Then Jesus went out to the lakeshore again and taught the crowds that were coming to him. As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up and followed him. Mark 2:13-14 (NLT) Two Qualities that Jesus Sees In Us: 1. Jesus sees people for their potential, not their problems But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?” Mark 2:16 (NLT) 2. Jesus sees that every broken person has potential for influence But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 (NLT) As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. Matthew 9:9 (NLT) “the only difference between saints and sinners is that every saint has a past while every sinner has a future.” ~Oscar Wilde Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. Mark 2:15 (NLT) “Follow me and be my disciple…” Mark 2:14 (NLT) So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him. Luke 5:28 (NLT) For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) I SURRENDERED MY LIFE TO CHRIST TODAY! If you decided to follow Jesus as a result of today's message, we would love to connect with you, talk about what just happened, and put some great resources in your hand to help you grow in your relationship with Christ! Simply click the link below to get started! https://bit.ly/IwanttofollowJesus I WANT TO BE WATER BAPTIZED! The Bible teaches that baptism is the first step of obedience after making a commitment to Jesus. Baptism allows a believer to communicate to the world their new commitment to Christ. At Painesville Assembly, we encourage believers to be baptized in water. We do this because: Jesus, as the Son of God, set a great example for us to follow when he was personally baptized (Matthew 3.16), Jesus commanded us to be baptized (Matthew 28.19), Water baptism symbolizes the brand new life that Jesus gives (Romans 6.4). Click the link below to go public with your faith! https://bit.ly/Iwanttobebaptized