When Jesus had finished speaking,He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water andlet down your nets for a catch.” “Master,” Simon replied, “we have worked hard all night without catching anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.”

Luke 5:4-5 Berean Study Bible

First thing’s first: Jesus spoke what God said. 

Logically speaking spiritually (as in the Spirit of God), since Jesus is our God example of what a human being should be in the earth, it would then follow that we should also do what Jesus has done.

Cuz, you know. Example or whatever.

Let’s dive on in.

We are dying for lack of lack of knowledge. Lack of understanding. Lack of wisdom. Lack of God’s presence. How, you ask? It’s really super simple. We spend all our time chasing the pavement of entertainment in our corporate worship, spending—and really rather wasting money on unnecessary things because we forever looking a new HOOK.

“A new hook, Kisha?”

Mmhmm, YES. We have forgotten that there are no tricks or no gimmicks to the Kingdom of God. You cannot sell nobody on the gospel. You can’t wow them into repentance, submission, or service from the heart. No “lights, camera, ACTION! I’m sorry Ms. Jackson!” but Jesus Christ is it: BAIT, HOOK, LINE, and SINKER.

Now, don’t get it twisted and don’t get me wrong. Cuz some of you modern day Pharisees think I’m trying to “Church of Christ” you or whatever and hold you in the bondage of yesteryear with the no decor nor musical instruments no makeup no whatever you hold close to da vest whatever your bells and whistles may be—and that’s not how I’m coming at all. God’s word is as sure as His word is pure, and God said He does a new thing and why ain’t you perceiving it, right? God said that that there is a season for all things and even that there’s nothing new under the sun.

So, drum kits and smoke machines and fancy mixing boards and whole curricula and full staffs and security and a Jesus Starbucks and a recording studio and a bookstore at your church ain’t bad things. I’d actually say that having some options separate from the very corrupt kingdom of this world is pretty important for our children’s sake so that they can explore the gifts of God in themselves without worldly influence, yeah? So good job from that perspective if you got all that stuff and you’re using it for edification of the body of Christ.

Howsoinever. I can tell you what’s real and in the words of my forever fav Aretha Franklin? I’m giving you something you can feel cuz what’s happening is that all them bells and whistles have become the replacement for the NET, which is the full gospel of Jesus Christ. It is what’s being used to cast out and catch people instead of that sure thang. And do you know what happens when you drag the waters with any net other than Jesus?

Ask Simon Peter.

Simon replied, “we have worked hard all night without catching anything.

You comes up shawt.

If you have people constantly falling in and out of your church, who never seem to cross over into the fullness of salvation, who never embrace holiness but forever cling to carnality, who spectate but rarely participate, who may or may not show up, who love all the bells and whistles but are easily bored and distracted by the teaching of the word of God, who love activities but who never get activated into kingdom advancement? Well…they came for the show. Not for the Savior.

And caveat here cuz some folks always just gone come for the food, the show, and the glow—not the grow. That’s none of your business, m’kay? I’m talmbout the ones that’s your assignment, that you hyping with these flashing lights and Kanye crossover hits that feed the flesh but little else. Let’s continue on.

Jesus said: And I, If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me (John 12:32). Jesus also said: No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:44). The word of God in Psalm 127:1 also declares: Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.

Let God be true and every man be a liar. You can do all that you can do but if God didn’t tell you to do it, then why you doing it?

Not that I want you to fail, nah. Naw! Not do I want you to die a slow, ugly religious minded death cuz you rigid and inflexible and hard hearted. No, I want you experience what Simon experienced: to do what the Master requested when the Master requested it, leading to an overflow of epic proportions! After Simon did as Jesus commanded, Jesus told Simon that day that He would make Simon a “fisher of men.” Later on after Christ’s ascension, as Simon-now-Peter and the disciples sat waiting (like Christ commanded them) in the upper room, they didn’t go out and build a band or a new edifice or start creating new nonprofits or opening sleeper cells or passing out tracts or none of that.

They waited til Jesus said GO!

And when the day of Pentecost hit? They dropped them nets in the Holy Ghost, and become fishers of men—with nets so full that they didn’t have room enough to receive the offerings that people gave to share amongst each other.

Cuz Jesus does the work. He is the hook.

So I encourage you on today to make sure that Jesus Christ is the heart of everything you do. Not just “at the heart”, but the heart. To lift Jesus up is to draw people everywhere to Soteria, salvation. And whom the SON sets free? They FREE free.