Key points
- 1
1Being a 'Christian' and being a 'follower of Jesus Christ' are two different things — a follower has a fixed direction toward Jesus and a heart bent on becoming like Him.
“when someone says I'm a follower of Jesus Christ what they've told you is hey my heart, my goal is to be like Jesus. See someday there's gonna be a whole lot more Jesus on me than there is me on me”
- 2
2It is okay to start as a skeptic; questions and doubts are a legitimate part of the journey toward faith, and Jesus is never intimidated by them.
A story from life
Pastor Lynn Winters recounts being a nine-year-old boy after his parents' marriage fell apart, and how his Uncle Marty became a model he wanted to emulate — shaping his understanding of what it means to follow someone
- 3
3Every time Jesus asks you to follow Him, it will feel like fishing in the middle of the day — risky, counterintuitive, and sacrificial.
“every single time that Jesus asks you to follow him, it's gonna feel like fishing in the middle of the afternoon. It's gonna feel like he's asking you to do something that does not make sense. It doesn't add up and it's gonna feel risky”
- 4
4It is especially hard to follow Jesus when what you are already doing on your own strength seems to be working.
“If you wait till it makes sense and doesn't cost, you will never never never never never follow Jesus. You will end up stuck where you are right now for the rest of your life”
- 5
5Peter's obedience — 'but because You say so, I will let down the nets' — is the turning point that transforms him from a fisherman into a world changer.
“It's really, really, really, really, really hard to talk about fishing in the middle of the day when you think you're a good fisherman”
“if anybody else was asking me Jesus, I wouldn't do it. But because you asked”
A story from life
Pastor Lynn Winters describes going zip-lining in Hawaii at his wife's urging despite his fear, and how stepping off the platform 'because the guide said so' became a picture of faith
- 6
6Delayed obedience has real consequences; putting Jesus off can mean missing the life and impact He has planned for you.
Illustration
A hypothetical trustworthy mechanic whose consistent honesty earns the kind of trust that makes a customer accept even an expensive diagnosis without question
- 7
7The evidence of Jesus' faithfulness and goodness is the basis for trusting Him with every new instruction — just as you trust a mechanic who has proven himself honest.
“Tell me that you trust Jesus as much as the mechanic. Tell me that based on his goodness and kindness and faithfulness and truth to you that when he says so, your answer is Jesus, if anybody else asked, I wouldn't do it. But because it's you, let's go fishing in the middle of the day”
Application
Pastor Winters ends by inviting every person to make a concrete declaration: move from calling yourself a Christian to actually living as a follower of Jesus Christ. That means no longer resetting the argument with God every time He asks something costly or inconvenient. When Jesus speaks into your marriage, your finances, your anger, your relationships, or your schedule, the follower's answer is: 'If anybody else were asking, I wouldn't do it — but because it's You, because You say so, I'm in.' That response doesn't require 100% certainty; it requires the same trust you'd give a mechanic who has proven himself honest and good. The question to carry into the week is simple: in which area of your life is Jesus asking you to let down your nets in the middle of the day — and will you do it because He asked?
