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.

Have a Little Faith

As you begin the new year, have a little faith! Luke 17:5-6 says, "And the apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith.' So the Lord said, 'If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, "Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea," and it would obey you.'" In verse 5, the apostles asked Jesus to "increase our faith." It seems the apostles not only wanted enough faith for their souls to go to heaven, but they wanted heaven to be brought down to them! Jesus told them that even the smallest amount of faith does great things. He then compared their faith to a mustard seed.

The mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds. It is used to develop mustard spice. The thought here is that it is so small it is within your reach. Compare that to the Mulberry tree. It is actually the Black Mulberry tree that is in view here. This tree often lives 400 to 600 years. It grows thirty-five feet tall, and has an extensive root system that spreads out forty feet and goes quite deep into the ground, making it nigh impossible to uproot. He told them that even with that little bit of faith they could uproot a mulberry tree and plant it in the sea.

That is quite a statement! Faith, even when developed only to the size of a mustard seed, is enough! That is what Jesus said! "Faith" (v. 6), in the Greek, is a word that can be translated either "faith" or "faithfulness." It depends on the context. When referring to "head knowledge" becoming "heart knowledge," or in other words, "belief," it is usually translated "faith." When the context refers to "heart attitude" or "heart obedience," it is usually translated "faithfulness." Here the context is "heart obedience" and should be understood as "faithfulness."

Note the context: Verses 1-4 speak of forgiveness as an attitude of the heart. Note especially verses 3-4: "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."

Verses 7-10 again speak of "heart obedience" toward God. When you have done all that you are supposed to do, have the attitude as found in verse 10: "We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty" (RSV).

When you have this "heart obedience" toward God, then you will find that you have drawn near to Him. When you are near to God, He will guide you as to what you should do and how you should pray. Follow His guidance, and even that big mulberry tree can be uprooted! In other words, if you have left everything behind and have received Christ, and you are ready to follow Him and trust Him in all things, great things will happen.

What Jesus is saying here is this: "If God has led you to pray for something, expect it to happen!" If He leads you to pray for rain, bring your umbrellas to the prayer meeting! If you have faith as a mustard seed, God will make it happen! Expect great things from Him!

Remember, faith, or faithfulness, begins with leaving our old life and all we have behind for the sake of giving Christ control of our lives. Faith further involves our receiving Christ as Savior, and then following Him as Lord in our actions. The result of such actions of faith, is truly one of uprooting mulberry trees. It is one of seeing God do great things. Amen.

Let the Light of Christ Shine

When you have left the darkness of sin and have begun to live by the light of Christ, look what happens. The light of Christ that shines on us and in us, will also shine through us and out of us and from us, bringing others to Christ. Follow the positive progression of Isaiah 60:1-3: "Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you" (v. 1). "But the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you" (v. 2b). "The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising" (v. 3).

This means three things: First, we should live without the darkness of sin. We are in the light, not in the darkness. So we should not live in the darkness of sin any longer. Second, our life should be the opposite of that. We are in the light. So we should live a life of righteousness as children of light. Ephesians 5:8 says, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." Our lives should be full of the fruit of the light of Christ: "all goodness, righteousness, and truth" (Eph. 5:9). Third, the light of Jesus should be obvious in us. People should be able to look at us and see the light and radiance of Christ within us. When they do, they will be drawn to the Lord. As Isaiah said, "Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn" (v. 3, NIV).

What happens is that those without Christ see that we have something they do not have. They see the light of the glory of Christ within us and they come to us for a closer look. By the grace of God, we become the light of Christ to the world. When people see someone living out their faith, they are attracted to it. It is a beautiful thing to see because it is a blessed life. Such a life of righteousness in Christ draws people to Him. We are called to live that type of life. Let the light of Christ shine through you and see others begin to come to Christ.

We must let the light of Christ shine through us to provide light for those who are lost so they can find their way to heaven. Without the light of Christ shining through us, our neighbors and friends who do not know Christ will stumble in their search for peace. Think, for a moment, of the plight of those unreached by the gospel. Millions do not know anything but spiritual darkness because no one has shared with them the light that has come into the world. Would you take that challenge?

When Isaiah wrote these words, he spoke of a great hope, a hope that reaches through the ages to us. He spoke of Christ and the hope of salvation. He spoke of the hope of a changed life that would attract others to Jesus. Grab hold of that hope and let the light of Christ shine in you. Let the light of Christ be reflected in your life. Amen.

Live By the Light of Christ

The whole book of Isaiah is a mixture of gloom and glory. So in Isaiah 60:1-2, Isaiah goes from light to darkness to light again. "Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you" (vs. 1-2).

