Are You Fishing Yet?

When I was in my pre teen years, I read all about fishing, all of the time!
Fishing Facts magazine was always in my hand. The magazine taught what, where, when, and how to catch freshwater fish. Cold weather fish, warm weather fish, deep water fish, shallow water fish, all were taught about in this magazine.
I bought special lures, spinners, spoons, plugs, worms, and whatever promised to land me the BIG GUY!
The best part was not reading about fishing however. I went fishing! I went fishing in lakes, in ponds, everywhere, but the BIG GUY knew how to avoid my line much better than I knew how to land him on it!
Even though the BIG GUY was better at the game than me, I still managed to catch a few decent sized fish over the years.

"Okay, so what's with the title?" "Are You Fishing Yet?"

Jesus spoke to two real and experienced fisherman, Simon , and his brother Andrew "Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. At once they left their nets and followed him." (Mark 1:17). They went fishing with the Master Fisherman.

We believers are the fishers of men that Jesus Christ has appointed.
At least we already know the nature of the manfish. He is in his nature what we were in our nature. We know what manfish likes,what he hates, what he is prone to feed on, where he hides, what he avoids, how he fights, how resistant he is, and how difficult he can be to land. We were the manfish! But even though we know this manfish even as we know ourselves, yet we cannot land the manfish that we know so well!
For we do not know which manfish are looking to be landed! Yet, unlike fish in lakes and rivers, there actually are manfish desperately looking to be pulled in. We do not know which manfish are searching the waters of their world, hoping to find exactly what we have on the end of our line. And even if we knew which manfish were ready for the taking, we must have the proper lure.
How shall we catch them? With God's lure, the gospel lure. The gospel is how they are caught! God rules over the heart of all manfish, and He alone draws out the manfish that will strike at our line as we cast out God's appointed lure, the gospel of grace. This gospel lure must be the real thing. And we will catch them, not with a baited and hidden hook, manipulating and snagging them, but with Jesus Christ. He is the Gospel! Yes, these God appointed menfish have a God given hunger for, and are in search of Jesus Christ. When they see Him, they are attracted to Him, even more so, He is irresistable to them. They hear of Jesus sacrificial, death defying, atoning love, His mercy, His kindness, His full forgiveness, His sure promises, and His altogether immeasurable unearned favor, yes, all of this, pointed toward them, all of Jesus Christ Himself, moving forward to embrace them. And here is the amazing truth about it all. Christ does this through us, His fishermen! These menfish are drawn to Christ through us. For we are Jesus Christ's representatives, and through us they see the character of Christ, and hear and embrace the beautiful good news of Christ, the gospel! Yes, they come and are joyfully caught in plenty.

Jesus said "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few." Can we not say with Jesus "The manfish ar plentiful, but the manfishers are few."?

Jesus told them "Come" and they left everything and followed Him, learning how to be manfishers! Are you fishing yet?

"Jesus Christ is Lord" Is Not Necessarily Good News!

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The good news! Jesus Christ is Lord! Jesus Christ is Lord!

IS THIS GOOD NEWS? Not necessarily. It is terrifying news to an unredeemed, unrighteous world that is still under that wrath of God! Contrary to author N.T. Wright's understanding of Paul in the Scriptures, WE MUST HOLD DEARLY THE DOCTRINE OF IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS.

In John Piper's book The Future of Justification, the author is arguing to defend the historical understanding of the doctrine of justification which is crucial to the nature of the gospel.

Tom Wright is a very sharp scholar who is arguing against the historical interpretation of the apostle Paul . Wright teaches that the message of the gospel is not "how to get saved" or how to be made righteous in the sight of God, but rather "the gospel is a proclamation that Jesus, the crucified and risen Messiah, is the one and only true Lord of the world."

Now this may sound like good news(Gospel), but John Piper rightly reminds us that this is not good news...necessarily. It is not good news because, without justification in that good news we are not saved. If we are not saved, then we are in serious trouble, for we remain under the wrath of the Holy God, Creator and Sustainer of the Universe! Piper points out that the announcement that "Jesus is Lord is not good news until we hear the terms of the amnesty." The really good news is that we are saved from the wrath of God through Jesus Christ's life, death, and resurrection. We are "justified", that is, that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, which in reality makes us righteous, through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross.

Remember Paul, knocked to the ground blind? Apart from Christ having chosen to save Paul, Paul was in serious trouble under such an infinitely powerful Being that blinded him, and grounded him. When this happens Paul's first response is not "Hooray, Jesus is Lord of the Universe". He is trembling and fearful, and at God's mercy. The good news is that God chose to deliver Paul from His fierce wrath, through faith in Jesus Christ.

Have you been delivered from the fierce wrath of God? Only if you have repented to God concerning your sinful state, and placed your faith in Jesus Christ. Then Christ has you "covered". Enjoy your Savior.