Following Jesus is more than church attendance or identifying as a Christian. Jesus calls us to become disciples—people who order their entire lives around Him. When He invited ordinary fishermen to “Follow me,” they left their nets immediately because what they stood to gain was greater than what they left behind. The question isn’t only what following Jesus will cost us. It’s what staying in the boat might cost us.
Message Summary
This sermon opens a new series called “Discipleship Street,” inspired by the simplicity and foundational learning of Sesame Street. Pastor Ben draws from Matthew 4:17-22, where Jesus calls His first disciples, to explore what it truly means to follow Jesus. The call “Come, follow me” was not a casual invitation but a rabbi’s profound declaration that ordinary people, even fishermen, could learn to do what Jesus does. Just as Simon, Andrew, James, and John left their nets and their family business without hesitation, we are invited to consider what it would mean for us to leave behind our comforts, securities, and familiar routines to follow Christ wholeheartedly.
The sermon challenges the tendency to settle for a passive, card-punching version of Christianity and instead calls people into the identity of a disciple. Drawing on John Mark Comer’s “Practicing the Way” and Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “The Cost of Discipleship,” Pastor Ben argues that the real question is not what discipleship will cost us, but what it costs us to not follow Jesus. The peace, joy, freedom from sin, and life with God that we forfeit by staying in our comfortable boats are far greater losses than anything we might give up to follow Him. The call goes out to the curious seeker, the casual Christian, and the committed disciple alike: come and see, count the cost, and leave it all behind.
Intro Prayer
Heavenly Father, we come before you today as a group of people who want to know you more deeply and follow you more faithfully. As we open your Word and discuss what it means to be true disciples of Jesus, we ask that you quiet our hearts and remove any distractions that would keep us from hearing what you want to say to us today. Holy Spirit, move among us in this time together. Soften any places in us that have grown hard or comfortable, and stir in us a fresh desire to follow wherever you lead. May this conversation not simply inform our minds but transform our lives. In the name of Jesus, amen.
Ice Breaker
What is one adventure you have always wanted to go on but have not taken yet, and what has held you back from doing it?
Key Scriptures
– Matthew 4:17
– Matthew 4:18-20
– Matthew 4:21-22
Questions
– When you hear Jesus say ‘Come, follow me,’ what is your honest, gut-level reaction? Does it feel exciting, intimidating, or somewhere in between?
– Simon, Andrew, James, and John left their livelihoods and family behind immediately and without hesitation. What do you think made them willing to do that, and what would it take for you to respond with that same kind of urgency?
– Pastor Ben described the difference between being a Christian and being a disciple. How would you explain that difference in your own words, and which label do you think best describes where you are right now?
– John Mark Comer writes that ‘not following Jesus will cost you even more’ than following Him. What do you think is the greatest cost of not fully following Jesus in your own life?
– Pastor Ben used the image of Zebedee staying in the boat while his sons followed Jesus. In what areas of your life do you feel like you are staying in the boat, holding on to comfort or security instead of stepping out to follow Christ?
– The sermon mentioned that many of us run out of gas spiritually because we try to live the Christian life in our own strength. Where do you find yourself most depleted, and how might a deeper reliance on the Holy Spirit change that?
– Pastor Ben challenged the group to run a ‘cost-benefit analysis’ of life up to this point, asking whether we are who we want to be. What does that honest evaluation reveal for you personally?
– The sermon ended with a call to three different groups: the curious seeker, the casual Christian, and the committed disciple. Which of those three best describes where you are today, and what is one step you feel God is inviting you to take from that place?
Life Application
This week, set aside 15 to 20 minutes of quiet time to honestly evaluate one area of your life where you sense Jesus calling you to follow Him more fully. It might be a relationship, a habit, a fear, or a comfort you have been unwilling to release. Write it down, pray over it, and ask the Holy Spirit to give you the courage to take one concrete step toward leaving it behind and following Jesus more closely. Come back next week ready to share what you discovered.
