For those who have a desire to do ministry...

PSA: Some of the things you read in this post are paraphrases of a sermon I once heard. Also, as you read each question I ask, answer it truthfully to yourself! It will help you!

Have you ever thought about trying to do ministry in some way? Maybe you thought about going overseas to witness to people in poverty-stricken areas or maybe you thought about going to a low SES area on the other side of America to help spread the Gospel. Whatever you have thought about, these are all wonderful ideas and if you feel the Holy Spirit calling you to do missionary work, definitely consider it!

My next question is this (and it might be very forward and a little disruptive to the flow so far): do you have a personal relationship with God? How do you know it’s personal?

When asked this question, we often hear typical responses like, “A relationship with God is intimacy and security and knowing that you are completely known and accepted by Him.” But this is so much easier said than done. In fact, if I were a new Christian, I would read these words, but I would not understand the true meaning of them AT ALL.

There has to be a deeper and more meaningful response to that question, not just the typical saying that we often hear.

The answer to the question that was just asked is this: to get a close and personal relationship with God, you have to invite Him into everyday occurrences in your life. BUT this is SO hard and can sometimes be awkward.

We need to dig deeper into why it seems so hard and awkward to invite Jesus into our everyday moments. For example, it can be so awkward to tell someone about God’s love for us, especially if they’re not really into the Christian scene. Or it can sometimes be so difficult to invite someone to church or (for those in college) a campus ministry event. But in order for it to be easier(ish) or for it to happen more often, it has to be personal.

In Luke 5:1-3, the Bible says,

“On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.”

Here, we read that Jesus is preaching to a large crowd and he needed to get on the boat so that people could hear him better.

Imagine if this boat was your boat and Jesus was preaching on YOUR boat. Or imagine if this was your vehicle and Jesus decided to preach a sermon in the bed of your truck. A vehicle can be a place of ministry, just like how Peter’s boat was a place of ministry too.

Think of some other places of ministry – the gym when you’re working out, walking to class with friends, sitting in class and waiting for it to start. The possibilities are endless.

Think about how Jesus wasn’t hesitant to preach from Peter’s boat. He wouldn’t be hesitant to preach anywhere for that matter. So why do we?

People will often come up to me and tell me they want to do ministry but they don’t know how. Guys, your life is ministry! You just do it!

You plant seeds by showing love and kindness to the people around you. This is how you get people to trust you – by being kind and loving them! Then, once you have their trust, you use discernment and wisdom and decide when to tell them about Jesus. Remember that there is a time for everything so pray for discernment and wisdom when trying to figure out when to tell someone about Jesus!

You don’t have to go on a mission trip to another country. You don’t have to travel across the United States to do ministry. Your life is ministry!

In verse 4, the Bible says,

“And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

This is where Jesus really gets personal with Peter – he asks him to go fishing. Jesus wanted to do something nice for Peter because he let him use his boat. In this verse, we see that Peter couldn’t even do something for Jesus without Jesus giving even more back.

Does this sound familiar to you? Has this happened to you in your life? Has there been a time (or multiple times) when God gave you so much more than you deserved? For me, the answer is 100% yes.

Here, Jesus just finished preaching and then he says to Peter, “Hey! Let’s go fishing!” Peter didn’t let his personal or spiritual lives be separate from each other. In this account, Peter’s personal life included his job, fishing, and going out on the boat. His spiritual life intertwined with his personal life when Jesus came onto his boat.

It’s awkward to shine the light God gave you in this world. But people will notice. People will notice if you were once this hardcore partier who drank alcohol and got drunk all the time… and now you’re this totally different person. There is no doubt in my mind that it will be awkward, and it’s absolutely going to cause attention. But sometimes, this causes people to ask questions – so answer them!

Let this be a conversation starter. Awkwardly own your life. Let people watch you and ask those questions.

In verse 5, we read,

 “And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 

Note that Peter said, “at your word.” Peter could’ve said, “Jesus, I’m a fisherman. You’re just a carpenter. You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m tired and I worked all night so no thanks.”

Oftentimes, we say and think this. Sometimes we think we can handle it all on our own and don’t need to ask for God’s help. Can you think of times when you didn’t think you needed to ask God for help? Maybe you felt like it was a hopeless situation. Or maybe you felt like you could handle it all on your own. Whatever it was, next time, look at God and say, “God, I believe you because you are God.”

Peter made a great statement of faith in Jesus when he didn’t even question Jesus’ intentions. If we were Peter, do you think we would’ve questioned Jesus’ intentions? Sometimes, we think that we know the water better than the Creator who made the water! What a crazy thought when you say it out loud!

Remember that when the Bible says, “at God’s word,” there was light, there were stars, the sun and planets appeared, there was life, and there was creation.

In verses 6 and 7, the Bible says, “And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.”

Here, Peter catches the fish. Peter probably knew that he knew more than a carpenter about fishing, but he still cast the net.

The only reason Peter did what Jesus asked was because he believed in Jesus, not because the circumstances seemed right. Even the fish clearly preached Christ to be the Son of God here!

In verse 8, we read, “But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 

Peter immediately repents. When you are in a personal relationship with Jesus, repentance is natural.

In Luke 4, Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law. This was actually before the fishing encounter we are reading about today. In Luke 4, Peter got to witness a huge miracle, but when Jesus had the encounter with Peter while fishing, Peter falls on his knees in front of Christ. This is because it’s an extremely personal moment!

So, make it all personal with Jesus! Walk with God when you’re going to class. Wake up every morning and say good morning to God by either thanking him for waking you up, praising Him that you are alive and well, or praying to Him about your upcoming day. These are small steps that lead to a closer relationship with Him and people will ask you, “What happened to you?”

So many people wonder what their purpose in life is. Do you know what yours is? If not, the only way you’re truly going to know is by getting personal with God and encountering Him daily.

In verses 9 and 10, we read, “For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”

In verse 10, Jesus tells Peter his purpose in life – catching men. You will know your purpose once you get closer to Jesus. You will see and hear Him more in your days AND it’ll be easier to see and hear Him too. Everything you do will have meaning once you find it.

3 questions to ask yourself:

1)    What is your boat? These are everyday moments in your life.

2)    What are your fish? These are jobs or hobbies you love to do or are gifted with.

3)    What is your net? These are things/areas in your life that you need to surrender to God.

I hope this post encourages you to seek a closer and more personal relationship with God. Find your purpose in life!