What Now? 5

John 21:12-13

A few weeks back I was part of a lecture series for church leaders. During the lunch break a needy person entered the church looking for financial assistance. I don’t know if the pastor gave the man money or not, but I do know the man was invited to join this gathering of leaders at lunch.

It did not matter who the man was. It did not matter what his reasons were for asking for money. He was invited in to be part of the kingdom of God.

Jesus has helped some of his disciples catch a large haul of fish, so many the net nearly broke as they brought it in. If that were not enough to show the disciples who was with them, he does more to show them who he was. What invitation does Jesus offer? What did Jesus do?

The disciples may not have realized at first that Jesus was the man on shore directing their fishing efforts. But once they caught so many fish they knew who it was. The Bible says that they dared not ask him who he was. They may have been embarrassed that hey had not recognized him right away. Or they may have been embarrassed that they were fishing and not out doing ministry.

Regardless of what was going on with the disciples, Jesus remained constant. He invited them to himself. He welcomed them at a meal he had prepared. He broke bread for them and shared some fish.

Even if we have strayed from our faith a little, if we have allowed ourselves to become lax in our efforts, still Jesus invites us to be with him. He desires that we find new strength and new energy in his presence.

Jesus will break the bread with us, a reminder that he was broken for our salvation. He will share his bread with us; he will share himself so that we might be equipped to be in ministry.

Jesus will share more than the bread. He offers us fish. We are also invited to be in communion not only with the Lord but with all those who have been brought into God’s kingdom.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you be sure to respond to Christ’s invitation?

What Now? 4

John 21:4-6

My father loved to fish. He had a tackle box filled with lures and weights and spools of line and all other manner of fishing gear. He had a collection of rods and reels to choose from, and when I was young he owned his own outboard motor. To my recollection he never caught many fish. But that was okay; he just enjoyed fishing. It relaxed him.

Many of the disciples of Jesus were fishermen when he called them into ministry. But to them, unsuccessful fishing was not okay. It was bad business.

After the crucifixion and resurrection Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James, John, and two other disciples were all out fishing one night. Who is on the shore? What did he ask? What was his instruction? What was the result?

I am constantly amazed at these disciples. They have been with Jesus in his ministry. They saw the crucifixion and the resurrection. And after all these profound experiences they go out fishing. It seems they have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing.

But Jesus comes along and gives them some instruction. They have had a bad night of fishing – they caught nothing. But Jesus has them drop their net on the right side of the boat, and that results in a huge catch of fish.

The story has many lessons. It serves as a reminder that these disciples were called from a life of fishing for fish to a life of fishing for men. Jesus wanted them to preach and teach and gather believers into the kingdom of God.

It also shows that we need direction from our Lord so that we might be successful in our ministry. Jesus was able to direct these disciples and give them success. He told them to put their net on the right side – the correct side.

We can be like the disciples. We get excited about our faith from November to May, but then when the enthusiasm of Easter and Mother’s Day is over we often go off fishing. We forget that we are called into ministry.

We must remember what we have been called to do. And as we focus on our ministry we must ask the Lord for direction, so we know where to cast our religious nets to bring believers into the kingdom.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you keep your net on the right side of your boat?

Called to Serve 1

Matthew 4:18-22

Today I heard about a local pastor who would, on some Sundays, announce to his congregation that he had nothing to say. The service would then go on without a message.

That astounded me and truly disappointed me. I believe every pastor should have a message every Sunday and whenever he or she is asked to say something. A pastor should be ready to serve at all times. But really, if we are going to be Christians we must all be ready to serve at some point.

What was Jesus doing when he encountered Peter and Andrew? What were they doing? What about James and John? How did all four react to the summons?

Previous study on the disciples has caused me to believe that the four men summoned were no strangers of Jesus. It is quite likely that the two pairs of men were local fishing business men in Capernaum, a small town in which Jesus was a resident. Their status in the community, the small size of the town, and the fact that Jesus was likely a local teacher would mean they knew each other.

It is still remarkable, however, that a summons into a very challenging ministry would be received with such willingness from the fishermen. In fact, the idea that these men were responsible for successful businesses makes it even more remarkable that they would walk away from what they were doing so readily.

Yet in all four Gospel messages we have similar stories of Jesus summoning men to follow, and the men accept the challenge without hesitation or question. And it has always fascinated me that the people Jesus called were very common people. He did not call on great speakers or those who were political powerhouses.

And all of this means to me that none of us have any excuses for not serving God. We can all say that we are too busy. But the stories clearly state that these men were engaged in their business, yet they followed. We can all say that we have no talent. But the disciples were men who had no ministry experience until Jesus gave it to them.

Just as the twelve ordinary men called to be disciples followed Jesus and worked at ministry for him, each of us is called to serve God. We are called to drop what we are doing at some point or another and do something that serves the Lord. We need not worry about what we set aside, nor do we need to worry about our qualifications. God will give us what we need when we do our work for Him.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How will you respond when Jesus says, “Follow me”?