Key Takeaways
– The call to ‘follow me’ is a personal, immediate, and radical invitation from Jesus to ordinary people, not just the spiritually elite, to learn to live and love the way He does.
– True discipleship means embracing the identity of a disciple rather than simply carrying the label of a Christian. It involves real life change, not just church attendance.
– The cost of not following Jesus is far greater than the cost of following Him. What we forfeit by staying in our comfortable boats, including peace, joy, freedom, and life with God, outweighs anything we might give up to follow Him.
– Many believers have grown spiritually drowsy, relying on their own strength rather than the Holy Spirit. The path back to life and fruitfulness is surrender and a renewed commitment to discipleship.
– Jesus calls us not just to be disciples but to make disciples, and that mission begins in our everyday relationships, neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces.
Ending Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for the radical and personal invitation you extend to each one of us to come and follow you. As we leave this time of discussion, we confess that we have too often chosen the comfort of the boat over the adventure of following you to the shore. Forgive us for the ways we have settled for less than the full life you died to give us. We ask that your Holy Spirit would keep alive in our hearts everything we have talked about today. Give us the courage to leave behind whatever is holding us back, and fill us with the peace, joy, and love that only come from walking closely with you. May we go from this place not just as people who know more about discipleship, but as people who are truly becoming disciples and making them. In the name of Jesus, amen.
5-Day Devotional Guide
Day 1: More Than a Membership
Devotional
Think about the last time you signed up for something and then never really used it. A gym membership. A streaming service. Maybe even a club you joined with good intentions but slowly drifted away from. For many of us, faith can quietly become the same thing. We show up, we check the box, and we go home largely unchanged. But Jesus never designed faith to work that way. He did not come to recruit members. He came to call disciples. A disciple is someone who orders their entire life around Jesus, not just their Sunday mornings. That is a different kind of commitment. It is less like a membership and more like an apprenticeship. You learn from Him. You walk with Him. You let Him shape the way you think, speak, and love. This is the invitation Jesus is still extending today. Not to a program or a pew, but to a life fully oriented around Him. And here is the encouraging part: He is not waiting for you to have it all together first. He called fishermen, not scholars. He calls you exactly as you are. You do not have to be perfect to follow Jesus. You just have to be willing.
Bible Verse
“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'” – Matthew 4:17 (English Standard Version (ESV))
Reflection Question
In what areas of your life have you treated faith more like a membership than a daily commitment to follow Jesus?
Quote
A disciple orders their life around Jesus.
Prayer
Lord, forgive me for the times I have reduced my faith to routine. Help me to reorient my whole life around You, not just the parts that feel convenient. Amen.
Day 2: He Chose You on Purpose
Devotional
In first-century Jewish culture, becoming a rabbi’s disciple was a highly competitive process. Only the brightest, most promising students were chosen. Everyone else went home and learned a trade. So when Jesus walked past the synagogues and stopped at the shoreline, He was doing something unexpected. He looked at working fishermen, men who had already been passed over by the religious system, and He called them. Not because they were the most qualified. But because He saw what they could become. That same truth applies to you. Jesus does not call you because you have everything figured out. He calls you because He sees your potential through the lens of His grace. He picks up the weak, the overlooked, and the ones who would never raise their hand first, and He does extraordinary things through them. You may feel like you are not the right person for this. You may feel too ordinary, too broken, or too far behind. But Jesus walked right past the experts and chose fishermen. He will use you too, not because of your strength, but because of His. You were chosen on purpose, for a purpose.
Bible Verse
“While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” – Matthew 4:18-19 (English Standard Version (ESV))
Reflection Question
Do you ever disqualify yourself from being used by God because of your past, your personality, or your perceived limitations?
Quote
Jesus called the weak and the foolish and the things that are not to nullify and shame the things that are.
Prayer
Jesus, thank You for choosing ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Help me to stop disqualifying myself and trust that You are more than enough to work through me. Amen.
