Come and Become: Coming to Jesus Exactly As You Are
A couple times a year at New Life, we set aside a Sunday to celebrate Come and Become — because our mission as a church is simple: invite people to come as they are to Jesus and become who they’re created to be. Come and Become isn’t just an event on the calendar; it’s the heartbeat of who we are as a church, and it comes straight from one of the most familiar stories in Scripture.
The Scripture Behind Come and Become
Our Come and Become message came from Matthew 4:18–22:
"As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will send you out to fish for people.' At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him."
It’s a story many of us have heard a hundred times — which is exactly why it’s easy to miss what’s actually happening in it. This Sunday, we slowed down and noticed three things in this passage that shape everything about what Come and Become means for us.
1. Jesus Asked Them to Do Nothing Before They Followed Him
Before Simon, Andrew, James, and John ever followed Jesus, He didn’t require anything of them — no cleaned-up life, no proven theology, no changed behavior. He simply said, “Come, follow me.” That’s the first half of Come and Become: there is no other way to come to Jesus than exactly as you are. Not the version of you that’s cleaned up tomorrow — the version of you that exists right now, today, because tomorrow never actually arrives; it’s always today.
2. Jesus Promised to Make Them Into Something
The invitation didn’t stop at “come.” Jesus said, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Coming to Jesus and becoming who He created us to be can’t be separated. Come and Become means Jesus loves us exactly as we are — in the addiction, the anger, the shame, the broken marriage — and He loves us too much to leave us there. He has something better for every one of us to become.
3. Jesus Called Them While They Were Simply Walking
Jesus didn’t call His first disciples at a big event or a large gathering — He called them while He was out on a walk by the beach, in the middle of ordinary life. That’s a picture of how the mission of Come and Become actually spreads: not primarily through Sunday mornings, but through every one of us living life on mission — at work, at soccer practice, in the neighborhood — inviting people to come as they are and become who they’re created to be.
That’s what Come and Become looks like at New Life: a church that never apologizes for accepting people exactly as they are, and never apologizes for believing God has something better for them to become.
Take you Next Step
The message of Come and Become isn’t meant to just be heard — it’s meant to be lived out. Here are a few practical next steps:
- Join a Life Group. Becoming who you’re created to be doesn’t happen alone. A Life Group is where the “become” part of Come and Become takes root in real relationships.
- Bring Someone to Kickoff Sunday. Live out the mission this week — text a friend, neighbor, or coworker and invite them to come as they are next Sunday.
- Join the Prayer & Fasting Team. A group is fasting and praying this weekend for the coming school year of ministry. If you want to be part of it,
- Start Serving. Part of becoming who you’re created to be is discovering the way God has gifted you to serve His church and this city. [
Did you like the message, Come and Become 2026? If so, check out more of our Sunday teachings here.