Mark writes in his gospel, Jesus invitation to Simon and Andrew, “Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.”

Let us follow the steps of Andrew and Simon and see to whom they made contact.  Christ goes into a synagogue and a man with an unclean spirit confronts him.   Jesus commands the spirit to come out.  The man is thrown about by the spirit before it comes out.  Christ’s fame is spread about because of this event.   Christ heals Simon’s mother- in- law who was sick.  That evening many were brought to him who were sick with different diseases and he heals and cast out devils.   He went throughout Galilee casting out devils.  A man with leprosy comes to him to be healed.  Christ heals him and commands him to go to the priest and show himself, but instead, he goes out and proclaims what happened.  Christ heals a man with palsy brought to him by four men lowered down through a hole in the roof.   He then passes by the customs area , sees Levi and tells him to follow him.  He goes to Matthew’s house and is found eating with publicans and sinners.   The Scribes and Pharisees ask why is he eating with sinners.   Christ hears the question and says, “They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”.

He enters again a synagogue and is confronted by a man with a withered hand.   He heals him on the Sabbath which is against Jewish law.   The Pharisees asked, “Why do you do that which is not lawful on the Sabbath?”   Christ said, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath”.  Jesus withdrew and went with his disciples to the sea of Galilee and great multitudes from Galilee, Judaea, Jerusalem, Jordon, and Tyre and Sidon came unto him.  He healed many who had plagues and unclean spirits.    Christ comes to the country of the Gadarenes and immediately there came a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit.  He could not be bound with chains nor could any man tame him.  Night and day he went about the mountains and through the tombs crying and cutting himself with stones.   Christ commanded a legion of unclean spirits to come out, and he cast them into a herd of swine.   He then went on to heal a woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years.

The one thing obvious in all these encounters is that they were sick, diseased, demon – possessed and outcast.   They were people of low estate, considered sinners by the self-righteous, and shunned by society.

The ministry of Life Abundant follows his mandate “Come ye after me and I will make you to become fishers of men.”   Our staff and volunteers seek to help men and women to walk with Christ.  If the Lord is speaking to your heart to become a volunteer please contact our office.