8/9/26 10:30 AM || Follow Me - Helping Others Follow Jesus

Aug 09, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When You Meet Messiah, You Can’t Keep It Quiet

The moment Andrew encountered Jesus, he ran to find his brother. Authentic encounters with Christ create an urgency to share Him. Disciples aren’t called to debate theology or perfect their testimony—they’re called to point people to the One who changes everything. Jesus doesn’t need polished ambassadors, just honest messengers. The Samaritan woman left her water jar to tell her town; Andrew left his nets to grab Peter. When you’ve truly met Him, silence isn’t an option. [01:01:40]

Then Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). (John 1:42, NIV)

Reflection: Who in your life needs to hear “We’ve found the Messiah” from you this week? What simple step could you take to bring them closer to Jesus today?

Day 2: Fishing Starts With Following

Jesus didn’t recruit theologians—He called fishermen. Following always precedes fishing. Obedience to Christ’s authority fuels our mission. The disciples didn’t sign up for a program; they left their nets to walk daily with Him. Our credibility to make disciples flows from surrendered obedience, not expertise. When we treat the Great Commission as optional, we deny His authority. But when we follow closely, we catch His heartbeat for the world. [50:45]

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:18-19, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you been saying “I’ll go later” instead of “I’ll follow now”? What nets do you need to leave to fully embrace His authority?

Day 3: Your Story Is The Bait

The Samaritan woman’s testimony wasn’t polished—it was personal. “He told me everything I ever did” compelled her town. Effective evangelism flows from remembering what Jesus has done in your actual life. You don’t need answers to every question, just willingness to say “Come see.” Discipleship begins when we stop hiding our mess and start sharing our miracles. Your brokenness healed, your chains broken—these are the hooks that draw others. [01:04:54]

Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him. (John 4:28-30, NIV)

Reflection: What specific part of your “before and after” story have you been reluctant to share? Who needs to hear how Jesus met you in your mess this week?

Day 4: From “If” To “How” In Discipleship

The question isn’t whether you’re called to make disciples, but how you’ll fulfill it. Like fishermen adjusting tactics for different fish, we adapt methods without compromising message. New believers need patient guidance; skeptics need authentic relationship; mature Christians need accountability. Discipleship isn’t a program—it’s walking with people through grocery stores and grief, showing them daily what following looks like. Your ordinary life becomes the classroom. [45:49]

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” (Matthew 4:18-19, NIV)

Reflection: Which “fishing style” feels unnatural to you—evangelism, nurturing new believers, or strengthening mature Christians? What one practical step could you take this week in that area?

Day 5: God Shows Up Where He’s Wanted

The Timmons family’s house-selling prayer wasn’t about real estate—it was about expectation. God moves where people hunger for Him. Like the persistent widow, bold requests honor His power. Our prayers often shrink to what we think God might grant, but He invites us to ask big. When we gather expecting fire, He brings the flame. The church’s power lies not in perfect services, but in desperate people crying “Move here!” [39:30]

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. (1 John 5:14-15, NIV)

Reflection: What “impossible” situation have you stopped praying about? How can you shift from polite requests to bold declarations of need this week?

Sermon Summary

The mission to help people follow Jesus starts with meeting Jesus, not with a slogan on a wall. God is already at work, and God loves to show up where he is wanted, honored, and revered. The call to prayer presses the church to ask for the power of God, not just another normal Sunday. The name of Jesus is not “the okay name” or “the little bitty powerful name,” but the mighty name that saves, changes, grows, heals, restores, and raises dead places to new life.

The question shifts from how a person follows Jesus to how a follower of Jesus helps somebody else follow him. The answer begins with a hard turn from if to how. A relationship with Jesus does not leave evangelism as a personality type, a special gift, or a job for somebody else. The Great Commission places every disciple under the authority of Christ, because Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,” and then says, “therefore go.”

Jesus’ authority makes obedience the issue. A child who refuses the command shows that the child does not believe the parent has authority. A disciple who refuses the command to make disciples says the same kind of thing to Jesus. The call to make disciples is not optional church activity. It is the normal obedience of somebody who knows Jesus, walks with Jesus, and does what Jesus says.

Matthew 4 adds the same truth with the picture of fishing. Jesus says, “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The question becomes simple and uncomfortable: if a person is following Jesus, how is that person fishing for men? If there is no care for anybody else coming to Christ, then something is missing in the claim to follow him.

Discipleship stays simple: following Jesus and inviting others along for the journey. The bug truck story gives the picture. When something is wild, exciting, and worth chasing, friends get invited into it. When Jesus has changed a life that deeply, silence no longer makes sense.

