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things. He wants you to be you and He wants Himself to be
God. Stay out of the Godhead! Don’t try to be God! Don’t try
to do what only God can do! Be yourself, with your gifts, your
vocation, your calling, and your interests.
When you go fishing it might be sales or it might be
teaching or it might be farming or it might be inventing or it
might be a machinist or a doctor or a lawyer or a housewife.
Just be who you are and wait for Jesus to show up. It doesn’t
matter if you are selling pencils or shining shoes or going to
school or if you are retired. Until Jesus shows up, just live. If
you are going to understand the Great Commission, it begins
there. Just live and wait for Jesus.
When he went fishing God began to lay down principles
of the Great Commission. Let me show you at least three things
that Peter learned. The first thing he learned in the Great
Commission is what I’ve already mentioned; that is that I’m not
a fisherman. I’m not a soul winner. I’m not a missionary. I’m
not an evangelist. For Peter, this was a refresher course. Three
years before, he had a similar experience. On the level of earth,
he fished all night. He fished in the shallows. He was an expert
with the nets. He wasn’t lazy. He fished all night. Some
fishermen have a bad day. He had more than a bad day. When
you have a bad day you catch a few fish. He worked all night
and he caught nothing.
The first thing God teaches us in the Great Commission is
that we don’t know how to fish. John 21:5, “Jesus therefore
said to them, ‘Children, you do not have any fish, do you?”
They answered Him, ‘No.’” “Have you caught any fish,” and
they had to say, “No.” If you want to fulfill the Great
Commission you’ve got to see that you can’t do it. You can’t
do it, God can do it but He won’t. He says, “I won’t do it by
myself and you can’t do it but I will do it in union with you.
Peter learned, “I can’t do it. I’m not sufficient.” Here is
the second lesson, John 21:6, “And he said to them, ‘Cast the
net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find a catch.’
They cast therefore, and then they were not able to haul it in
because of the great number of fish.” I can’t do it but He can.