Becoming Fishers of ALL Men
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)
Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matt. 4:19)
"...he fell into a trance, and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheetbound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth ... And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” ... Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. (Acts 10:10-11, 13, 28)
From the very beginning of the Lord calling His disciples, He showed them that there was a great catch of men that He had in His heart to accomplish. When He called Peter, who was just a common fisherman, He told him that he and the others would become "fishers of men". It is God's desire to catch more fish [salvation], to clean the fish that are caught [sanctification] , and to call them His own forever [glorification]!
For God desires that "none shall perish but that all should come to repentance" and that "all men be saved" (2 Peter 3:9, 1 Tim. 2:4).
O how beautiful is the heart of the Good Shepherd who sees all His sheep...even before they are in the fold! When He sees the multitudes of people, He sees them as weary and scattered like sheep without a shepherd.
It was revealed to Peter that what he previously understood as unclean has now been made clean because of the finished work on the cross of Calvary. Peter was being told to go and catch the fish that He had already been preparing. When Peter was first called he was commanded to launch out into the deep and to cast his nets for a great catch., In Acts 10, he was being shown a great sheet that contained unclean animals, which served as a picture of the great harvest of souls that was to come among the Gentiles.
One of the amazing privileges of being a child of God is that God desires to include us in the great works that He does on earth. Every soul that is saved is a great miraculous work of God. Let us be willing to launch out into the deep and bring in the catch...no matter who these people are or where they may come from.
Are you willing to leave behind any of your prejudices, fears, or excuses and go to places to find people that do not yet know the Lord?
We need to realize the power that is available to us for this great mission and when we operate in the power of the Spirit we can see this same power be released to others.
Peter took six of his brethren with him and allowed them to witness the work that God was ready to do. What a great picture of the church working together to bring in the harvest.
We should do the Lord's work in the Lord's way with the Lord's people!
When all was said and done, Peter preached Christ and Him crucified to his centurion and all of his household who had influence over the Italian Regiment, which would include another six hundred or so men. Great works are meant to be greatly multiplied.
What a great and effective door had opened up to Peter to reach the Gentiles after he was already used by God to reach the Jews at Pentecost. In this way, Peter held the keys of the kingdom and his casting of nets was a prophetic picture of seeing the door opened to the Jews and also to the Gentiles alike. The lost became found and the spiritually dead were brought to life..as he became "the fisher of ALL men".
Would you be willing to cast your net and do the same?
ACTS IN ACTION Challenge Point:
Pray about a people group God may have you reach.
Consider what kind of bridge might be necessary.
Take prayerful steps toward sharing the Gospel.