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“So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.
When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.” (Luke 5:1-11)
This is a powerful portion of scripture, and when I was reading it, I saw so much in this story that applies to us as Christian leaders…people who have dedicated our lives to serving the Lord. I want to share with you 4 steps if I may that I believe will benefit us in our personal lives and ministries if we truly want to be great “Fishers of Men” and if we truly want a great catch for the Kingdom of God.
- The first thing I believe we need to understand if we expect to have a great catch is that we are going to have to do some things that most other people will not do. You will notice in our story that Peter had been out fishing all night long, and for all their hard labor, they had caught NOTHING! Well, if you have ever been fishing, you know that sometimes the fish are biting and sometimes they just are not. Or in Peter’s case…they had caught nothing in their nets and I am sure after all that hard work, he was tired and weary and all he wanted to do was to clean up and go home and get a good night’s sleep. Friends, we’ve all been in that situation…we’re tired and weary and discouraged and it seems like nothing we try to do is working. All we want to do is go home, hide our heads under the covers and go to sleep…for a long, long time. But then Jesus comes along! And you hear Him distinctly…His instructions to you are to go out there and try it again…one more time…get out there and do it all over again. Only…this time, take Him with you and see if you don’t have better results. You see, the problems often come into our lives and ministries when we try to do things on our own. We forget that Jesus promised to send us a “Helper”…the Holy Spirit…Who has come to give us the power and the strength and promises that if we will depend on HIM…we will have great results for our labor. We have to stop doing our own thing…we have to stop depending on our own power…we have to allow Him to be the One in control of lives and ministries. We have to do the very things and go to the very places where others avoid. We have to go the extra mile and do the hard work…even when we don’t want to and we don’t feel like it. The people who have made the greatest impact on the most people for the Kingdom of God are the ones who have willing hearts.
- If you are going to have a great catch you must be obedient to the Lord even when He tells you to do things you don’t understand and that you don’t want to do. I am absolutely sure that the last thing Peter wanted to do after a long night of fishing was to row back out there and throw his net back into the water. I am sure what he was looking forward to doing was to just go home, take a nice hot shower, hug his wife, eat a good meal and relax for a while before he had to do it all over again. He could have easily made all kinds of excuses why he couldn’t and shouldn’t be obedient to the Lord’s command. But Peter was not like everybody else. Peter was different. He wanted greater things in his life. He wanted to be a successful fisherman…and little did he know what kind of “fisherman” this Jesus would make of him and what kind of a “catch” he would experience for the rest of his life. I have to tell you Friends, when the Lord began to work a love in my heart for international missions, all I really had in mind was to teach a simple Sunday school class, and that would have been sufficient for me. But God had a greater plan…he had an international plan that would change my heart for people in other countries. I wasn’t planning for international outreach…but the plan that God had in mind was much greater than my plan…and all He expected from me was obedience. And Friend, all He expects from you is obedience…a surrendered and willing heart to go anywhere and to do anything He asks you to do. Check your heart…are you willing? If He asked you to row back out there and cast your nets in again, even when you had fished all night and caught nothing…would you be willing to do it? Would you be willing to move out of your comfort zone to obey anything God asks you to do? That is the kind of willingness that God is looking for when He tells someone to “deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Me”. He is looking for a totally sold-out and willing heart…one who will be obedient no matter what. My Friend…be honest with yourself…does that describe you today? For that is the ONLY way you are ever going to have a “great catch” for the Lord.
- If you are going to have a great catch, you will need help from others. In our story, the catch that Jesus had in mind for Peter was far too large for him to handle alone. The scripture tells us they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. My Friend…God did not create any Lone Rangers in the Kingdom of God. He gave us brothers and sisters…family in the work of the Lord. He expects that we would need one another…He wants us to call on each other in our times of need. I have known many ministry partners who share in the burden of the work of the ministry together. They are working in cooperation with each other for the increase of God’s Kingdom. I find the best way for me to get anything done in foreign fields is to find a partner that God will lead me to and join with that person’s work and help that person or persons to reach higher goals through cooperative effort. And in order to do my part, I too must call on others to join in the effort to reach many people in foreign lands, each of us offering to God what we have or the service we can do to bring men and women and boys and girls into the Kingdom of God. I have seen greater works take place simply because we choose to each do the part that God has called us to do…and in doing that, all the whole work gets done. So let me encourage you, if you are trying to serve God on your own and you feel you are growing weary, ask God to send you a partner in the ministry…someone who will share your burden. God created us for fellowship…and we do that best when we partner together in our efforts to win the lost to Jesus.
- If you are going to have a great catch, you must be prepared to surrender everything…did you hear that word? You must be prepared to surrender EVERYTHING…to follow Jesus! Let me ask you this question…what is there in your life that is holding you back from serving the Lord completely? Is there something that you know is standing between you and the fulfillment of God’s plan for your life? It can really be almost anything that you can hold before God. It can be your job, your friends, your possessions…it can even be your family. It can be your own personal plans and dreams and desires. My Friend…the only way you will ever possibly be all that God created you to be is to let go of EVERYTHING in your life and allow Jesus to be your all in all. You must let go of your hopes, your dreams, your plans, your desires…you must let go of your ambitions, your career…and yes even the expectations of your family. You must be who God has called you to be…the person He created you to be, doing the very thing He created you to do. You will never find fulfillment in your life any other way. You MUST surrender everything and follow Jesus.
My Friends, God is looking for a few good men and women who will be completely “sold-out” for Him. He is searching the world over to find those whose hearts and lives are completely surrendered to His will and His command. So let me ask you today…are you willing? Are you willing to go where others will not…are you willing to be obedient even when the thing that God is asking you to do makes absolutely no sense? Are you asking God to send you ministry partners…those He is calling to work with you hand in hand to see that the whole job gets done…and…is everything in your life completely…100% surrendered to Him? This is the ONLY way you will receive that BIG CATCH for the Kingdom of God. By yourself you can do nothing of value…but with HIM…all things are possible.
I’d like to pray with you if I may…
Father, I am so thankful for this few minutes to share Your Word with my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I consider it a great privilege to encourage and to build up the Body of Christ by looking at the examples You have given us in Your Word to share. Thank You Father for this great example of Peter and John and James and how they went back out there, even when the prospects looked hopeless, and through obedience and surrender to You, they experienced the “catch” of their lives. Thank you Father that You have made us “Fishers of Men and Women and Children” and that by being faithful, persistent, obedient and surrendered servants, we can expect to bring a great increase to the Kingdom of God. Use us Father for Your glory and honor and praise. We love You and give all glory to You…In Jesus Name we pray…Amen.
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