Luke 5:1-11 is about a story of a miraculous catch of fish. Instead of teaching, Jesus began fishing in this passage. Peter and his friends were out fishing the whole night before but they were clearly disappointed in the morning when they came back empty handed. It was while they were cleaning the nets that Jesus approached Peter and thereafter, performed a miracle. Jesus turned something natural into one that is supernatural. Peter’s failure to catch fish was turned into a success by Jesus instantly. There are 3 principles we can learn from here.
Firstly, we learn that the message of the gospel is Jesus. Christianity is not just about going to church. Fishes are caught with a net and Jesus is the story of the Gospel. The OT speaks of God as sovereign and in the NT, it speaks of a personal God. The gospel embodies the promises of God and it is not about healing, prosperity or of grace (hyper-grace) but rather, it is about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We have revelation in the Name of Jesus. Noah called upon the Name of God and so did Abraham who stood in the gap, pleading for Sodom and Gomorrah. Therefore, how can one call upon the Name of God unless they are told the Name of God? Our offices, school, army bases and home are like our fishing boats and Jesus Christ is the net – the gospel incarnate to catch men.
Secondly, we are to put our faith in Christ. We should take courage for spiritual fishing. The initiative for witnessing comes from Christ and we should persevere and obey Christ even when it does not make sense. Although the fishermen only go out in the night to fish in the shallow waters at the shores of the lake of Gennesaret, Jesus who was only a carpenter told them to go into the deep water to fish in the morning instead. This would have made no sense at all to his fellow fishermen who might be nearby. However, Peter obeyed Jesus and set the sail of his boat out to fish in the morning. We read in Romans 10:17 that faith comes by hearing the message so we must share the gospel as it produces faith. Peter changed from calling Jesus ‘Rabbi’ to ‘Lord’. When men are caught, they will come alive. We should keep away from things that keep us from sharing the gospel. We should obey God’s prompting even though it doesn’t make sense.
Thirdly, the church should be united in sharing the gospel and drawing in the harvest. It is a team effort. Fishing requires a partnership and there should be no sleeping partners in church. Let the Word of God bring in the harvest and we just do what is humanly possible. Peter knew that it was not his skill that brought the harvest of fish but it was God. Therefore, the result of salvation does not come from us but it is His plan and power that work through ordinary people like you and I. Our failure is the doorway to success and fruitfulness.
Pastor Ben Lee ended by giving a challenge to the congregation to go out to fish for the Lord who is the Lord of the Harvest. He exhorted the congregation to expect to be astonished in the light of God’s abundance. Do not be afraid of rejection in sharing the gospel as failure in evangelism (not having a good catch) is a doorway to success if Christ (asking Peter to cast the net) is in it.
Discussion Questions
1. Pastor Ben shared about the first 2 principles on spiritual fishing. What are these two principles? How does knowing these principles help encourage you to share the gospel? [10 mins]
2. Pastor Ben mentioned about the obstacles that may keep us away from obeying Him and sharing the gospel. What might these obstacles be? [10 mins]
3. How can you help yourself to overcome your personal obstacles and share the gospel at your ‘fishing boat’ (marketplace)? [10 mins]
