Scripture: Mark 1:14–20
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to become distracted?
We begin with good intentions. We want to follow Jesus. But before long, our schedules, our worries, our ambitions—even good things—begin pulling us in different directions.
Everything has a center.
Our solar system has a center. Every planet is held in its orbit by the sun. A wheel has a hub. Remove the hub, and the wheel wobbles and eventually falls apart.
Even our lives have a center. Whether we realize it or not, there is always something around which we organize our lives.
For some, it is family. For others, it is success, security, achievement, or comfort. Sometimes it is fear. Sometimes it is the desire to be accepted. Whatever is at the center eventually shapes everything else.
It shapes our decisions. It shapes our priorities. It shapes the way we spend our time, our money, and our energy.
The same is true for a church.
Every church has a center. Some are centered on tradition; others on programs or personalities. Those things can be wonderful gifts, but they were never meant to hold the center.
The church has only one center: Jesus Christ.
That raises an important question:
What does it mean for Jesus to be at the center of our church?
It means becoming a community of people who continually orient our lives around Jesus and help one another follow him.
This message begins a new sermon series exploring that question, starting with the first words Jesus speaks in Mark’s Gospel.
Jesus Announces a New Reality
Scripture: Mark 1:14–15
When we hear this passage, it is easy to focus on the disciples leaving their nets—and we will come to that. But before Jesus ever says, “Follow me,” Mark tells us something even more important.
Jesus begins with an announcement:
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” (Mark 1:15, NRSVUE)
These are more than the opening words of Jesus’ ministry. They announce that everything has changed.
Notice what Jesus does not begin with. He does not hand people a list of rules or launch a new religious movement. He begins with good news.
“The kingdom of God has come near.”
For centuries, Israel had confessed that God is King. The Scriptures proclaimed God’s reign over creation and God’s care for God’s people. Now Jesus declares that God’s reign has broken into history in a new and decisive way.
The kingdom is not merely a promise for someday. It is God’s rule breaking into the present through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
This is why the gospel is called good news.
The King has come. And that changes everything.
Notice what Jesus does not say. He does not say, “If you repent, then God’s kingdom will come.” He says, “The kingdom of God has come near.”
God has already acted.
Before anyone repents, before anyone believes, before anyone leaves a fishing net, God has come near.
That is grace.
God always takes the first step. The invitation to follow always begins with God’s initiative, not ours.
Because God has come near, Jesus now says:
“Repent, and believe the good news.”
Jesus Calls for a New Direction
Scripture: Mark 1:15
If the kingdom has come near, then Jesus says there is only one appropriate response:
“Repent, and believe the good news.”
Those are familiar words. In fact, they are so familiar that we can easily miss what Jesus is actually saying.
When many of us hear the word repent, we think about feeling guilty or being sorry for our sins. Certainly repentance includes confessing our sins, but Jesus means something much bigger.
Repent literally means “to change your mind,” but Jesus is calling for something deeper—a complete reorientation of life. It is turning toward God’s kingdom and away from every other kingdom that competes for our allegiance.
It is not merely regret.
It is choosing to live under a new King.
Then Jesus says:
“Believe the good news.”
Here again, our English language can be misleading.
We often think believing means accepting certain facts as true. Yes, Jesus is the Son of God. Yes, Jesus died and rose again. Those truths matter deeply.
But in the first century, faith meant even more than intellectual agreement. It carried the idea of allegiance—of loyalty, trust, and faithful commitment.
I remember hiking one time when the trail was not clearly marked. We came to a fork in the path, and from where we stood, both trails looked right. We studied the map, looked around, and still were not sure.
Then someone who knew the trail came along and simply said,
“Trust me. This is the way.”
At that moment, it was not enough to believe they knew the trail.
We had to decide whether we were willing to follow.
That is the difference between believing something and entrusting yourself to someone.
In the same way, many people admire Jesus. They may even believe all the right things about him.
But following Jesus means entrusting your life to him.
It means placing your whole life under his leadership, trusting that when you cannot see the whole journey, he knows the way.
