Looking Ahead: "Follow Me"
Month 2: The King Steps Forward · Family Worship
Today's Scripture
Read together: Mark 1:14-20
14 After the arrest of John, Jesus went into Galilee and proclaimed the gospel of God. 15 “The time is fulfilled,” He said, “and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel!” 16 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 18 And at once they left their nets and followed Him. 19 Going on a little farther, He saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat, mending their nets. 20 Immediately Jesus called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Him.
Memory Verse
““The time is fulfilled,” He said, “and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel!””— Mark 1:15 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Joshua 6-9
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 60 of 365 — the walls of Jericho fall as Israel trusts and obeys God.)The Heart of It
Yesterday we looked back. Today we look ahead. Jesus came into Galilee preaching the heart of His whole message: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel" (). Every promise the prophets made was now standing in front of people in flesh and blood. The King had stepped forward, and His first command was an invitation. Turn around, and trust Me. Then He walked along the shore and saw Simon, Andrew, James, and John mending their nets. And He said two words that would change history. "Follow Me." And here is the wonder of it. "Immediately they left their nets and followed Him." There was no long debate. They had met the King, and they went.
That same call comes off the page and into our living room tonight. "Follow Me" is not just for fishermen two thousand years ago. It is the King's word to every person, including every child at this table. To follow Jesus means more than admiring Him from a distance. It means leaving our own "nets." It means turning from our sin, putting our trust fully in Him, and walking where He walks. Notice He did not say, "Go fix yourselves and then come." He said, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." Jesus takes ordinary people and makes them into something new. As Volume 2 carries us forward into His miracles, His teaching, and His cross, one question will follow us the whole way. It is the simplest and biggest one He ever asked. Will you follow Him?
Around the Table
Jesus walked up to some fishermen and said, "Follow Me!" And they came right away! Jesus says "Follow Me" to you, too.
Let's do it: Play follow-the-leader around the room, then say together, "I will follow Jesus!"
The fishermen left their nets immediately. Following Jesus sometimes means letting go of something so you can hold on to Him.
Let's talk: What's one thing that's hard to let go of so you can follow Jesus more closely?
Jesus' message had two parts. Repent means turn from sin. Believe means trust the good news. Both are part of really following Him, not just one.
Let's go deeper: What's the difference between admiring Jesus and actually following Him? Which one are you doing?
💬 Conversation Starter
Imagine Jesus walked up to you today, right while you were doing your favorite thing, and said, "Follow Me." What do you think would be the hardest part of getting up to go?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Jesus called real men in a real place, Galilee. They left real jobs to follow Him, and they later staked their lives on what they saw. When someone says faith is just a feeling, we can point out that the gospel is rooted in history and eyewitnesses. And it invites a real response: repent and believe (). Be ready to share that reason with gentleness and respect ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
The call "Follow Me" is the doorway into everything that comes next. And it lands squarely in our Wesleyan-Pentecostal lane. Jesus does not draft conscripts. He issues a genuine invitation that people are free to answer. The fishermen's "immediately" was a real choice met by real grace, not a script. As you lead your family ahead, resist the urge to manufacture conversions. And resist the assumption that growing up in a Christian home equals following Christ. Each of your children must, in their own time, hear the King say "Follow Me" and answer with their own repentance and faith. Your job is not to force the response. It is to keep Jesus winsomely in front of them, and to model what following actually looks like on a Tuesday afternoon. They are watching to see whether Dad has truly left his nets. Pray often that the Spirit would draw each child, and trust the grace that pursues them even more than you do.
Draws on: Thomas Oden, Classic Christianity; A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God.
Let's Pray Together
"Lord Jesus, You stepped forward, and You call us by name. You say, 'Follow Me.' Give each of us a heart that turns from sin and trusts You. Make our family a family of followers, all the way home. In Jesus' name, amen."
Jesus is still saying "Follow Me." And today I can answer, "Yes."