Looking For Your Own Catch?

"And He said to them, 'Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some'. So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish." - John 21:6

Once again we find our famous fishermen, who have been toiling all day and night, without any fish to give them satisfaction of accomplishment (or food to fill their stomach's for that matter). Suddenly, they hear a command to cast their net on the right side of the boat. Last time they had heard something similar to this (Luke 5:4-5) they were skeptical (but obeyed) while this time, they simply obey. The result: a huge catch! The questions to ask ourselves are: What did these disciples do to make a great catch? What great thinking & intellegence did they possess to create such a great catch? What program(s) did they use to become fisherman with full nets?

The answers may surprise you: (1) they obeyed Jesus, (2) none, they obeyed Jesus and (3) none, they obeyed Jesus. Interesting huh?

Yet, sometimes we as humans are quick to take credit for our own "catch" or put stock in a "program" so we too can have a net full of fish of our own.

Be it in ministry or service the Lord has given you, you simply need to obey what the Lord is calling you to do. When you watch some other church with "full nets" and look to see what great attributes that pastor/leadership has or what program they may be using, you are not only looking at the wrong source but you are also possibly stealing glory from God! And if you give credit of your catch to your abilities or program, then you are more than likely stealing glory from God!

As churches, ministries, etc., let's simply obey Jesus doing what He calls us to do and stop trying to use our own ingenuity to get full nets. We also need to make sure we aren't comparing size of nets either - your "full" net may not be the same as someone elses "full" net. We don't get lazy in ministry but we can't think we're less "successful" simply because our net isn't as "full" compared to someone elses.

Remember, Jesus has everything to do with the catch - not you! Just obey.

Boldness Comes As We Share, Not as We Sit

"But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak" - Matthew 10:19

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus." - Acts 4:13

"Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, " - Acts 4:29


There sometimes can be fear when it comes to sharing the Gospel with people. Christians will pray for boldness (which is good) but then wait until we feel that boldness to start sharing. Or we will wait until we have some clever presentation in our mind or are smart enough before we start sharing thinking this will give us the boldness we need. Having an idea of what you will say is not a bad thing either (though Jesus promised He would give the disciples the words to say and it's still true for us).

Action though is what is truly needed!

See boldness comes when we start to share not by necessarily waiting on it. As you start to speak, you'll find the Holy Spirit filling you with both the words and boldness needed to share. Having nervousness is not necessarily a bad thing in that it will hopefully draw you to Jesus for the strength needed.

I find this true everytime I go out on the streets of Russia (or where ever) sharing the Gospel - the more I share, the more emboldened I am to keep sharing. Can it be discouraging when people mock us or the "spiritual ground" is hard? Sure, but no surprises there as Jesus promised people would reject us as they did Him. However, you'll find fertile ground too and that is enough to make all the plowing worth it.

So if you're looking for boldness, don't sit waiting for it...go out and share!

From Russia With Love

Well this post wasn't written from Russia but definitely some thoughts the Lord laid on my heart while traveling to and from Russia. Anytime you go on a missions trip, it is a great time to reprioritize and relook at things of life simply because you have one single focus and it is to spread the Gospel. When you have to look to Jesus day in and day out for your strength and your focus, you can look on life with a clearer view. This post will be just that - a clearer view of what's important. It will be blunt and challenging but it will be fruitful if we take to heart what the Lord wants to share with us.

First off, a series of questions the Lord spoke to my heart about: Why is it we can take a week off from work for a missions trip but can't take an hour a week to pray with the body? Prayer services are the lowest attended services in the church today and if you can get just 5% to come out, you are doing well. We simply shouldn't be okay with that. Somehow though we justify our actions by saying we are tired or have had a long week or don't need to pray with the body. Acts 2:42 tells us that the early church "continued steadfastly...in prayers". So why is it we have no trouble leaving for a while to go share the gospel with people but we can't pray for an hour for those places that we went sharing? Now your church may not have a prayer service and if so, then continue (and if you're not, start) praying for the missionaries that are spreading the gospel and your brothers/sisters in Christ in other countries that you don't know personally. But specifically to those at CC Lynchburg, start coming out to Sunday night prayer! Unless you work on Sunday nights you don't have any excuse not to make it out to at least one prayer meeting per month (and if you are doing some sort of ministry [worship team, children's ministry, etc.] then be an example and come out more often). If you have children, take turns with the wife/husband so one of you can come pray. We need to be praying and there is power in corporate prayer. If you've been overseas on a missions trip, you know this to be true. Our time is fruitful because of the prayers of the saints back home so stop making excuses and come out and pray.

