How many followers do you have?

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

—Mark 1:17

 

I smiled when I heard it. That familiar bleep that could only mean one thing. A new follower!  

Yay! I congratulated myself. I’ve been working hard ever since I returned from the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, ever since Edie Melson’s workshop on social networking. 

A social networking guru herself, Edie emphasized the importance of doing so when building a marketing platform. Without an established platform—an audience that looks forward to your 140-character nuggets of truth and inspiration and would buy your book chockfull of the same, you may be hard-pressed to convince a publisher to take a chance on you. 



How many followers do you have?

All week my fingers have been flying fast across the keyboard, fishing for Twitter followers. Sometimes I wonder if my efforts are just exercise for my digits (in more ways than one!). But then I remind myself of the sole purpose for my motivation.  
 

How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?  And how shall they preach unless they are sent?—Romans 10:14 
     

If you have chosen to follow after Jesus, you have been “sent” to fish for other followers. Fishing requires some work. Fish will not swim into your net unless something draws them. What do you have to offer them?  As Christ-followers, we share the hope of eternal life, and that is an offer that is too good to pass up.  But how shall others believe if they have never heard of the offer? That’s where the work comes in. Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). 

How you draw fish is your ministry. But you don’t have to be a writer or a preacher to do it. Most often drawing fish begins with building relationships. That’s what Jesus did.  

In today’s society, we call it networking. And while the term may sound formal and business-like to some, let us keep in mind that networking means reaching out and making connections. Finding meaningful common ground. That’s what Apostle Paul did. 

To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.—1 Corinthians 9:22-23 

How can you connect with people today? For me, I hope my words will draw them. And so for that, I press on (Philippians 3:14)…the keyboard…over and over again. 

So if the question be asked, “Have they not heard?” may the response be: 

Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”—Romans10:18 

Oh, did I tell you, those familiar bleeps emitting from my phone have alerted me to new followers in Ireland and England and Canada and…yeah, the ends of the world. I’m smiling a lot these days. And I wonder, Does the Lord smile too every time He gets a new follower? But I think I already know the answer.

Lord, may I always remember that my sole purpose is a soul purpose. It’s not about how many Twitter followers or Facebook friends I have, but about how many followers I catch for You. Amen.