Five Who Followed in Faith

In this message based on John 1:35–51, Chuck Swindoll explores the life-altering “turning points” that occur when individuals come face-to-face with Jesus Christ. Swindoll frames the call to discipleship by citing Douglas Hyde, a former communist who noted that if you make small demands of people, you get a small response, but if you make big demands, you get a “heroic response.” Swindoll argues that Jesus is not interested in merely swelling the ranks of a church with mediocre followers; He demands a heroic, total abandonment of one’s old life to follow Him [1–2, 7–8].

The sermon analyzes the distinct ways five men were called to follow Jesus, categorized by four types of evangelism. First, Andrew and John responded to “Mass Evangelism” when John the Baptist publicly pointed them to the “Lamb of God.” Second, Simon Peter was reached through “Personal Evangelism” when his brother Andrew brought him to the Messiah. Third, Philip experienced “Contact Evangelism,” where Jesus, a stranger to him, simply commanded, “Follow Me.” Finally, Nathanael, a skeptic meditating under a fig tree, was reached through “Word Evangelism,” as Philip appealed to Moses and the prophets.

Swindoll concludes by challenging the listener to “get off the fence.” Drawing on the contrast between Isaiah 53 (turning to one’s own way) and Job 23 (holding fast to God’s path), he urges believers to stop giving Jesus mere minutes of their day and instead surrender their entire lives, moving from indecision to total dedication [30–31, 38–39].

Message Key Facts:

• The Communist Contrast: Swindoll references a booklet by Douglas Hyde, a man who spent 20 years in the Communist Party. Hyde observed that communists often out-dedicated Christians because they demanded total sacrifice and discipline to “change the world,” whereas Christians often make too few demands of their followers [4–6].
• A Diary of Three Days: Swindoll explains that John 1:29–51 is structured like three pages torn out of a diary, presenting a chronological flow of events happening “the next day” consecutively.
• Saint Andrew the “Loser”: Swindoll demystifies the idea of “sainthood.” He notes that Andrew would likely be considered a “loser” in the modern business world because he was always in the shadow of his brother. However, Andrew’s great strength was that every time he appears in Scripture, he is bringing someone to Jesus—his brother, the boy with the lunch, or the Greeks.
• The Transformation of Peter: When Jesus met Simon, He called him “son of John” (meaning vacillating or shifty) but renamed him Cephas (Rock). Swindoll notes that Jesus sees people not as they are, with all their insecurities, but as what they will become [24–25].
• The Jim Vaus Story: To illustrate mass evangelism, Swindoll tells the story of Jim Vaus (referred to in the text as “Jim Boss”), a man involved in criminal activities who attended a tent meeting in Los Angeles. Though he tried to leave during the invitation, a small man pulled his coattail and asked if he wanted to be saved, leading to a revolutionary change in his life [15–16].
• Sheep vs. Disciples: Swindoll contrasts Isaiah 53:6, which describes the carnal life as “turning to his own way” (like a wayward sheep), with Job 23:10–12, which describes the disciple as holding fast to “His path” and treasuring God’s words more than food. This illustrates the decision Philip made to abandon his own way to follow Jesus [29–30].
• Nathanael the Skeptic: Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” because Nazareth was considered a town of vice and immorality—a “stopover for the soldier of Rome.” Swindoll points out that Jesus did not reject this skepticism but met Nathanael with omniscience, revealing He saw him meditating under the fig tree [34–35].

Message References:

• John 1:35–51: The primary text detailing the calling of the first disciples.
• John 1:29 & 36: John the Baptist’s declaration: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
• John 1:42: Jesus renames Simon: “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas (which is translated Peter).”
• John 1:46: Nathanael’s skeptical question: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
• Isaiah 53:6: “All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way.”
• Job 23:10–12: “My foot has held fast to His path; I have kept His way and not turned aside.”
• Matthew 8:20 (Referenced): “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” [19–20].

Message Speaker:

Pastor Chuck Swindoll