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Deborah-Leigh:


God has predetermined that many should be reading this paper of mine at this precise "appointed time."

God will either cause you to accept these truths at this "appointed time" in your life, or He will cause you to reject these truths at this "appointed time" in your life, and your "will" is not "free" to do either. It is all of God! The circumstances are already set in motion which will bring about God’s desired intentions. Individually, however, each one will have perfectly reasonable and rational reasons for his or her decision.

Everyone who insists that he lives his life according to his own independent of God, free will choices, is "haughty and arrogant," and God will "punish" all such hearts. http://bible-truths.com/lake15-D.html

wat:
Isn't Luke 5:1-11 a more in depth account?

1One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, 2he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

5Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

So in addition to probably hearing about Jesus before, they witnessed this miracle.  Also, John 1:35-42 says

35The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

37When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”

39“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.

40Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

I don't know the exact chronology of events, but it seems like this takes place before John is arrested and before Jesus calls for Peter and Andrew to follow him.  So if I have this right, Peter and Andrew had already met Jesus before he called to them on the Sea of Galilee.

Gina:
Loc's post prompts me to remember this scripture:

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:52)

Let not mercy and truth forsake you: bind them about your neck; write them upon the table of your heart:  So shall you find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man. (Prov. 3:3-4)

Jesus was obviously very well thought of by people and I imagine He was very likeable. Very easy to be around, I imagine.  (Except Ray pointed out that His speech EXPLODES with the pharisees. )  But not so with his disciples.  Just amazing the juxtaposition there.  The contrast.  I love it.

Gina:
And you might even be wondering why so many desired to follow Him:

People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.
 (Matt. 3:5)

While others didn't -- like the pharisees, scribes, etc. 

I was wondering that myself, actually, and maybe you know this already but I just realized that they couldn't desire to follow Him because He blinded them.  Jesus was not exactly kind to them.  They were afraid of Him I believe, and that was why they couldn't repent.  It is the KINDNESS of God that leads to repentance.   And we know it was for the purpose of bringing in the fullness of the Gentile nations first.

Romans 11:24-25:

For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in

Matthew 13:11  He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.

Romans 11:7 What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened,

Romans 9:18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

But...

Romans 11:12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!



And in the end, everybody's eventually happy ("a smiley face for all"), which we believe by faith, not by sight.  If God didn't give us the gift of faith [hope] and we had to live by sight, no one would ever believe God, because it's not looking too good out there.

arion:

--- Quote from: Arcturus on September 14, 2012, 12:25:01 PM ---



God will either cause you to accept these truths at this "appointed time" in your life, or He will cause you to reject these truths at this "appointed time" in your life, and your "will" is not "free" to do either. It is all of God! The circumstances are already set in motion which will bring about God’s desired intentions. Individually, however, each one will have perfectly reasonable and rational reasons for his or her decision. http://bible-truths.com/lake15-D.html

--- End quote ---


That is so good and right on.  Everyone in the meat world and almost all in the church world totally believe in free will and we make our own decisions.  And of course regardless of the decisions made we all have reasons for deciding in a certain way and we think that those regions originate in ourselves.  And it's because we are not aware of the circumstances themselves crafting the decisions we make that we think we have 'free will'.

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