Let’s Go Fishing

Today’s Passages – Luke 4 – 5; Proverbs 27

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 126 – 130

“And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.” – (Luke 5:10)

My thought this morning comes from Luke 5. In the beginning of this chapter we see the Lord calling Peter to follow Him. Now this is not the first time that the Lord had met Peter. Peter had been watching the Lord for a little while, but it appears that He was not yet convinced that Jesus was the Messiah that Israel had been waiting Lord. Here in chapter five, however, Peter is convinced that Jesus is indeed the Son of God. Peter is coming back from a fruitless (or fish-less) night of fishing. Upon returning in the morning, the men were tired and were cleaning up their nets, getting ready to get some rest. The Lord tells Peter to go out and let down the “nets” again. Peter reluctantly lets out one net. You’ve read the story. One net wasn’t big enough to contain all of the fish that the Lord had provided for them.

The Lord uses this miracle to get Peter’s attention. Peter realizes here that Jesus is God. The Lord then tells Peter that his business would no longer be catching fish; but rather, Peter would be about the business of fishing for men. For the next three years Peter is personally trained by the Lord for the work of the Kingdom.

Peter only turned back once after he was called by the Lord. You will remember that Peter made the biggest mistake of his life when he denied the Lord at the time He was being condemned to be crucified. Peter thought that his ministry was over after that, so he went back to fishing for fish. You can read the story for yourself in John 21. It is interesting to note that once again Peter did not catch any fish until the Lord showed up. The Lord wasn’t through with Peter yet. Though he had blown it, God had some great plans for Peter. Through Peter’s fall and subsequent restoration, God showed Peter that the work of God must be done, not in man’s strength, but in God’s.

As far as we know, Peter never went back to catching fish again. Peter gave his life to fishing for men. When is the last time that you obeyed the Lord’s commission and fished for some men?

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Phil Erickson

Pastor Phil Erickson has been the pastor of Jersey Shore Baptist Church since January of 2002. Having grown up in Ocean County, Pastor Phil has always had a burden for the south Jersey area. After graduating from Bible College in Longview, Texas, he and his family moved to Galloway Township with the vision of digging in and serving the Lord and the people of Atlantic County. Pastor Phil and Cindy Erickson have been married since 1985. They have four children and ten grandchildren. Their oldest son, Phil Jr. and his wife Katelyn are serving the Lord in Egg Harbor Twp., NJ. Their oldest daughter, Melissa, is married to Wesley Clayton who is in the Air Force and is currently stationed in New Mexico. Samantha, their third child, is married to Justin Mears and they are both serving the Lord at the church in Galloway. Hannah, the youngest, is married to Lucas McCollum, and they are also serving here in Galloway. In preparation for ministry, the Lord led him through a variety of educational experiences that have equipped him to serve the Lord and His people. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgian Court University, a Bachelor of Biblical Studies in Pastoral Theology from Texas Independent Baptist Seminary (formerly Texas Baptist College), a Master of Religious Education in Bible from West Coast Baptist College, and a Master of Biblical Studies from The Crown College. More recently, he completed a Graduate Certificate in Biblical Counseling and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Veritas Baptist College. He is thankful for these opportunities to study God’s Word more deeply, and counts it a privilege to use whatever knowledge the Lord has given him for the building up of His church. In addition to pastoring, the Lord has given Phil the wonderful privilege of teaching as an adjunct professor at Vision Baptist College in Berlin, NJ and Veritas Baptist College.

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Melissa Dilley says:

October 27, 2011 at 10:58 am

Peter returned to his fishing because he forgot the lesson taught to us by many of the Old Testament heroes. God always comes to us when we need Him. Abraham had to put Issac on the alter before God stopped the blade. Daniel had to get in the lions den before God shut the mouths of the lions. The 3 Hebrew boys had to get into the furnace before God showed up. Sometimes we need to get into the trial before He shows up - but He will.