Sunday, July 13, 2014

"Fishers Of Men"

This Christian fish symbol has an interesting history. It originated back in the 1st century A.D. when Christians were persecuted (and sometimes put to death) for publicly professing their faith in Jesus Christ. Believers would often times have to meet together secretly for worship and prayer, and would use the fish symbol, outside the door, as a sign for other believers to know where they were meeting.

This symbol is also known as the ichthys symbol, this means fish in Greek. The letters in the above symbol are an acrostic (meaning: a poem, word puzzle, or other composition in which certain letters in each line form a word or words), which stands for Jesus - Christ - God's - Son - Savior.

"And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And He saith unto them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him." Matthew 4:18-20

1) "for they were fishers": These two brothers were simple fishermen, yet the Lord Jesus called them, and greatly used them in His gospel ministry. This is especially encouraging to me. Jesus could have called the wisest, the richest, the most highly educated, but He chose to call these two fishermen to be a part of His gospel ministry! "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant (unschooled, ordinary) men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13.

"Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.": Jesus still calls them fishermen, only now, He elevates this title to a far higher, more noble position. He is asking them to lay aside their fishing nets, and to start spreading the net of the gospel (or good news).

3) "And they straightway left their nets, and followed him." Jesus doesn't call all of us to serve Him the same way, some He does ask to go into full time service for Him, but for others, He wants us to serve Him right where we are. The important point in this, we must be obedient to His calling, whatever it might be, to be willing to "straightway leave our nets and follow Him".

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him that brings good tidings, that publishes peace; that brings good tidings of good, that publishes salvation..." Isaiah 52:7

Contact Information:

Email: phil.419.@gmail.com

Twitter: @419Dave

Google: +David

Perseverance

The subject I want to consider tonight is perseverance. This is something I have struggled with a lot throughout my life. I have enjoyed the study and preparation I have put into this article, because it has been of help and encouragement to me, and I hope it will be a help to you as well.

"A noble purpose inspires sacrifice, stimulates innovation and encourages perseverance." - Gary Hamel

What struck me about the quote above, was the word "purpose". It is true that we must have perseverance in order to succeed in something, but if we don't have a definite and certain purpose for why we are doing it, we will not have the motivation to continue doing it, when the times get tough.

So, when we set out to make a positive change in our life, whether it is starting a new career, taking up a new hobby, quitting smoking, or whatever it might be, first of all, we must stop and think about what our purpose, or reason, is for doing it in the first place.

For example, if you need to stop smoking and start exercising, your purpose for doing so would be that you might live a longer, healthier life. If you need to make a career change, or start a second business on the side, your purpose might be to better provide for your family. Because, as time goes on, and we don't see much reward for our efforts, we will start to lose patience and get discouraged, and be tempted to give up, but then we can remember what our purpose was for starting the new endeavor in the first place, that will give us encouragement and motivation to keep going on!

Now, getting back to perseverance, this is how the dictionary defines it:

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary: Perseverance

To maintain a purpose in spite of opposition or discouragement; not to give up or abandon what is undertaken.

Perseverance is not giving up. It is persistence and tenacity, the effort required to do something and keep doing it till the end, even if it's hard.

Here are some additional quotes on perseverance:

“I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”

Christopher Reeve (1952-2004); Actor, Producer, Director, And Writer; Best Known For His Role As Superman

“With ordinary talents and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable.”

Sir Thomas Buxton (1786-1845); British Member Of Parliament

“Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure.”

Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881); Prime Minister Of The United Kingdom

Have "Patient continuance in well doing" Romans 2:7