Recently, our church started a street church for Hispanic evangelism in the center of Annandale, Northern Virginia. On the founding day, the scripture read according to the church’s Bible reading schedule was Luke 5: Let down your nets in the deep. Since then, these words have continued to be my meditation. At that time, Peter and his disciples could not sleep all night and cast their nets, but they did not catch a single fish. Then morning came. Now I gave up and started washing the nets, but the Lord came into the boat. Like Peter’s heart as he looks at the empty boat, many people feel disappointed, tired, and empty while working hard in the world. Ultimately, Peter’s breakthrough began when Jesus came into his boat. And by giving him a new calling, a complete breakthrough from stagnation was achieved. “I will make you fishers of men.” I think that if Peter had not lost sight of this vision until the end, he would not have fallen into a slump again.
Three years later, Peter and the disciples had already witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus and even met the resurrected Jesus. But once again, they face a time of discouragement and depression as they look at the empty ship in the Sea of Galilee. This is because the Lord they believed in and followed seemed to no longer be with them. But more than anything, I missed the calling that the Lord gave me at first to be a fisher of men. So, they gathered at the Sea of Galilee to return to their old occupation of being fishermen. Yes. For Christians to escape spiritual stagnation, we must remain faithful to the fundamental calling that calls us to be Christians.
The Lord said that He would make us fishers of men, so we must follow the voice of the Lord and do evangelism and missionary work. Those who have ears should hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to the churches. Jesus told Peter to go out into the deep and let down his nets. Peter is a professional fisherman. It is said that it is common sense among fishermen that there are no fish in deep water during the day. Moreover, they were about to wash the net and withdraw, but throwing the net into the sea again would have been annoying and they would have been tired from not being able to sleep all night. Peter relied on his words and cast his net into the deep. The command to cast the net on the right side of the boat also has the same meaning. This means that you should not just stick to the familiar ways you have always done in the past, but follow the Lord’s instructions even if it is a bit difficult. Until then, the disciples wanted to cast their net only on the Israelites. But isn’t He telling us to go into the deep and cast our nets for strangers as well? We always thought that the only goal of evangelism was to bring people to church buildings. However, the Holy Spirit led us to go out into the streets and spread the gospel and establish a street church. He also started a Hispanic worship service by preaching the gospel in Spanish, which he was not familiar with. He led his children to a joint bilingual worship service. It is an unfamiliar and challenging style. However, when he obeyed and lowered his net in an unfamiliar place, he saw fish starting to flock in.
The Lord who met Peter gives Peter a calling. Luke 5:10. “From now on you will be intoxicated with people.” The Lord whom we met again also speaks. “Feed my lambs, shepherd my lambs. Feed my sheep.” The Great Commission is the ultimate calling and vision given to all Christians. To become a disciple of the Lord, you must become a fisher of men. When we live by prioritizing what the Lord prioritizes, we can overcome chronic depression or emptiness, because the Holy Spirit gives us new passion.
However, the number of fish caught by casting the net on the right side of the boat was 153. There are various interpretations of the meaning of 153, and some say it is just a number. However, according to the Biblical interpretation method that states that the Bible should be interpreted as the Bible, Ezekiel 47:10. As the saying goes, all kinds of meat are gathered in the kingdom of God. And in the Feast of Tabernacles regulations, the four plants that cover the tabernacle mean classifying people from all over the world who must enter the kingdom of God into four categories. When you think about it this way, and if the right side of the boat represents the salvation of the Gentiles, you can think of 153 as representing all the types of fish in the world. In other words, Jesus wanted his disciples to lead all people in this world to heaven. When 153 fish enter the net, it should have torn, but the fact that it did not tear means that heaven is a place where all people can live and that God’s wish is for all people in this world to enter heaven.
If you feel discouraged, tired, and empty today, let’s listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. How about throwing a net into the deep water on the right side of the boat? The United States is a mission field where people from all over the world gather together. What if we spread the gospel not only to Jews but also to other Gentile peoples, paying particular attention to the 67 million Hispanic people, and casting our net with a vision of salvation for the whole world and all peoples? Let us pray for the fire of evangelism to be given to us. Only when this fire is restored can we escape from all kinds of discouragement, depression, and stagnation. What net do I have today? What bait do I have? Let’s get up from our comfort zone and cast our nets to become fishermen who lead more souls and people to the Lord, even if it means sacrifice, hard work, and sweat. When we do that, the fresh life of Jesus will always be alive and vibrant within us. In giving the Great Commission, the Lord makes a promise. “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20b)
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NIV)
2024-04-13 02:07:25
#fishers #men
