The mission and call of Peter in Luke 5:1-11 are no different from the call and mission of the church. Although the call is issued specifically to Peter, all those present leave their boats. Notice the literary shift:

And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him (Luke 5:10b -11, ESV).

The response of leaving everything implies a question. Must all people who respond to the call of Jesus leave their vocations?

Many would argue that while we may have multiple occupations, we all have a singular vocation - living as followers of Jesus who obedient to his mission. So we talk about bi-vocational ministers. Yet, I fell that this still implies a bit of separation from the “called” and, well, everyone else. Paul did keep right on working as a tent maker as he planted churches, right?

The mission is the same whether we are at home, work, school, traveling, at the corner market, or oversees. My friends with the Skybridge Community argue that “somehow, intentionally or not, many American Christians were taught that being a professional missionary is a higher calling, the best and most appropriate way to respond to a call to missions.”

They propose that being a full-time Christian worker is not the only way to be an effective missionary and that the best way to be a missionary is NOT to be a “missionary.”

What about those followers of Jesus who take seriously their responsibility to live out their faith incarnationally at their “regular” job?

What if the local church stepped up and took back its role in the Great Commission, sending out and celebrating those who live and work as missionaries?