Why can we tirelessly serve overseas but can't make it to a Wednesday night service when we are tired? I have been guilty of this one from time to time and it's because our/my priorities are out of wack. Now true, one doesn't HAVE to go to church everytime the door is open to be spiritual or to grow, but the point is that we have no problem pouring our lives out while overseas and continuing on when we are tired; when it comes to going to church when we are tired back home, somehow it becomes a different story. I have heard people say they've had a long day at work and they just need their rest. Does the service (and Jesus in the service) not provide you the true rest you need? I no longer think this excuse is applicable anymore because when we use it we are saying church is a burden and that's dangerous territory. I simply look at my wife to another reason this excuse is poor - my wife works far harder than I do and most people. She stays at home and labors in love with our kids and she doesn't get a scheduled lunch break. She gets her break if/when the kids allow for one. And not only does she look after our two sons, but she does housework as well. And yet, after a tiring day, she still makes it out for Wednesday night service. If there is anyone I know who could deserve a "night off", it would be her but she realizes church is the place to be to find rest! Gene & Stacy Jackson are other great examples as they both work hard and then come and serve with children's ministry. There are plenty of other examples too, so we need to rethink what is important to us. Fellowshipping with other believers and hearing the Word taught should be high on our priority list. I think the Lord will sustain you and give you the energy to come listen. Even if you zone in and out because you have had a looooonnnnngggg day, you still are an example to others around you.

In conclusion, should you feel bad if you stay home for a Sunday night prayer or a Wednesday night service? Does it make you worse of a Christian? No and the point isn't to say you must be at church everytime the doors are open. However, we do need to reexamine our hearts and priorities. Don't feel bad for staying home now and again because sometimes your family simply needs you, but staying home should be the abnormal, not the normal. If you reading this and quickly are bucking at everything that was said and trying to justify your actions, odds are you are one of the ones who has misplaced priorities. Again, it is a heart issue and not a works righteousness issue but we hope to see you alongside of us praying on Sunday nights and worshipping on Wednesday nights (or at least doing it at your home church).

More to come on boldness in a later blog....

The Me Church

This is a humorous look at consumer oriented churches in our culture today. Some will do anything to get people into their churches - except teach the Word of God. As the church in America we need to stop fighting each other to get people into our buildings and instead focus on equipping the body (Ephesians 4:12) to do the work of the ministry. Instead of focusing on being "cool" and "like the world", we need to focus on Christ and Him crucified. Let's focus on the Word and not on cute catch phrased sermons with little content.

More so though it's a look at the hearts of many church goers in our churches today because we've marketed the church as a brand of store and taught them that church is all about them. Church has very little to do with us. If our mindset is what can we get out of church, then we are missing the One for whom we come to worship. Worship music isn't about how happy or emotionally charged we get from the singing and song selection, but us simply giving the glory to our Savior and the worth He is due. The teaching of the Word isn't for us to judge the pastor's style, but to hear what the Lord wants to say to us today. We shouldn't be focusing on attention on entertaining the people because the church isn't meant for entertainment as if it were another movie theatre or rec center, but rather teaching and training them to be more like the world.

Is your mindset, what can I get from the church today or is it what can I give to the Lord at church today? The proper mindset is what will keep you from looking for a me church.

Oh, the Irony

"Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover" - John 18:28

There is quite a bit of irony in this passage that can often be overloooked which I want to point out. In context, the Jews have arrested Jesus and are leading him to Pilate in the Praetorium (the palace area in which he lived) so that he can give them permission to put Jesus to death. However, it was Passover time and in their rituals, if they entered into a house that contained leven they would be defiled and not be able to take part in the Passover ceremonies. The Praetorium was obviously a Gentile residence and thus leven was probably there and thus they did not want to enter in and defile themselves.

So think about this rephrased this way: the Jewish leaders have arrested God Himself because of their pride and hatred toward Him and are taking Him to be put to death and yet are afraid of defiling themselves by entering into a Gentile residence that may contain leven! Again they are missing their true heart condition (that is really defiling them) and focusing on the outward "religious" regulations instead. The One who can truly clease them they have condemned. No wonder Jesus called them white washed tombs.

And yet there are many who are just like these Jewish leaders. Outside the church they are living for the world and all its pleasure, but they feel good about themselves because they simply go to church on Sundays. There are those husbands that are in full time ministry that do everything to impress those around them and yet pay little attention to their ultimate ministry, their families (sometimes even justifying this because of their "position" in the church).

