Let's Go Fishing
While I was living in Jerusalem, I produced a monthly newspaper for women (although men read it also). I opened it up for submissions, and the wife of a UN worker there wrote the following...
Yeshua said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men!” (Matt. 4:19, CJB)
Peter, Andrew, James, and John were four of the twelve disciples. They shared a commonality; they were fishermen of the Sea of Galilee. I have been to Galilee many times and love it and the area surrounding. It is a tranquil spot for relaxed dinners at restaurants on the bank and for walking, swimming, and camping. It is quite a large body of fresh water in the northern part of Israel. You can see across it to the Golan heights or Lebanon or Syria or the Judean Hills. The Jordan river flows into the Sea of Galilee in the north and in the southern half, it flows out continuing to the Dead Sea. That is quite interesting that the Jordan effectively flows through the sea.
The Sea of Galilee is a lake 690 feet below sea level, 13 miles long/wide and up to 8 miles wide /long, surrounded by 4,000 feet mountains. It has several names and is mentioned in the Bible as: the Sea of Galilee (because of its location in the Province of Galilee), the Sea of Kinneret, derived from trees in the area called kinnar, Sea of Tiberius, because of the village of Tiberius on its southern bank and Lake of Gennesaret.
This wonderful lake boasts more than twenty species of fish. More than half of the miracles Yeshua performed were at this lake area. It was also here that he told the four disciples, “follow me and I will make you fishers for men.”
It is an informative piece that gives a great segue for Yeshua. Of all of Elohim’s creations, humans alone were given the Great Commission to spread His Good News. If you are a believer, then Yeshua’s invitation is for you as well. God commands us to go into all the world and teach the gospel. Sometimes we get that messed up.
Someone said we need to build the church, so procreate! LOL!! Really? Have you seen what is being produced today? Have you seen the average age of today’s church members? That is not even Biblical! The last command of Yeshua as he ascended into the clouds:
But you will receive power when the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) comes upon you; you will be my witnesses both in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) and in all Y’hudah (Judea) and Shomron (Samaria), indeed to the ends of the earth! (Acts 1:8, CJB)
He never said go have more kids.
That is not how it works folks. Romans 10:10 says: “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (KJV). But the critical part is here in verses 14 and 15: “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” FYI, preach means to spread as in spreading seeds. According to Vocabulary.com, the word preach comes from the Latin prae, (before), and dicare (declare).
When you preach, you're not just talking — you're declaring something with conviction. Preach means to advocate decree ascertain remind.
Today, we are in dire need of those who will preach. Go and reach the masses. This is not the job of the pastor; it is given to all of us to share the Good News. I realize this is my soap box, however, this past week after returning from my grandson’s wedding, we found a book and pamphlet hanging on the front doorknob of our home. Very appealing and compelling title. The subtitle was “From conflict to peace.” Intriguing and needy subject. I looked to see who was promoting the literature and came up with nada. Then I saw the author, Ellen White. Ahh - there is the rub. Ellen White is the founder of the 7th Day Adventist movement. While I have no personal issue with the Adventists, I do disagree with their philosophy. Yes, it is a philosophy and not the Bible. Before I digress, my point: what are we doing? Anything? There are so many venues we need to tap. We have a man in our congregation who is heading up an interesting outreach for our community here’s the link: https://www.parabolcmedia.com/ffp/. Please check this out. This is an innovative and intriguing venue to reach the entire community for the cause of Christ.
Our church body as a denomination has so many untapped resources. My point is this – we all have gifts and as in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), are you hiding yours or investing? We will all be held accountable. This summer let’s all go fishing Yeshua’s way.
On a personal note, Steve and I are looking forward to seeing friends and making new ones at the LCMS convention in Milwaukee in July. Stop us and say hello if you are there too!
Love from my heart,
nanC
Nancy Cohen is the Director of Women's Ministries at Apple of His Eye
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Download Our Latest Newsletter