Day 3: The Cost Nobody Talks About
Devotional
We often hear about the cost of following Jesus. And that cost is real. It may mean letting go of comfort, control, or the life you had planned. But there is another cost that rarely gets discussed. The cost of not following Him. Think about Zebedee, the Father of James and John. He is a quiet figure in the story. His sons drop their nets and walk away from the family business to follow Jesus. And Zebedee stays in the boat. We never hear from him again. He kept what was familiar, but he missed what was transformational. Staying in the boat has a price too. It costs you peace that surpasses understanding. It costs you freedom from the weight of sin. It costs you the joy of living inside your God-given purpose. It costs you a place in the family of God. Following Jesus will cost you something. But not following Him will cost you even more. The question is not whether you will pay a price. The question is which cost you are willing to live with. Do not let comfort keep you from the life you were created for.
Bible Verse
“And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their Father, mending their nets, and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their Father and followed Him.” – Matthew 4:21-22 (English Standard Version (ESV))
Reflection Question
What familiar comfort or security might be keeping you in the boat and away from the life Jesus is calling you toward?
Quote
The question really isn’t what’s the cost of discipleship? The question is, what’s the cost of not following Him?
Prayer
Father, give me the courage to release what feels safe when You are calling me forward. Help me to trust that what You offer is far greater than what I am holding onto. Amen.
Day 4: Disciples, Not Just Converts
Devotional
There is a difference between making converts and making disciples, and it matters more than we might think. A convert makes a decision. A disciple makes a life. Jesus did not commission His followers to go and get people to raise their hands or sign a card. He called them to go and make disciples, people who are genuinely transformed, growing, and following Him with their whole lives. This is the Great Commission. It is not a program for the professionals or the pastors. It is a calling for every follower of Jesus. And it starts not with a strategy, but with a relationship. You invite someone to come and see. You walk alongside them. You let them watch how faith actually works in a real life. You do not have to have all the answers to make a disciple. You just have to be honest about your own journey and willing to point others toward Jesus. The Holy Spirit does the heavy lifting. Your job is to show up and be faithful. Someone in your life is watching how you follow Jesus. That is discipleship already in motion.
Bible Verse
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” – Matthew 28:19 (English Standard Version (ESV))
Reflection Question
Who in your life could you intentionally invite into a deeper conversation about faith, and what is holding you back from taking that step?
Quote
We’re to make disciples, not converts. We’re not to make Christians, we’re to make disciples.
Prayer
Lord, help me to move beyond simply believing and into actively making disciples. Give me the boldness to invest in others the way You have invested in me. Amen.
Day 5: It’s Time to Leave the Shore
Devotional
At some point, the invitation stops being something you think about and becomes something you respond to. Jesus said, “Follow Me,” and the fishermen did not schedule a meeting to discuss it. They did not ask for a few weeks to wrap things up. They left immediately. There was an urgency to their response because they understood that this moment mattered. Maybe you have been sitting with the invitation for a while now. You know Jesus is calling. You have felt the pull. But something keeps you anchored, fear, familiarity, or the feeling that you are not quite ready yet. Here is the truth: you will never feel fully ready. Discipleship is not something you prepare for and then begin. It is something you begin, and then grow into. The Holy Spirit meets you in the movement, not in the waiting. It is time to shake off the label of passive believer and step into the identity of disciple. Leave behind what has been holding you back. Come and see what Jesus has for you. The shore is not your destination. It is your starting point. He is calling. You can answer today.
Bible Verse
“And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.'” – Matthew 4:19 (English Standard Version (ESV))
Reflection Question
What would it look like for you to respond to Jesus’s call with the same immediacy the disciples did, and what is one concrete step you could take this week?
Quote
I think for a number of us, it’s time to shake off that label of Christian and embrace the identity of disciple.
Prayer
Jesus, I hear Your call and I want to respond with my whole heart. Give me the courage to leave behind what is holding me back and follow You without hesitation. Amen.
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