Our "religious works" aren't what justifies us. When we focus on the outside rather than on the inside, we too can be just as blind.

Loving the Praise of Man?

"for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." - John 12:43

In this brief phrase, we find a sad commentary on some of the Pharisees who did believe in Jesus. They had come to believe in Him but they did not let others know for fear of being put out of the synagogue and because they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

There are many ways that this translates out to our everyday lives. The first one is obvious, being we choose not to talk about our faith or confess Jesus around others because we don't want to look foolish in front of our friends or family. We don't want our co-workers to think we are some sort of "Jesus freak" or "fanatical" and therefore we hold our tongues and let them think we are just a good moral person rather than a Christian.

But I think the subtle ways we show this are less obvious. When we pump up numbers in our church or ministry (in other words, we say we have more than who really comes out), we may love the praise of man more than the praise of God. When we try to compare numbers in our ministries, we may love the praise of man more than the praise of God. When we climb over others to get to the top, we may love the praise of man more than the praise of God. When we let "slip" how much time we've spent in prayer or the Word this week when no one asked, we may love the praise of man more than the praise of God. When we donate large amounts of money to get recognized, we may love the praise of man more than the praise of God.

We need to make sure everything we say and do is for the praise of God and not for our own praise. When we take the place of a servant, serving unnoticed and not looking for recognition, we probably love the praise of God more than the praise of man. When we pray for those who curse us rather than attack back, we probably love the praise of God more than the praise of man. When we give with no recognition wanted or needed, we may love the praise of God more than the praise of man. And when we reach out to those people who go unnoticed because they aren't "important" enough to minister to (i.e. they won't get us recognition in the church - like children's ministry, nursing home ministy, etc.), we probably love the praise of God more than the praise of man.

Lord, may all I say and do be for Your glory and not mine.

Just Do It

"For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel" - Ezra 7:10

There are many who go to Bible colleges or Christian universities or simply their own churches to know the Word of God better. There are even those from that group that go so that they may learn it well enough to teach it. But sadly, if this is all that is ever done (and for some, it is), then we fall way short of the desire. It isn't how much we know but what we are doing with what we know.

We learn a lot about Ezra in this short verse.

First, he prepared his heart to seek the Law. There are often times we go to church to worship and hear the Bible taught, but are we preparing our hearts to receive what Jesus wants to speak to us on? Or do we simply go with the consumer mindset of "this better be entertaining" and "I better have an emotional experience" out of this?

We then see that in preparing his heart to seek, he also prepared his heart to do it. There are many commands we know: "love the Lord with all your heart", "love your neighbor as yourself", "love your enemies", "pray for those who persecute you", "make disciples of all men", "be holy as I am holy", "esteem others better than yourself", etc.; but the real question is are we doing them and striving to do them. Sometimes the basic things we know, we shrug off by justifying to ourselves that they are too hard and nobody can fully do them as if that makes it okay to live a half-hearted walk with the Lord. When we find ourselves falling short, all the more to pray and seek out how we can defeat those failures in our life.

Lastly, he prepared his heart to teach. You may not have the gift of teaching or called to teach a bible study, youth group or congregation, but you can certainly pass on what the Lord shows you. Are you spending time in the Word waiting for the Lord to speak to you not only so that you can hear from Him, but so that you can pass it on to others as well? Truths seems to stick even more in our minds when we pass them on to others and I think we miss out on this opportunity to often. As I write this blog, the Lord spoke to me concerning this verse and as I was about to simply "write about it later", He prompted me to write about it now while it is still fresh in my mind and before something comes along that makes me forget to do it. Write down those things the Lord shows you so you can share it with someone. You'll be amazed by how often the Lord will put something in your heart that you read in your devotional or during your devotions, that He'll want you to pass on to someone that needs to hear that exact truth that day!

Now whether or not you are going to church or school to seek the Lord and teach His Word, you are responsible for doing what you hear.

"But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" - James 1:22.

You are expected to follow the truths that you hear. James goes onto to compare it to a person who looks at himself in the mirror (and let me embelish this to bring the point home a bit) and see his hair sticking out all over the place or a woman whose mascera is running and lipstick is a bit off, and yet they leave the mirror without fixing it. When we hear the Word and do not obey it, we deceive ourselves.

If you want to see your walk grow deeper, prepare your heart to hear Him, prepare your heart to seek Him, do what you hear, then share with others what you have heard. Your time in the Word is not simply a meal to indulge yourself in, but a feast to have others partake with you in as well.