Respond to the Master's Call

As you may recall, we have been looking at Luke 5:1-7, where Jesus taught the people from Simon Peter's boat (vv. 1-3), then commanded Peter to "launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch" (v. 4). After complaining that they had been fishing "all night and caught nothing" (v. 5a), Peter quieted and said, "nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net" (v. 5b). Of course, when he did, he made a catch so big the "net was breaking" (v. 6). They signaled for help, and John and James came to the rescue (v. 7a). They helped Peter and Andrew bring in the net and "filled both the boats, so that they began to sink" (v. 7b). Now for the rest of the story:

Peter, along with his brother Andrew and their partners James and John, were all amazed at what they saw and had experienced, simply because they had responded to the Master's command. "But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, 'Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!' For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon" (vv. 8-10a, NASB).

Amazement on behalf of the fishermen resulted in confession. Peter now recognized Jesus as Lord and "fell down at Jesus' feet" (v. 8a). That is where we all must begin. Only when cleansed through confession and faith are we ready to be used by God as His fishermen. That is our first response.

When the fishermen responded by confession, Jesus concluded His instruction by confirming His call upon their lives. He told Peter, "Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men" (v. 10b, NASB). That call goes out to all four of His fishermen. It goes out to all of us as well. This is His promise for all believers: Follow Him and "you will be catching men" (v. 10b). Literally, we are called to reach out to others for Christ.

"Catching" (v. 10b), from the verb "to catch" in the original Greek, means "to take alive, as taking animals alive for a zoo or circus." When wild animals are caught for a zoo, they are trapped and taken alive, not shot and killed, so the zookeeper can put them on display. That is what we are to be doing for Christ. We are to respond to the Master's call by getting to know Him better, by living for Him every day, and by seeking to "catch" people for Christ. Literally, we are to "take people alive" for Christ.

In verse 11, the confession of the fishermen and the call of Jesus on their lives is followed by a special response: "When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him" (NASB). Peter, James, John, and presumably Andrew, responded by dropping their nets, leaving everything, and following Jesus. We too must respond to the Master's call by putting Jesus first in our lives and by following His calling. Then we too "will be catching men" (v. 10b). So, the third "key" to life-style evangelism is to follow Jesus, putting Him first in your life, so that others will be drawn to Him.

Our ambition in life should be the souls of men—reaching them for Christ. Such is our call. Let's do it! Life-style evangelism is to be our way of life. To know Christ and to make Him known—that is to be our life's motto. Amen.

Follow the Master's Commands

Our goal as Christians is to know Christ and to make Him known. This requires doing what the Lord commands. After some discussion, Peter did what the Lord commanded and with great results! Let’s look closely at that story.

"When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch'" (Luke 5:4). Now it was early in the morning and Peter, Andrew, James, and John had been fishing all night with little to show for it. They had covered all the good fishing spots and even many that never seem to pan out. So Peter thought, "Why even try any further right now!" He literally said, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing" (v. 5a). But Jesus had a purpose. He intended to give them instruction in Christian work—work to which He had called them. He only asked them to obey. So the second "key" to life-style evangelism is obedience to the Lord's command.

Jesus had four disciples who were fishermen, and out of them He intended to make four fishers of men. Peter stated his reservation, but in obedience added, "but I will do as You say and let down the nets" (v. 5b). He did, and the result was phenomenal; nothing short of a miracle. "When they had done this (that is let down the nets), they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink" (vs. 6-7). What a catch!

You see, it is the obedient servant who makes the catch. When Jesus leads you to step out in faith and share your faith with someone, do it. Follow the Lord's commands. Hold back, and nothing will happen. Step out in faith, and a great catch can be made. Don't forget the goal of the Christian—to know Christ and to make Him known. And how do we do this? How do we make Him known? By word of mouth. By being willing to take what we know of Christ and tell others.

Word-of-mouth advertising is what life-style evangelism is all about. In fact, that is exactly the need for evangelism to succeed in a great way. Get to know Christ. Lean on Him and let Him work in your life every day. Then introduce Him to others. Remember, Isaiah 55:11 quotes the Lord God: "So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."

Here, Jesus is telling His disciples, "If you keep on puttering along close to shore you will only catch little fishes. 'Launch out into the deep' (KJV). The big ones and the heavy takes are away out yonder. Go out there, if you want to catch them." If every believer would hear this call and respond, I believe it would change the face of our communities. And, as you go after the big ones, remember Romans 6:23 and use it when fishing for men: "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Amen.

Sit at the Master's Feet

As we begin this new year, one question lingers in my mind—what am I to do with the rest of my life? Or better, how do I live for Jesus? In Luke chapter five, Jesus told Peter, James, and John, fishermen all, to "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch" (Luke 5:4). After a little protesting because they had already been there and caught nothing, they gave in and did as Jesus instructed. And guess what? "They caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking" (v. 6). They filled two boats so full "that they began to sink" (v. 7). Peter and the others "were astonished" (v. 9), and that prompted Jesus to say to Peter, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men" (v. 10).

That tells us that the first eleven verses of Luke chapter five are about life-style evangelism, or living your life in such a way that others see Jesus in you and are drawn to Christ. This whole episode was setup by Jesus teaching the crowds in the first three verses. It is there that we begin to see how to live for Jesus. Let's look at those verses.

"Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret" (Luke 5:1, NASB). "It happened" (v. 1a), or "it came to pass" (KJV), is literally, "one day." One day as Jesus "was standing by the lake of Gennesaret" a "crowd" of people were "listening to the word of God" as Jesus was teaching them (v. 1). They were "pressing around Him" (v. 1a) trying to hear clearly what He was saying.

"The Lake of Gennesaret" (v. 1b) is the Sea of Galilee. It is also called Kinneret or Lake Tiberias. The four are one and the same, most commonly known as the Sea of Galilee. Jesus "saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat" (vv. 2-3, NASB).

In 1980 I had the privilege of standing on shore where scholars believe this took place. It is a natural amphitheater, and as I stood on the shore and spoke, the others could easily hear well up the side of the hill. So when Jesus asked Peter "to put out a little way from the land" (v. 3a) and "sat down and began teaching…from the boat" (v. 3b), He could easily be heard by all.

So the way to live out life-style evangelism is to sit at the Master's feet and learn from Him. That is where it all begins. Become one with the Word of God. Spend time in the Word. Set up a special time each day to read a few verses and to pray. Then think about the verses you read throughout the day. Meditate on the verses. Let the Scripture you read and the truth they taught get down inside of you and become part of you. When you do that, you can't help but experience the truth of Colossians 3:16— "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God."

In these first three verses of Luke chapter 5, we see the ultimate reality show. Jesus teaching the people with reality. He knew God. He simply talked about God and His relationship with Him and what God can do for others. He is our example in how to teach others about Christ.

I think Jesus talked about God with such reality, such close personal experience, that He didn't need to preach in the usual sense. That is what is needed in life-style evangelism. When you have a close personal experience of fellowship with Christ and you know Him intimately, you can share Him with others with a reality that will reach right down into their hearts.

This means getting to know Jesus and His Word. Sit at the Master's feet daily and learn of Him. The first "key" to life-style evangelism is simply to know Christ. Spend the time needed to get to know Him well! Amen.