How Brave are You?

“Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.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. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

Here Peter had been fishing all night, both Him and the sons of Zebedee, and had caught nothing. After hearing Jesus speak, Peter agreed to throw the net one more time. Peter was a fisherman, and I am sure he was a rough-and-tumble guy. Fishing is hard work; back then, everything was done by hand, so Peter was probably powerful as well. The net immediately filled with fish, so much so that it was sinking the boat, and Peter called for help. He knew Jesus had caused the catch. He fell to his knees, and his words echo constantly in my heart. “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man. O Lord”

I feel that way sometimes, do you? My ways have changed, but I still wonder why the Lord has changed a sinner like me to become such a devoted servant. To me, Peter was funny. He never really quite understood the things going on around him. Despite his profession of Christ, he still did not get it. On the mount of Transfiguration, Peter was clueless about what was happening with Jesus. He denied Christ three times, once in fear as he stood before a servant girl. There he was, big tough Peter trembling in front of a servant girl because she recognized he was with Christ. When Christ was crucified, the Apostles were in hiding except for John.

My point is Christ changes us. I genuinely believe that if you have met Jesus, you cannot help but be changed. He changed Peter. When we look at Peter during the ministry of Christ, he was a follower often rebuked by Christ. However, after witnessing the resurrection, Peter was someone else. Look at Acts:

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him, “‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades or let your Holy One see corruption.You have made known to me the paths of life;you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.” (Acts 2:22-32 ESV)

Peter became emboldened in Christ. He spoke these words before the men of Judea and all of Jerusalem. This included the Pharisees, Sadducees, and others who murdered Jesus. This man proclaiming the gospel was the same Peter who cowered before a servant girl.

Has there been a time you wanted to share the gospel but were afraid? Have you ever wanted to speak to someone in the grocery line, at the gas pump, or in a parking lot and did not? Were you sick or saddened with regret? We are called to speak the gospel. Every week I walk a parking lot filled with truck drivers, and no matter how they look or what nationality they appear, I invite them to hear the gospel. Not too long I had a Muslim couple come to my bible study to listen. They stayed a while and left. Afterward, when I was leaving, I saw them. They had some interesting questions and told me they would think about what I said. I handed them a Bible and said, I read the Quran; here, read this. You might find it interesting, and they took it.

The one encounter you have spreading the gospel may turn out to be nothing, or it may be someone’s salvation. If you never speak the gospel, you will always know one thing for sure: nothing will happen. Isn’t that a shame?