Discipleship Essentials*
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
My Prayer Today
Dear Jesus, I thank You for Your power at work in my life! You have saved me from my sin and set my feet upon solid ground so that I can stand in You. I ask that You would help me to recognize Your calling and Your commands in my life. I not only want to hear them, but I ask that You would help me to obey Your words. I know that You always bless those who obey with a pure heart, and I ask that You would help me to obey all that You have commanded. I need Your grace to help me to obey. I ask this in Your name . . . Amen.
God’s Word Today
Luke 5:1-11
1 "One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water's edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Now go out where it is deeper and let down your nets, and you will catch many fish.' 5 'Master,' Simon replied, 'we worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if you say so, we'll try again.' 6 And this time their nets were so full they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking."
8 "When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, 'Oh, Lord, please leave me -- I'm too much of a sinner to be around you.' 9 For he was awestruck by the size of their catch, as were the others with him. 10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, 'Don't be afraid! From now on you'll be fishing for people!' 11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus."
Background on the Text – Who Wrote It? Why Was It Written? Who Was the Audience?
Anytime we look at a passage of Scripture it is always important to know the background information, which may include: date and author of the text, the audience to whom the author was writing, the social and political background the society, and the cultural setting of the text. When we consider all of this information it will be helpful for us to be able to understand what the author was writing to his original audience, as well as the timeless principle for our lives today. One aspect we should consider in Luke 5, is the cultural setting by which Luke was writing. Verse one states that Jesus was preaching along the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee is northeast of the city of Jerusalem about 60-70 miles. Although Judaism had a presence in the region of Galilee, it was not as strong as it was down in the region of Judea and Jerusalem. The major industry in the region of Galilee was fishing, as the primary way of life revolved around the sea. There was a moderate population within this region, though the center of trade, commerce, and population was down in Jerusalem.
Observation – What Does the Text Say?
Interpretation – What Does the Text Mean?
Application – How Can I Respond to the Text’s Insights and Teachings?
Each Week’s Check List
After reading and studying this text, reflect on the following discipleship growth points:
Growth Point |
How |
Encouraged and strengthened me by |
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Fallen short areas |
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What will I do with these insights? |
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What did God say to me today? |
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Share insights and growth points |
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Changed/transformed how? |
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Thoughts...
Obedience will always brings God's blessing. In Luke 5:4 Jesus commanded Simon Peter to "go out where it is deeper and let down the nets. . ." In verse 5, Simon Peter obeyed Jesus' words. After fishing all night without any success, Simon Peter defied all reason and logic and went back out into the deep waters to fish. Even though it did not make any sense to do so, he obeyed the words of Jesus. The result of Simon Peter's obedience was that "their nets were so full that they began to tear" (vs 6). God's blessing came upon Simon Peter because he was willing to obey the words of Jesus! Why? -- Obedience will always bring God's blessing.
In your life, what is something that Jesus is calling you to do? Jesus is perhaps calling you to witness to a friend, to call and encourage a loved one, to give up a sinful habit, to join a Discipleship Essentials group, or whatever! The question is whether or not we are obeying the voice of Jesus? Sometimes following the commands of Jesus seems crazy! Like Simon Peter, obedience to Jesus often is a call to defy all of our understanding and reason and trust that Jesus will bless us when we obey. If we only rely on common sense when we follow Jesus, we will most likely never see great miracles in our lives. There are some things which God does which simply blow our minds! No matter what Jesus is calling us to do, there will always be blessing because of it. Obedience to Jesus will not always be easy, nor will it always be fun, but from the eternal perspective it is always what is best! Do you want to be truly blessed of God? -- Obedience is essential for blessing!