Go Deep !
I attended a Ladies Day in Hooker, OK, yesterday. The speaker was Lori Veazey from Clinton. I am sure I would not do her lessons justice, however I want to share one thing she said. It touched me and I hope it will you, also.
The text is Luke 5. Jesus has been preaching to the crowd gathered around the Sea of Galilee. As the crowd begins to press on Him, Jesus gets into Simon's boat and asks to push out into the water. Verse 4 says, "When He had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch." Just a few verses later, Jesus tells them to follow Him and begin fishing for men. It is here that Lori makes a comment about fishing in the deep water rather than the shallow. I was struck by that comment, as it echoes my own thoughts on evangelism.
I have often wondered why our ministries do not attract the same sorts of people who followed Jesus in throngs. Each year, we have fewer and fewer conversions, fewer and fewer restorations and more and more programs. Those who do come tend to be folks pretty much like us, clones in financial wealth, education, similar values and with similar interests. And we all like people who are like us. We work with them, play with them and find them easy to associate with. Therefore, fishing for them is pretty effortless. Perhaps this is the problem. Perhaps we are not catching fish because we are only fishing from the bank. The shore is where we are comfortable. We have our folding chairs, our picnic hampers, our radios and our vehicle is just up the hill in case we need to leave. And so we sit and enjoy ourselves, waiting for the "catch" to come to us, calling ourselves "evangelists".
Perhaps, just perhaps, there are more lost souls out in the deep water. Perhaps, we need to paddle out where the lost are different, less or more educated, less or more wealthy, with differing values and differing interests. Maybe the "fishing" is better out there. It would mean giving up the convenience and comfort of the shore. It would require more effort-- paddling out to the deep water to fish. We would need to give up the security of a "controlled" environment and perhaps even put ourselves in some almost dangerous situations. And it would definitely take more time.
Could it be that is what "real fishing" is all about. Maybe the deep is where the lost souls are. And perhaps, the catch would be so great that our nets would begin to break. We would need more help, more evangelists. We can't forget the souls on the bank, but neither can we neglect those out in the deep. Maybe its time we decided to step out of our comfort zones, go where the lost are and share with them this amazing life-changing redemptive message, even if it means we have to go deep.
Thanks Lori! You made me think!!
Peace,
Neva
The text is Luke 5. Jesus has been preaching to the crowd gathered around the Sea of Galilee. As the crowd begins to press on Him, Jesus gets into Simon's boat and asks to push out into the water. Verse 4 says, "When He had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch." Just a few verses later, Jesus tells them to follow Him and begin fishing for men. It is here that Lori makes a comment about fishing in the deep water rather than the shallow. I was struck by that comment, as it echoes my own thoughts on evangelism.
I have often wondered why our ministries do not attract the same sorts of people who followed Jesus in throngs. Each year, we have fewer and fewer conversions, fewer and fewer restorations and more and more programs. Those who do come tend to be folks pretty much like us, clones in financial wealth, education, similar values and with similar interests. And we all like people who are like us. We work with them, play with them and find them easy to associate with. Therefore, fishing for them is pretty effortless. Perhaps this is the problem. Perhaps we are not catching fish because we are only fishing from the bank. The shore is where we are comfortable. We have our folding chairs, our picnic hampers, our radios and our vehicle is just up the hill in case we need to leave. And so we sit and enjoy ourselves, waiting for the "catch" to come to us, calling ourselves "evangelists".
Perhaps, just perhaps, there are more lost souls out in the deep water. Perhaps, we need to paddle out where the lost are different, less or more educated, less or more wealthy, with differing values and differing interests. Maybe the "fishing" is better out there. It would mean giving up the convenience and comfort of the shore. It would require more effort-- paddling out to the deep water to fish. We would need to give up the security of a "controlled" environment and perhaps even put ourselves in some almost dangerous situations. And it would definitely take more time.
Could it be that is what "real fishing" is all about. Maybe the deep is where the lost souls are. And perhaps, the catch would be so great that our nets would begin to break. We would need more help, more evangelists. We can't forget the souls on the bank, but neither can we neglect those out in the deep. Maybe its time we decided to step out of our comfort zones, go where the lost are and share with them this amazing life-changing redemptive message, even if it means we have to go deep.
Thanks Lori! You made me think!!
Peace,
Neva
posted by Neva | 7:06 AM
12 Comments:
Very good post. Thanks Neva.
Amen!
This is so on target.
Preach on!!!
Dan
We need to redefine evangelism---it is so much more that what we do now. We have to see the lost as the potentially saved and start working and praying for their souls.
Good post,
Eileen
So true, so true.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I can see your heart in them.
Melinda
Those are great thoughts. Thanks for sharing what you learned yesterday. It articulates what I have been starting to head towards lately, but haven't known how to start or where to go or what to say when I get there. Perhaps I just need to "plunge into the deep waters" and catch some fish, rather than worry about what I'm going to do with them when I get them. My dad had a post a few months ago about evangelism being analogous to catching fish. I'll try to find it & give you the link.
Thanks for the comments.
Lisa, would love to read your dad's blog, too.
Peace,
Neva
Here's the link ... http://bobbliss.blogspot.com/2006/08/fishing.html. It's short & sweet. He's not usually short on the spoken word, but I guess with his writing it's a little different. :)
Neva, thanks for these words. I have been dissatisfied and oh so thirsty for something for so long, and your words gave definition to those feelings. I think it is not just those that are different, but maybe even those who are the same as us just in a messier state. Plunging into deeper waters usually includes some murky waters where we aren't sure what we are doing. And that's a tough place to be. But when you are stuck in those waters? I have found myself praying for those who would come out and be willing to leave their safety net to come find me. I can imagine that there are many people who feel this way. And not just to be led back to shore right away. But to just get help to the surface and maybe a seat in the boat.
Thanks for your comments on my blog. I really enjoyed reading your thoughts, and definitely will pop in from here on out.
Jen,
Thank you for stopping by, I appreciate your comments!!!
I will also be stopping by your blog.
Neva
Awww, did you two "find" each other on my blog? :)
Jen, I definitely think a lot of people feel that way, including myself.
You are so right. If we are going to win the world, we have to be where the world is without becoming like them.
Good post
Linda
Yes, we did Lisa. Thank you for
e-introducing us.
Neva
Linda,
Thanks for stopping by
N
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