Notice that two times Isaiah talks about light as "glory" (vv. 1b, 2b). In Hebrew, the word "glory" has the meaning of being weighty or important. God certainly is weighty or important. He is the center of our lives. It is only in Him that we live and move and have our being. In fact, if we were to take God out of our lives for a millisecond, or out of this world, or out of the universe, do you know what would happen? If God were to be removed for even a millisecond, we would cease to exist, this world would crumble, and the universe would collapse and disappear. That's how important, or how weighty, God is.

According to Isaiah, this weighty presence of God has appeared. God has come with all the weight of His glory. He has come in all His brilliance and splendor. Isaiah sees the light and glory of God coming upon Jerusalem. Like a blazing sun, the glory of the Lord has risen upon Jerusalem, bathing it in His full and glaring light.

Throughout the ages, different people have come face-to-face with the glory of God. Moses said to the Lord, "Please show me Your glory" (Exodus 33:18). And the Lord replied, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me and live… Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen" (vv. 20-23). "The LORD passed before him" (Exodus 34:6) and when he came down from the mountain of God, "Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone" (v. 29). When the people saw Moses, they knew he had been with God. It was evident!

When Isaiah was called to be God's prophet, he had a vision in the temple. The Lord was seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. He saw seraphim flying around the throne and he heard them calling to one another, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory" (Isaiah 6:3). At the sound of their voices, the door posts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke. After this, Isaiah was convinced that he was going to die because he was "a man of unclean lips" (v. 5)—a sinner who had seen the glory of the Lord.

The glory of God is especially displayed in the history of salvation. Remember the burning pillar of fire that was in front of Israel in the wilderness? The glory of the Lord was in that pillar of fire. The glory of God's presence threw the Egyptians into confusion. The glory of God's presence in the pillar of fire led the people safely through the wilderness (Exodus 13 & 14). We see the same glory of God at work at Jericho when its walls came tumbling down (Joshua 6:20). In fact, every work of salvation displays the light of the glory of God.

Most importantly, we see the light of the glory of God in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Remember what the angels said when the baby Jesus was born? "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:14). Just before He went to the cross, Jesus prayed, "I have glorified You on the earth, I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was" (John 17:4-5).

Christ's work brings glory to God. The coming of Christ to do His work as Savior and Lord is the light Isaiah is speaking of. The light of Christ "has come" (Isaiah 60:1a) and has called you out of the darkness of sin and into the light of His glory (v. 2). "Arise, shine!" (v. 1a). That is the command. Let God fill you with the light of Christ. Let God change you and make you like Christ. Live by the light of Christ. Amen.

Leave the Darkness of Sin

When Isaiah looks at the world around him, he sees so much darkness. He sees a world lost in sin. Isaiah 60:2a says, "For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people." This is a darkness that cannot be penetrated. It is a deep darkness, a very dark darkness. For three hours on Good Friday, while Jesus hung on the cross dying for our sin, darkness descended upon the land at midday: "Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour (about noon to 3pm) there was darkness over all the land" (Matt. 27:45). It was an unnatural darkness, a thick darkness, a darkness without the glory of the presence of God. That is what Isaiah saw—a darkness caused by sin.

To be in "darkness" (Isa. 60:2a) means to not know God or the things of God. It means to be in rebellion against God, not trusting Him in any way. It means living under your own power; trusting only in yourself; making yourself the center of the universe. That describes many of the people in Israel in Isaiah's day. It was a time when Israel was not walking in the light with her God. In Isaiah 59:9-10 the people are well described: "Therefore justice is far from us, nor does righteousness overtake us; we look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness! We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes; we stumble at noonday as at twilight; we are as dead men in desolate places."

Isaiah 1:3 says, "The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master's crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider." In other words, the people are dumber than the ox and the donkey because these animals, at least, know their master. Hosea 4:6a adds, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." People fall into sin because they are ignorant of God and the things of God.

To live in darkness also means doing the deeds of darkness, shameful deeds that Paul instructs us to leave behind. "Therefore be imitators of God… And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us... But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you… neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God" (Eph. 5:1-5).

To live in darkness means wanting to have nothing to do with the light. John 1:5 says, "And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (or did not understand it). And John 3:19 adds, "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." In other words, the world lives in the darkness of sin and wants nothing to do with the light of Christ. In fact, men of the world fear the light. They fear the light because it shows the darkness of sin for what it is and they do not want to let go of their sin.

The command then is to recognize this folly and respond to the light of the gospel of Christ by faith. As Isaiah 60:2b concludes: "But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you." God calls you out of darkness and into light. He calls you to leave the darkness of sin and turn to the light. He calls you to turn to Christ and follow Him faithfully. Amen.