Spring 1995
Come -- and I Will Make You to Become
Wade E Taylor

"Now as He walked by the sea of Galilee, He saw
Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into
the sea ... And Jesus said unto them, Come ye
after me, and I will make you to become fishers
of men" Mark 1:16-17.

Jesus spoke this in terms they understood. Because they were fishing for fish, Jesus said, "I have called you into a higher vocation; you will be changed into fishers of men."

So also, the Lord may speak to us in common terms that we understand and use. This principle applies to our introduction to the Kingdom.

"Behold, a sower went forth to sow" Matt 13:3b.

This reveals the desire of our Heavenly Father to "sow the seed of the Kingdom" into the depths of our being. He is using "seed" as the means to accomplish this because He desires to bring forth an abundant harvest. Also, there are conditions that must be met in order for this harvest to develop.

"Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any
one heareth the word of the Kingdom ..." Matt 13:18,19a.

First, Jesus made it clear that He is about to speak concerning a different realm than the one in which they were accustomed. They stood on the land while He moved out upon the water.

"He went into a ship, and sat; and the whole
multitude stood on the shore" Matt 13:2b.

He then told them that only those who were spiritually perceptive would understand what He was saying.

"Who hath ears to hear, let him hear ... because it is
given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom
of Heaven, but to them it is not given" Matt 13:9,11.

Jesus went on to express these spiritual principles in terms to which all could relate; yet only understand as the ability is given by the Holy Spirit.

Some seed fell by the "wayside." Because the soil was hard, the seed remained on the surface and was eaten by the birds. Some seed fell in stony places and was scorched because the roots were unable to penetrate the soil. Some seed fell among thorns and was choked due to the rapid growth of these weeds.

But some seed fell into fertile soil. This places the emphasis on the fact that the "soil" (our receptivity to His workings) must be prepared to receive this "seed" (the principles of the Kingdom that are used to bring us into full spiritual maturity).

Only as we fully commit ourselves to the Lord and cooperate with the movings of the Holy Spirit will the soil of our hearts be rightly prepared to receive the seed of the Kingdom. Then we will be able to rise above, or overcome the adverse conditions that hinder our spiritual growth in preparation for His Kingdom purposes.

There are several things about this seed that are comparable to a grain of corn. Corn is golden in color, which speaks of the Divine nature. When harvested, the corn on the husk may be 30, 60, or 100 fold in its development.

When the first frost arrives and the tomatoes in our garden are still green, we take them into our houses and place them on a window sill where the sun can shine upon them. Within a week or two, they will ripen and turn a beautiful red. But if we pick an ear of corn that is only thirty percent developed and place it on the same window sill, it will only dry and become hard. It will remain as it was, 30 fold.

The development of corn must take place while it is attached to the stalk with its roots in the soil. The roots (our feet), must walk out the processes that the Lord uses to produce spiritual maturity within us. "Come ... and I will make you to become."

Many have the concept that someday they will be caught up and during their upward ascent, will be changed. They believe that they will depart a babe in Christ and arrive a mature saint.

However, it does not work that way. We are only changed while our feet are on the ground and we are being affected and worked upon by life's circumstances. We are not like tomatoes.

The Scripture says, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in My Throne" Rev 3:21a. There is for each one of us a time of testing whereby we are given the opportunity to choose and qualify. Therefore, just as an ear of corn must come to maturity while it is yet attached to the earth, we must be changed while in this present life.

Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" John 10:10b. Thus, it is not the "fact" of life that we are seeking, but the development and quality of the spiritual life that we already have.

Andrew and Simon were fishermen. Jesus spoke to them in the terms of their vocation, lifting the motivation of their lives from one level into a higher one. He did not say, "Go ... and fish for men." Rather He said, "Come after me." He was directing their attention to Himself, to a relationship. "Come ye after me, and I will make you to become." There was to be a time set apart for the preparation of their lives before they would be ready to fish for men.

The Lord said "come." This implies that we are to come personally to the Lord Himself. Our worship services should never be a substitute for spiritual reality so we may be religiously satisfied. We are to enter into the presence of the Lord Himself.

Galatians 4:2 tells us that we are to be "under tutors and governors until the time appointed." This "appointed time" is when we are presented to the Father as a mature son to enter into a cooperative relationship with Him. "Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers ..." In other words, there is a specific purpose in the processing of the Lord.

The Lord may use the often difficult circumstances of our daily life environment for this purpose. The "wayside soil" means that the seed fell where there is much traffic and activity, rather than into a furrow that had been prepared with a plow. However, there is a problem concerning this plow.

Each one of us continually seeks to push undesirable things downward into the shadowy depths of our being, and bring the desirable things to the surface where they can be seen. The problem with this plow is that it turns everything upside down. It buries the desirable things and reveals the undesirable ones.

This happens because it is the only way that these things can be dealt with. They must first be exposed. We may be tempted to step aside when we see the plow coming, if we are not willing for these undesirable things to be revealed. Thus, the "wayside." There is a price to choosing His way.

We may be tempted to change our vocation from "fishing" (whatever our present circumstances may be). But Jesus is saying, "I am not going to change this. You will continue to "fish" as I will not move you from your present environment at this time. But I will prepare you for a higher vocation in which you will fish for men."

Then, in the fullness of time, you will be lifted into the place of the outworking of His purposes, fully prepared for all that you will face at that time.

"Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the
field; let us lodge in the villages. Let us
get up early to the vineyards; let us see if
the vine flourish, whether the tender grape
appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there
will I give thee my loves" Song of Solomon 7:11-12.