Multiply: A Call to Follow

Multiply #1 Outline

Sunday, August 23, 2026

Intro:“Mathetes” = learner, student, apprentice.

Key Passage: Mark 1:14-20

The ONE We Follow

            Jesus invites us to leave everything else to follow HIM.

            The voice you listen to most will be the one you end up following.

The Invitation to Follow

Call #1: REPENT

Call #2: BELIEVE

Call #3: FOLLOW

Call #4: FISH

What is a disciple of Jesus?

A disciple of Jesus believes in Jesus, follows Jesus, and helps others to do the same.

Who Do YOU Follow

            Honest Reflection

            Urgent Decision

            Go All-In With Jesus

Sermon Manuscript:

MULTIPLY #1 – The Call to Follow

Sunday, August 23, 2026

Worship Emphasis

Communion (George)

OFFERING

Pre-Sermon

Gospel of John Scripture Notebooks ($5)

Opening Illustration

When we dropped off my daughter Brynlee at Texas Tech last weekend, she signed up to rush a sorority.

She went to the orientation with 1000 other freshman girls at Tech, and Barie stayed behind to decorate and

unpack her dorm room.

We finished about the same time her orientation ended, so we walked over to the student union building to

peruse the bookstore.

About the time we finished looking, we noticed a stream of future sorority girls coming down the hallway.

Barie said, “go out there and find Brynlee while I finishing shopping.” I said, “on it.”

Then I went out in the hallway and watched as 1000 college freshman walked by.

And to my amazement, they all looked exactly the same. I mean, same athletic dresses, some purses, same

sandles. I was like, “I’m never finding Bryn in this crowd.”

Thankfully, after a few minutes, she called and told us where she was.

Now, before you hate on college sorority girls, we are all just like this.

If you doubt me, go visit the golf clubhouse during peak hours – all the guys look exactly the same.

Go to the playground when all the moms have their babies in the strollers.

It’s like we all got a memo that said, “this is how you should dress and look and act.”

We all like to think we are individuals who march to our beat, but the reality is that we are all easily influenced

and want to fit in.

Need

We all follow someone. Actually, we follow lots of people.

Isn’t it interesting that social media platforms use the word “follow” to subscribe to someone’s feed?

What does it mean to “follow” someone online?

– To see what is happening in their life (at least what they are willing to share)

– To learn life tips from them (their wisdom and experience)

– To laugh at what they think is funny

– To look at their clothing and hairstyles and mimic their appearance

Now, before you yell at me, “but Pastor, I’m not on those social media platforms.”

The truth is that we follow the people around us, our mentors and models.

We listen to podcasts and subscribe to YouTube channels. We are all influenced by someone.

The question is not whether we follow anyone.

It’s WHO we follow.

Who have we decided will have influence, impact, and a voice in our decision-making?

Which example do you look up to?

Which voice dominates your thinking and shapes your values?

SubjectThis year at Cityview, we want to grow as a disciple-making church.

Our goal this year is called MULTIPLY, which is directly from our Cityview mission statement.

We exist to multiply disciples. What does that mean?

Before we focus on multiplication, we need to understand WHAT we are trying to multiply.

What are we hoping to reproduce and multiply in our city and around the world?

Disciples of Jesus.

What is a disciple of Jesus?

The Greek word translated “disciple” is “mathetes,” which means learner, student, or, more closely,

apprentice.

It means more than someone who attends a class or learns information.

It is someone who attaches himself or herself to a teacher in order to imitate their way of life.

Jesus invites us, He invites you, to be His disciple.

This is the primary identity I embrace before I am a pastor, a husband, a son, or a father.

I am a disciple of Jesus.

I want us to open our Bibles together and see Jesus’ invitation to follow Him.

Then, individually, to decide whether we want to be His disciple.

Can you open your Bibles with me to Mark 1:14-20 and stand for the reading of God’s Word?

TEXT: Mark 1:14-20

MINISTRY IN GALILEE

14 After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God: 15 “The time is fulfilled,

and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

THE FIRST DISCIPLES

16 As he passed alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, Simon’s brother, casting a net into

the sea—for they were fishermen.

17 “Follow me,” Jesus told them, “and I will make you fish for people.” 18 Immediately they left their nets and

followed him.

19 Going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat putting their nets

in order. 20 Immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men

and followed him.

Preview:

– The One We Follow

– The Invitation to Follow (defining a disciple)

– Who do You Follow (Looking in the mirror)Sermon:

The One We Follow

Christians have committed to follow Jesus, the Christ. He is the One we follow. Why? Because He

invites all people everywhere to follow Him. What exactly is His invitation?

