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teaching, preaching & healing

Matthew 4:21-23
"21 And going on from thence, He saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them.
22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed Him.
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people."

The Apostle Paul's redemption story is testimony that NO ONE is beyond the saving grace of our Lord and Savior. We most likely won't have the Damascus Road experience, but God comes to us in sermons, Holy Communion, Hymns and song lyrics and much more. God can reach out to us through our conversations with others, parents, friends, and acquaintances. They might bring us words from God inspired to nudge us onto the RIGHT path. 

Hopefully, God's outreach to us will not be as dramatic and traumatic as Paul's. Possibly, our call can be closer to these verses from Matthew, where Jesus asks "FOLLOW ME" and the Disciples "FOLLOWED HIM." This was an extreme lifestyle change. They are going to have to grow and learn from Jesus. They are not going to get it right all the time. This is a journey where God is at work. It took time. It took growth. They had to follow Jesus day in and day out. They lived with Him. They learned from Him and we are the same way.

In today's verses we read about more followers joining Jesus; "And going on from thence, He saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and FOLLOWED HIM. And Jesus went about all Galilee, TEACHING in their synagogues, and PREACHING the gospel of the kingdom, and HEALING all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people." We don't get to follow Jesus along the dusty roads of Galilee, but we do get to follow Him verse by verse through the pages of Holy Scripture! 
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