When I think about the suffering in Haiti and the rescue missions taking place, I am reminded of the greatest rescue mission ever taken. 2010 years ago, Jesus Christ, left the eternal riches of heaven and entered the poverty of humanity, on a mission of grace, and redemption. As we saw so graphically depicted in the movie, The Passion, let your mind examine the wonder of the creator allowing His sinful creation to crucify him, only to rise from the dead three days later. Such acts of love and sacrifice are mind blowing!
Today, His call for us is clear as stated in Matthew 4:19 “Come, follow me, … and I will make you fishers of men.” I am convinced that a life of purpose involves sharing your faith with others. Jesus didn’t call us to be “Secret Service” Christians! However, he called us to choose a life of radical obedience to the will and Word of God.
If your heart’s desire is to follow Jesus Christ, let me give you 3 points to consider from His own words found in Luke 5:1-11.
If you are going to become a “fisher of men”, you have to:
1. GO where the fish are! (Luke 5:1)
Jesus left the synagogues, and took His message to the streets, where lost people were. If we’re going to be effective in reaching the lost, we will have to leave the cozy confines of the church and take the gospel to the people. Now this means going places where “sinners” are, which scares many church people. Some are afraid they might “lose their testimony.” But I ask you, how are you going to lose your testimony when your reason for going is to give it!
2. SURRENDER your will to His will! (Luke 5:5)
When Jesus told Simon Peter to cast his nets after a long night of fruitless fishing, he could have told Jesus he was crazy and knew nothing about fishing. But Simon’s response was “But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” Sharing your faith always requires total surrender of your will to the will of Christ.
3. OBEY His command to reap His harvest! (Luke 5:6-7)
When Simon obeyed, the bible says they caught a number of fish so large that their nets began to break. When we are obedient to Jesus’ call, we too will reap a harvest of souls that our church may not be able to hold
When I accepted Christ 30 years ago, I responded by sharing my faith with my brother who gave his life to Jesus. I was afraid he would reject me and this new change in my life. Little would I know, this same brother would introduce me to the church where I would become a pastor and fisherman for youth.
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