Andrew shows how simple the work can be. Andrew does not have all the answers. Andrew does not save Peter. Andrew just says, “We have found the Messiah,” and brings his brother to Jesus. Jesus changes Peter’s life.

The work includes not-yet followers, new followers, and longtime followers. Evangelism invites people to surrender to Jesus. Discipleship helps new believers learn to know him, walk with him, and obey him. Accountability strengthens brothers and sisters who have been walking with Christ for years. Every follower of Jesus has somebody to help.

Key Takeaways

1. Authority turns if into how Jesus’ authority makes disciple-making a matter of obedience, not preference. The question is not whether a believer is supposed to help others follow Christ, but how that believer will do it faithfully. Refusing the command quietly argues against the very authority that Christian worship claims to honor. [45:09]
2. Love gives evangelism its fire Methods can help, but methods cannot create the desire to speak of Christ. A person who has truly seen the greatness of God begins to carry a burden that is deeper than technique. Evangelism becomes less about saying everything perfectly and more about being unable to stay quiet about the One who changed everything. [59:21]
3. Andrew simply brought his brother Andrew did not need a full system, a perfect argument, or answers to every possible question. Andrew brought Peter to Jesus, and Jesus did what only Jesus can do. That picture removes the false burden of saving people while leaving the real responsibility of invitation. [61:40]
4. New believers need real companionship A baptism celebration should not become the finish line for the church’s care. New followers of Jesus need someone beside them, opening Scripture, answering questions, and helping them learn the voice and ways of Christ. Discipleship protects young faith from being abandoned with a Bible and a vague “get after it.” [69:13]
5. Longtime disciples still need help Maturity in Christ does not remove the need for encouragement, accountability, and prayer. Longtime followers still need brothers and sisters who ask honest questions and help them stand strong. Discipleship is not only rescue for the lost or training for the new, but strength for the faithful who are still running.

## [71:51]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[05:15] - Greeting Guests and God’s Encouragement
[08:01] - Praying for God’s Power
[12:17] - Invitation to Surrender to Jesus
[35:52] - Asking Jesus for Real Needs
[37:07] - Praying for Provision and Healing
[42:04] - The Question of Helping Others Follow
[43:56] - From If to How
[46:29] - Bible, Journal, Pen, Expectation, Friend
[49:12] - The Great Commission and Authority
[52:48] - Defining a Disciple
[55:23] - Fishers of Men
[57:14] - Inviting Others Along the Journey
[61:21] - Andrew Brings Peter to Jesus
[67:17] - Helping Not-Yet Followers
[69:13] - Caring for New Followers
[71:51] - Strengthening Longtime Followers
[73:39] - Prayer to Help Others Follow Jesus

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” [49:37]

Matthew 4:19
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” [55:23]

John 1:40-42
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. [01:01:40]

Observation questions

In Matthew 28:18-20, what does Jesus say about his authority, and what actions does he command his followers to take?
What simple definition of a disciple is given: what are the three parts of a person who is truly following Jesus? [52:48]
In Matthew 4:19, what two things are connected in Jesus’ words to the disciples: following him and fishing for people?
In John 1:40-42, what is the very first thing Andrew does after finding Jesus, and what does he say to his brother? [01:01:40]

Interpretation questions

Jesus begins the Great Commission with “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Why does that matter for the command that comes next, and what does it show about why disciple-making is not optional? [50:27]
Jesus says, “Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people.” What does that suggest about a person who wants Jesus but has little interest in helping anybody else come to him? [55:54]
Andrew did not argue Peter into the kingdom; he simply brought him to Jesus. How does that help remove the pressure of feeling like one person must have every answer or personally change somebody’s life? [01:02:35]
Helping others follow Jesus includes not-yet followers, new followers, and longtime followers. How does that widen the group’s view of disciple-making beyond only evangelism? [01:07:17]

Application questions

The question is not only whether a believer should help others follow Jesus, but how. Where has this become an “if” issue in personal life, and what would it look like to make the turn to “how” this week? [45:09]
God loves to show up where he is wanted, honored, and revered. What would it look like to come into church, prayer time, or everyday Bible reading with real expectation instead of just routine? [48:28]
Love for Jesus gives evangelism its fire. Has awe of Jesus grown dull lately, and if so, what has been crowding it out? What helps a heart get stirred up again so it cannot stay quiet about him? [59:21]
Andrew simply brought his brother to Jesus. Who is one specific person that could be invited into a conversation, a meal, a Bible reading, church, or honest prayer without trying to force or fix everything first? [01:03:36]
New believers need more than celebration; they need companionship. Is there a newer believer who may need someone to read Scripture with them, answer questions, or just walk beside them for a season? [01:09:13]
Longtime followers still need help, strength, and accountability. Who knows enough about your walk with Christ to ask honest questions, pray for you, and help you stay strong? If nobody comes to mind, what may need to change? [01:11:51]
If someone asked today, “How can you help me follow Jesus?” what could you actually offer right now—prayer, a weekly conversation, reading John together, an invitation to church, or something else? [01:10:21]

