s presence brings Peter to his knees, aware of his sin. The encounter moves him from admiring a respected teacher to acknowledging the Lord.

Jesus answers that fear with an invitation: “Don’t be afraid. From now on, you will fish for people.” His power to fill a net points toward what he can do through Peter for others. His call requires surrender, but it does not leave Peter to figure everything out alone.

Jesus calls, equips, empowers, and supports. His equipping includes restoring what is damaged, strengthening what is weak, and preparing a life for his purposes. His patient work resembles a craftsman seeing something beautiful in wood somebody else would throw away. His empowering gives real responsibility while supplying power beyond natural ability through the Holy Spirit. His support includes continued guidance, the fellowship of others, and the promise never to leave or forsake those he calls.

The cruciform life gives this response its shape: a cross-shaped life patterned after Jesus giving himself for others and the purposes of God. The cost is “nothing but your entire self.” Christ’s lordship reaches time, ambitions, marriage, sexuality, work, possessions, and pleasures. His call does not turn every disciple into a minister by occupation, but it puts him at the center of every role and responsibility. A Christlike community shares this life together for a Christ-centered mission to a broken world. God chooses ordinary people, vessels of clay, because his power and love supply what their abilities cannot. Galatians 2:20 names the heart of it: life by faith in the Son of God who loved and gave himself.

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Jesus names what nobody else sees. Jesus gives Peter a name that reaches beyond his present condition into what grace can make of him. His authority challenges both self-invention and the limits imposed by other people’s judgments. Christ’s naming rights invite trust in his wisdom rather than anxiety over having to create a worthwhile identity. [47:21]
• 2. Holy presence turns admiration into surrender. The overflowing nets bring Peter to his knees rather than simply making him grateful for a successful catch. Christ’s goodness exposes sin because his presence reveals more than human need; it reveals who stands before Peter. Jesus answers that exposure with “Don’t be afraid,” making confession the beginning of a calling rather than a reason for rejection. [50:12]
• 3. Christ supplies what his call requires. Jesus does not call a disciple and then leave the outcome entirely in that person’s hands. His equipping restores and prepares, his empowering entrusts real work, and his support keeps that work rooted in his presence. The Holy Spirit makes obedience possible beyond natural capabilities without making preparation, dependence, or fellowship unnecessary. [1:04:35]
• 4. The cross leaves nothing held back. The cruciform life brings every part of life under Christ’s lordship, including the parts that seem too ordinary or too personal to surrender. Its cost is the entire self, not merely a change of occupation or a few religious commitments. Christ’s self-giving turns surrender away from empty loss and toward the lasting good of others and the purposes of God. [1:07:28]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [37:18] - Peter and the Journey of Following Jesus
• [41:01] - Simon Receives a New Name
• [43:56] - Luke 5: The Miraculous Catch
• [45:46] - An Encounter Becomes a Call
• [47:21] - Jesus Has the Naming Rights
• [48:25] - From Admiration to Acknowledging the Lord
• [52:25] - Do Not Be Afraid
• [56:47] - Surrendering Plans in Every Calling
• [58:12] - Called, Equipped, Empowered, and Supported
• [1:06:26] - The Cross-Shaped Life
• [1:10:27] - A Christlike Community on Mission
• [1:11:40] - Crucified with Christ and Living by Faith

Bible Reading

Luke 5:1-11
“On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.' And Simon answered, 'Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.' And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.' For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.' And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.” [43:56]

Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” [01:11:40]

John 1:42
“He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, 'You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas' (which means Peter).” [41:01]

Observation questions

1. In Luke 5:1–11, what details make Jesus’ fishing instructions difficult for an experienced fisherman like Simon to follow? What does Simon do despite those difficulties? [49:32]
2. How do Peter’s words and posture toward Jesus change after the catch of fish? What does he become aware of besides the size of the catch? [48:31]
3. In Luke 5:8–11, how does Jesus respond to Peter’s awareness of his sin, and what do Peter and his partners do next? [52:25]
4. In connection with Jesus giving Simon a new name in John 1:42, what does Jesus see about Peter that Peter cannot yet see about himself? [48:12]

Interpretation questions

1. What does Jesus giving Simon a new name in John 1:42 reveal about his authority over Peter’s identity and future? How does this challenge the idea that a person must create a worthwhile identity alone? [47:21]
2. Why does the miraculous catch lead Peter to acknowledge his sin rather than simply celebrate a successful fishing trip? What does this suggest about the difference between admiring Jesus and recognizing him as Lord? [50:12]
3. Why is it significant that Jesus gives Peter a mission immediately after Peter admits his sin? What does this reveal about whether weakness or past failure disqualifies someone from being used by Jesus? [51:41]
4. How does Galatians 2:20 explain the difference between a cross-shaped life and simply trying harder to be a good person? Why does Christ’s self-giving love matter when following him becomes costly? [01:11:49]

Application questions

1. Jesus sees beyond both our present condition and other people’s judgments. Is there a label—from yourself or someone else—that has limited how you see your life? What might change if you trusted Jesus with who you are becoming? [48:12]
2. Peter trusted Jesus in the very area where he had years of experience. Where are you most inclined to rely on your own judgment without seeking Jesus’ direction? What might a concrete step of obedience look like there this week? [49:32]
3. When you become aware of sin in your life, do you tend to draw near to Jesus or pull away? How might his response to Peter help you bring something honestly before him rather than hide it? Share only what you feel comfortable sharing. [52:25]
4. Jesus restores, prepares, empowers, and supports those he calls. Where do you currently feel unprepared or inadequate to follow him? What kind of help might you receive through prayer, practical preparation, or another believer’s encouragement? [01:02:30]
5. A cross-shaped life brings ordinary decisions under Jesus’ lordship. Which area—your time, ambitions, relationships, work, money, or recreation—is hardest for you to surrender right now? What is one realistic change that could put Jesus at the center of it? [01:09:11]
6. Jesus calls ordinary people to share his love with a broken world. Who in your everyday life could you serve or encourage this week, even at some cost to yourself? How could this group support you in taking that step? [01:10:27]