That is exactly what we see in the next verses.
Jesus Invites Ordinary People
Scripture: Mark 1:16–20
The very first people Jesus calls are not priests or scholars. They are not political leaders or religious experts.
They are fishermen.
Simon.
Andrew.
James.
John.
Ordinary people going about an ordinary day.
They are not looking for Jesus. They are simply casting their nets, doing what they had done countless times before.
Then Jesus walks into their ordinary lives and speaks two words that changed everything:
“Follow me.” (Mark 1:17)
Notice what Jesus does not ask.
He does not ask if they have memorized the Scriptures, overcome every weakness, or reached spiritual maturity.
He simply invites them to follow.
Just as striking is what Mark does not tell us.
He does not tell us Peter understood everything about Jesus. He does not tell us Andrew had unwavering faith or that James and John had all their questions answered.
They did not have complete understanding.
They had a beginning.
That is what discipleship is.
Not having all the answers.
Not arriving at perfection.
But saying “yes” to the next step Jesus places before us.
That may be one of the most encouraging truths in this story.
Jesus does not wait until people have everything figured out before calling them.
He calls them first.
Then, as they walk with him, they learn, they grow, they stumble, they fail, they are forgiven, and they keep following.
Isn’t that true for us as well?
None of us begins this journey with perfect faith.
None of us has every question answered.
We are all still learning what it means to follow Jesus.
That is true for me too. Even after seminary, and even after serving as a pastor for several years, I am still learning and growing.
The good news is that Jesus does not say,
“Come back when you’ve figured it all out.”
He simply says,
“Follow me.”
A Church Centered on Jesus
When Simon and Andrew left their nets, they were not simply changing careers.
They were re-centering their lives around Jesus.
From that moment on, everything would be shaped by one question:
Where is Jesus leading us?
That is what it means to be a church centered on Christ.
It is not that we all have the same gifts, experiences, or stories.
It is that together we keep asking one essential question:
How is Jesus calling us to follow?
That question shapes everything.
- It shapes our worship.
- It shapes how we love one another.
- It shapes how we serve our neighbors.
- It shapes how we welcome those who walk through our doors.
If Jesus is truly at the center, everything else finds its proper place around him.
Throughout this series, we will continue exploring what it means to live by grace, grow in love, welcome others, and take the next faithful step.
Because the goal is not simply to become a better church.
The goal is to become more faithful followers of Jesus Christ.
When we keep saying “yes” to his invitation, the church becomes exactly what Christ intends it to be.
Keep Your Eyes on Jesus
Our journey is beautifully summarized in the words of Hebrews 12:1–2:
“Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”
The writer of Hebrews uses the image of a journey.
The Christian life is not standing still.
It is not checking off a list.
It is not proving that we have arrived.
It is a lifelong journey of following Jesus.
How do we stay on that journey?
Not by constantly looking at ourselves.
Not by comparing ourselves with someone else’s faith.
Not by becoming distracted by all the things competing for our attention.
We keep our eyes on Jesus.
Because wherever our eyes are fixed, our lives will eventually follow.
A church centered on Christ is a church that keeps its eyes on Jesus.
A Continuing Invitation
When Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee, he did not begin with a list of requirements.
He simply said,
“Follow me.” (Mark 1:17)
That invitation has never changed.
Jesus does not say,
“Figure everything out first.”
He does not say,
“Come back when you’re perfect.”
He simply says,
“Follow me.”
Some people have been following Jesus for many years.
Others are just beginning.
Still others may be wondering whether they are ready to take that first step.
Wherever you find yourself today, hear this good news:
Jesus is still calling.
Perhaps the most important question is not whether we have arrived.
The most important question is this:
What is Jesus inviting me to do next?
A church centered on Christ is simply a community of people who keep saying “yes” to Jesus’ invitation to follow.
When we do, our worship changes.
Our relationships change.
Our priorities change.
Our communities change.
Not because we become perfect,
but because we keep following the One who is.
Pieces of the Puzzle 