Sermon Clips

52s

#MakeDisciples

“``Listen, if Jesus Christ says to us, because he says to his followers at that point, which read rides down into us and he says, all authority in heaven on earth has been given to me. Therefore, you go make disciples of all the nations. Baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and the holy spirit and teaching them all the things that I have taught you. If we don't do that, then we are saying to Jesus, thank you, but you don't really have all authority. So as a Christ follower, you need to understand that it's not optional if we're going to go help other people follow Jesus. It is a requirement of us as God's children to go help other people follow Jesus.”

53s

#FishersOfMen

“Here's the thing that we understand from that and we have to grasp this. When we follow Jesus, he will make us fishers of men. So, we have to ask ourselves the question, if I am following Jesus, how am I fishing for men? And if I'm not a fisher of men, am I really following Jesus? If you've decided, I have a relationship with Jesus. He has set me free. I'm going to heaven one day, but I don't have to care about anybody else, then you're missing the point of following Jesus. Because he says to us, when you follow him, we're gonna know him, walk with him, and do what he says to do. And he says that we're gonna be fishers of men.”

40s

#BringThemToJesus

“Andrew didn't have to know all the stuff. He didn't have to have all the answers. Anybody ever said I'm not gonna share with my faith because I'm not sure I know all the answers? Like, I promise you in any part of your life, if you're waiting to know all the answers, you will not do whatever you're talking about doing. And many of us have this fear in our lives when we think, well, you know, I've I've gotta share Christ with this person and then bring them to Jesus and then teach them all the things and then I've gotta save them. Anybody ever tried to save anybody? Like, I've got to save them. I gotta do all the things right. This is what Andrew did. He brought him to Jesus.”

53s

#MeetingTheMessiah

“And then if you if you know the story, what happens is Jesus meets Peter, he meets Simon and says, hey, by the way, now we're gonna call you Peter. And from that moment forward, Peter's life is changed. But who changed Peter's life? Jesus. What part of Jesus changing Peter's life did Andrew play? He brought him. So all he did was bring him. He didn't debate with him. He didn't beat him up with the scripture. He didn't read 17 passage a day over him and tell him this is why you're wrong and this is where you're a sinner. He said, dude, I've met the Messiah, and I need you to come meet the Messiah. And then when Peter met the Messiah, Peter's life was changed.”

36s

#FollowToShare

“If you want to help other people follow Jesus, you must be following Jesus yourself. Because the motivation to follow Jesus and the motivation to help others follow Jesus is because you have met him and you know him and you know what he is doing in your life. And when you know what he's doing in your life, then you understand how to take that to other people because honestly, when you really meet him and you really fall in love with him, then you won't be able to stop talking about it.”

44s

#LoveMotivatesWitness

“And for me, if you teach me all the methods of fishing, I'll show you an example of that in a minute, but you can teach me methods. I don't I don't have a desire to go fish. I got other stuff I can do. So for me, you're teaching methods, but there's not a motivation. When we when we talk about this in church, what we do is we teach you methods. We will get you a four spiritual laws booklet, or we'll teach you to have share Jesus without fear, and all the motivation things. All of those are fantastic things, and you can use them as tools. But listen, the reason that you want to use them is because you're in love with Jesus. And if you're not in love with Jesus, you will not be motivated to help other people follow Jesus.”

41s

#FromIfToHow

“We have to transition from if to how. We got we're gonna transition today because the question is not if you are going to do this. The question is how can you do this effectively? And until you transition in that way, then you're gonna hang out as that person that comes to church and does your thing and gets everything for you, and I've got my relationship, and I'm going to heaven, and I'm good to go. But I don't have to worry about any of these other people and that is not biblical and it's not what Jesus taught us. So, if you do have a relationship with Jesus, you are the one that is called by god to help the rest of us take steps towards him every day.”

48s

#WalkWithNewBelievers

“Because I want you to see this discipleship the way this process takes place in a new believer. I said earlier, discipleship is helping someone become a disciple. Watch this. It's helping someone walk in the truth of knowing Jesus, walking with Jesus, and doing what he says. Well, listen, there is never a time where someone should come to know Christ, surrender their life to him, come to the altar and and and say, man, Jesus, I want all this and for us to go, good job, buddy. Take it and run with it. That is not our role. Our role is to set up next to him and go, okay. What do you need? How do we help you? Let me open up the word and say, let's read John together and let's learn who Jesus is.”

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