Jesus INVITES us to leave behind the pleasures and pursuits of this world to follow HIM.

Why would we do that? Why did Andrew, Peter, James, and John do that?

They saw something in Jesus that convinced them that He was unique in His person, His power, and His

provision. Even today, Jesus is unique. He is the Creator God of the Universe in human flesh. He is not

one religious leader among many. He is the Lord of all. He has all power and authority in His hands.

He alone has made a way for mankind to be saved, for our sins to be forgiven.

All other religions distort the true Jesus (Islam does this, Mormonism does this) OR they respect Jesus

and His teaching without worshiping Him as the one and only God (like Hinduism does).

Those of us who grow up around Christianity can miss the powerful, exclusive claims of Christ, and

therefore, we don’t really know what we are committing to. Before we commit to be His disciple, we

must come to terms with what we believe about Who He is.

One day when Jesus was with his disciples, he asked them, “Who do people say that I am?” And then

asking His disciples, “but who do you say that I am?” From that day to this day, many people are

inspired by Jesus, but few bow down before Him and worship Him as Lord.

Who do you say that He is? If He is the eternal King, the Risen Savior, and the Mighty God, then He is

worthy to follow.

We all follow someone. Think about the earliest influences that shape our vision of the good life.

Maybe our parents, teachers, coaches, older siblings. Or maybe musical stars or movie stars. Social

media influencers with huge followings and big houses. Professors or authors. Long-form podcasters

who stay in our ears throughout the day.

We are all shaped by many voices. But at some point, we aren’t the hapless victim of those who

influence us. At some point, we choose who we will follow.

The voice of Jesus competes with many voices in our lives. Mark 1 says that Jesus “preaches, tells,

calls” to people, asking them to come to Him and follow Him. But many of us struggle to HEAR His

voice. We have too much noise, too many voices that we have given access to our hearts and minds.

Write this down: The voice you listen to most will be the one you will end up following.

As disciples, we choose to listen to and obey the voice of Jesus. Our confession that “Jesus is Lord”

means nothing if we never listen to Jesus or do what He says.

To be a disciple of Jesus, we have to start by focusing on the ONE we follow.

Jesus Christ, the Living and Only God.Next we focus on the invitation itself. What does Jesus ask of us?

The Invitation to Follow

#1 – The call to discipleship starts with the call to repent (notice 1:15). What is repentance?

It’s a change of mind and heart that leads to a change of behavior.

Let me say it this way: to follow Christ, we must turn away from the world.

Too many people today want to ADD Jesus to what they are already doing, as though Jesus is the sprinkles you

add on a great cupcake. He adds a little flavor and good looks, but I still want my cupcake (the world).

No, Jesus is the cake Himself. Taste and see that the Lord is good.

The call to discipleship is not to add Jesus to the world, but to leave the world behind and follow Christ.

Pay attention to the four disciples mentioned in this passage and how they LEFT something behind to follow

Christ. Peter and Andrew left their nets. James and John left their boat and their father. We can’t follow

Jesus and hold on to the activities, relationships, and places that defined our old life.

Are you willing to change directions, change priorities, and change habits to follow Jesus?

#2 – The call to discipleship then moves to belief. What is belief?

It’s a conviction about the identity of Jesus that leads us to trust Him for our eternal salvation.

Look at 1:15 – the kingdom of heaven has come near.

How has the eternal Kingdom of God come near to these first-century fishermen in Galilee?

In the person of Jesus. The NT tells us earlier that Jesus is Immanuel, “God with us.”

The Kingdom is near because God is near. God has come.

Jesus first invites his followers to BELIEVE that He is the eternal Son of God, the Lamb of God who came to

take away the sins of the world.

To be a disciple, you need a conviction about the identity of Jesus that leads you to trust Him for salvation.

You can’t be a disciple of Jesus if you are trusting in yourself for salvation.

You can’t be a disciple of Jesus if you are believing in a false Jesus.

Listen to me carefully here: there are many false Messiahs, false prophets, false teachers, false religions that

distort the REAL JESUS. Who do you believe Jesus to be?

True disciples believe that Jesus is who He said He was, not who we say He is.

#3 – The call to disciples then moves to follow. Who are you following day by day?

To follow Jesus means to walk like He walked, talk like He talked, and do what He did.

1:17 is the key – “follow me” he told them. The Greek phrase literally means “come after me.”

Jesus is calling Simon and Andrew, then James and John, to put themselves behind him and go wherever He

leads.

