Discipleship Essentials*
Friday, October 29, 2004
My Prayer Today
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for saving me from darkness and placing me in Your light! My life is a miracle because of what You have done. I ask that You would help me to share my faith in Your Son Jesus with others today. Help me to truly be a "fisher of people," so that others may come to know You personally. I want my life to be an example of what Your grace and mercy can do. May I truly live for You in everything that I do and say this day. I ask this in Jesus' 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?
In the previous chapter (Luke 4), Jesus had just been tempted by the devil for 40 days and returned from the wilderness in the power of the Holy Spirit (4:14). Thought Jesus returned with power, the people were not always receptive of him. In 4:28-30 the people within his hometown mobbed him and were ready to throw him over the cliff, but he slipped away. Jesus was well acquainted with conflict and trouble, but He maintained His focus. The reception of Jesus ranged from warm acceptance to deep anger. If we are deeply intent on following God we must never focus on being popular, but rather being powerful. Jesus operated in the power of the Holy Spirit, and the news about Him spread like "wildfire" (4:37).
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...
To be a disciple of Jesus Christ means that we are active in sharing our faith with others. Just as Jesus called the disciples in Luke 5:10 to "be fishing for people" after they had a miraculous catch of fish, so Jesus is also calling us today to be fishers of people. The whole reason why Jesus called Simon and the other disciples in the first place was for this very reason -- to share the good news of Jesus and salvation. The same power that was at work when Simon, Andrew, James, and John caught the fish in the Sea of Galilee, is the same power that was at work within them as the "fished" for people in the book of Acts. It is also the same power that is at work within us today if we take seriously Jesus' commandment to share our faith with others -- it is the power of the Holy Spirit!
In almost every story, parable, or argument that Jesus share or engaged in throughout the Gospels, there was always a "punch line." There was always a main point that drove home what Jesus was saying. The punch line always captured the heart of the issue of what he was talking about. The statement, "Don't be afraid, From now on you'll be fishing for people!" is the punch line for this entire passage. Jesus is also calling us to be bold in our faith by sharing the new life of Jesus Christ with the world one person at a time! Today, ask God to give you several opportunities to share your faith with others.