Many Have Come to God through Jesus Christ, and He Calls us to Be Fishers of People

Luke 5:1-11

Click here for a description of the mark of the beast.

Jesus Christ is interested in His relationship to individual people. Multitudes of people were constantly with him, but mostly what we know about are individual interactions with Him. For example, in this scripture portion He spoke to the crowds, but we don’t know one word which was spoken to them. We only know what was spoken to a handful of fishermen. People come to God by coming apart from the crowds and having an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ,

• The need to create distance from the multitude to be able to share the Gospel of Christ.
• Jesus wants us to persevere in sharing His Gospel.
• Nowadays, large gatherings in the name of Jesus breaks the net and sinks the boat.
• Let’s be willing to give up everything to follow Jesus Christ.

It’s necessary to Create distance from the multitude to be able to share the Gospel of Christ. During the time of Jesus, into the age of the Apostles, and up to about the 1940’s, multitudes were coming to hear the word of God, as described here, “So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret…” Luke 5:1 Today, the masses of people are hostile to the teachings of Jesus Christ, and they are at war with God, “It was granted to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given it over every tribe, tongue, and nation.” Revelation 13:7 No one is fishing for the souls of people anymore and the fishing boats are empty, as Jesus saw,“…and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.” Luke 5:2 Nowadays, to share the message of the Cross requires backing away from the multitudes, sitting down, and doing what we can from a blog, or whatever, Jesus did that, “Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.” Luke 5:3

Jesus wants us to persevere in sharing His Gospel. The effort to bring someone to Jesus Christ seems fruitless in a world where every community embraces the thing that has power over physiology and forms what people think, feel, and do. Even still, we continue to sow the seed to let people know that God loves the world enough to send His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. After the word of God is put out there Jesus tells us, “When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Luke 5:4 It has been an extraordinary longtime since I’ve been able to have a conversation with anyone about Jesus Christ, but I have the continual urge to lift up His name, like Simon (Peter), “But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless, at Your word I will let down the net.” Luke 5:5

Nowadays, large gatherings in the name of Jesus breaks the net and sinks the boat. I know when we all get to heaven there will be multitudes who have held to the testimony of Jesus Christ. From the time of Christ to about 1940’s there were so many souls netted for Jesus that a Church is on every street corner in America, and abundant in cities around the world. “And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.” Luke 5:6 Today, those nets have broken, and the churches are no longer a building for the gathering of the body of Christ, they have discarded the Deity of Jesus as they embrace humanism empowered by the mark of the beast. Nowadays, a large gathering in the name of Jesus would be put down by those who govern by the mark of the beast, it would sink the Gospel boat, “So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.” Luke 5:7

Let’s be willing to give up everything to follow Jesus Christ. I see the churches all around the world and I’m amazed at how that growth started from only the word of Jesus Christ and spread through a handful of disciples, “For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.” Luke 5:9-10a. From just a tiny, tiny seed grew a humongous tree. At the same time, I’m amazed at the fulfillment of Bible prophecy about the enormous falling away from Christ and how the masses of the world live for the mark of the beast. We serve a living and powerful God, making me realize I am not even qualified to sit in the same boat with Him, as Peter, “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” Luke 5:8 Even then, we are invited to come into the presence of God through Jesus Christ, and when we do our tongue will glorify His name as we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, “And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.” Luke 5:10b-11 Acknowledging our sin through Jesus Christ is worth more than the money, possessions, social approval, and physical comforts that this world offers. Let’s be willing to give up everything to follow Jesus and to share the message of the Cross.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11