The heart of being a disciple of Jesus is connected to this idea – walking in His steps.When you think about a game like, “follow the leader” or “Simon says,” you get the essence of being a

disciple. Consider these core themes included in the word “follow”:

– DIRECTION: Jesus goes first. We follow His leadership. Am I going where Jesus is going or am I going

my own way? Direction, not perfection.

– IMITATION: I do what Jesus does. I say what Jesus says. I love like Jesus loves. At the end of the

journey, I want my life to look like Jesus’s life – this is why Christian means “little Christs” – we imitate

His way of living.

– RELATIONSHIP: to follow, we have to stay close to the leader. We can’t follow Jesus from a distance.

This is so important to consider: intimacy drives imitation. Closeness feeds obedience.

– TRANSFORMATION: See how Jesus says, “I will make you.” His commitment to the disciples is simple:

you follow Me and do what I do, and I will change your life.

#4 – the call to fish. What are you doing with your life?

To be a disciple is to go on mission with Jesus wherever you work, live, study, and play.

In other words, Jesus is on a mission to save the world and rescue people from the Kingdom of darkness.

He invites His disciples to go on that mission with Him.

The four men in this passage had been focused on fishing for fish.

Their very livelihood and family business – their tradition.

But Jesus has a higher purpose for them and for you.

He calls His disciples to look up and see the harvest before them.

To know that people are lost and hurting and hopeless without God.

And that we can be a light for Christ wherever we go.

Notice the four words in this passage and how it shapes our understanding of discipleship:

– Repent (turn from sin and the world)

– Believe (in Jesus and His finished work on the cross)

– Follow (every step walking with Jesus)

– Fish (go on mission with Jesus)

We turn from the world and turn to Christ.

He changes us and then sends us into the world.

That’s the heart of what it means to be a disciple.

This leads to our Cityview definition of a disciple.

What is a disciple?

A disciple of Jesus believes in Jesus, follows Jesus, and helps others to do the same.

It starts with BELIEF: “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and

that by believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31)

It continues with a daily commitment to FOLLOW: “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow

Me.” (John 10:27)It moves us on MISSION: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to obey everything I

have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Disciples don’t just follow Jesus individually.

They are prayerful and purposeful in helping others follow Jesus as well.

My job is to keep my eyes on Jesus, do what He says, and help others find Jesus.

As a disciple, I believe that life, hope, meaning, love, and joy are only found in Jesus Christ.

And I want that for every person I know.

So, this is what it means to be a disciple.

Before we can MULTIPLY disciples, we must first commit to BE disciples.

I want to ask you one final question this morning:

Who do YOU Follow?

Let’s start with Honest Reflection

– Remember what I said earlier: the voice that has the most time in your head and heart will be the

person you end up following.

– So, think about the people you want to be like. The people you look up to. The voices that you allow

to dominate your time each day.

– Who are you following?

– How can we do some honest self-reflection? Go beyond your involvement in church. Look at your

calendar, your money, your habits, your ambitions, and your daily decisions.

– Who do you go to when you need to make an important decision for the future?

– What’s your ultimate goal in life? More money, great marriage, healthy kids, awesome vacations?

Where is that vision for the good life coming from?

– We are all following someone, listening to someone, pursuing a model we have seen lifted up by

others. Check your heart and be honest.

Next, consider that it’s time to get off the fence with Jesus and make an Urgent Decision

– Two times in today’s passage, Mark uses the word “euthoos” to describe what happened – it’s

translated “immediately” in English.

– In verse 18, immediately (without delay), Peter and Andrew leave their nets and follow Jesus. They

don’t wait, consider, delay, or hesitate.

– They immediately follow Jesus.

– In verse 20, Jesus sees James and John and immediately calls them. He doesn’t delay. His invitation

comes fast and with force.

– There is an urgency in this passage that I love. An urgency in Jesus and an urgency in his disciples.

– As I reflect on this, I have to be honest that I rarely feel a sense of urgency in following Jesus. We

mostly think, “I’ll do what I want today, and then I’ll follow Jesus tomorrow.”

– But we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

– And we are guaranteed to waste today without Jesus.

– So, please don’t delay. Get off the fence. Stop having one foot in the world and one foot in with

Christ. It’s time to…Go All-In With Jesus

– Not an invitation to say a prayer of repentance and belief.

– An invitation to follow and obey Him as Lord.

– I’m making a call today to surrender your life wholeheartedly to Christ.

– To leave what is behind, to leave what has captured your heart in the past.

– To leave your wandering and step onto the path with Jesus.

– He is worth it. He knows where He is going and where you need to be going.

– He loves you. He died for you. And He is coming back again.

– Get in step with Him today, friends.

– Go All-In with Jesus.

Amen.