Outline
Ⅴ
The believers are the fishers of men—Matt. 4:16-20:
A
To be a fisher of men is to bring men out of the world, signified by the sea with its death waters, into the kingdom of the heavens—Luke 5:10.
B
The way to bring others out of the world and into the kingdom of the heavens is by preaching the gospel of the kingdom, the gospel of God's complete salvation, to the whole inhabited earth—Matt. 24:14; Luke 4:18-19; Eph. 3:8-9.
Morning Nourishment
Matt. 4:19 And He said to them, Come after Me, and I will make you fishers of men.24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
The Lord Jesus said to Peter and Andrew, “Come after Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). Immediately they left their nets and followed the King of the kingdom of the heavens to be fishers of men. Eventually, on the day of Pentecost, Peter became the first great fisher for the establishment of the kingdom of the heavens (Acts 2:37-42; 4:4).
To be a fisher of men is to bring men out of the world, signified by the sea with its death waters, into the kingdom of the heavens. This means that to fish for men, “catching men alive” (Luke 5:10), that is, unto life (Acts 11:18), is to bring them into the kingdom. On the day of Pentecost Peter began his ministry of bringing people into the kingdom of the heavens. He brought in all kinds of people, Gentiles as well as Jews. He was a real fisher of men. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 1155)
Today’s Reading
To fish for men requires patience. Peter, a quick person, may have learned this in Matthew 17:24-27. After Peter gave a hasty answer concerning Christ’s paying the half-shekel, the Lord Jesus asked him, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth receive custom or poll tax, from their sons or from strangers? And when he said, From strangers, Jesus said to him, So then the sons are free” (vv. 25-26). Then the Lord went on to say, “But that we do not stumble them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. And when you open its mouth, you will find a stater; take that and give it to them for Me and you” (v. 27).Peter, no doubt, was troubled that he had to go fishing and wait for a fish to appear with a stater. As a result, Peter may have learned that a fisher of men must have patience. If we would be fishers of men, gaining others for Christ’s increase, we also need patience. We cannot have the increase, the multiplication, in a quick way.
The way to bring others out of the world and into the kingdom of the heavens is not by today’s superficial gospel but by the gospel of the kingdom of the heavens [cf. Matt. 24:14]…The gospel of the kingdom includes not only forgiveness of sins (Luke 24:47) and the impartation of life (John 20:31) but also the kingdom of the heavens with the power of the coming age (Heb. 6:5) to cast out demons and heal diseases (Isa. 35:5-6; Matt. 10:1).
The gospel of the kingdom, which also includes the gospel of grace (Acts 20:24), not only brings people into God’s salvation but also into the kingdom of the heavens (Rev. 1:9). The emphasis of the gospel of grace is on forgiveness of sin, God’s redemption, and eternal life, whereas the emphasis of the gospel of the kingdom is on the heavenly ruling of God and the authority of the Lord.
The New Testament speaks of the gospel of life, the gospel of grace, and the gospel of salvation. However, all these are different aspects of the kingdom. The kingdom is the center, the hub, and all the other items may be considered the spokes, which are centered on the hub. The gospel of life is for the kingdom, the gospel of salvation is for the kingdom, and the gospel of forgiveness is for the kingdom…The kingdom is the real gospel…If we want to know the gospel in a full way, we must realize that the kingdom is the all-inclusive gospel. This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations before the end of this age comes. The inhabited earth means every place inhabited by man. I believe that the churches in the Lord’s recovery will bear the burden to bring this gospel to all the inhabited earth. The gospel of grace has been preached in every continent but not the gospel of the kingdom…This higher gospel [of the kingdom] must be brought to every continent through the churches in the Lord’s recovery. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 1155-1157)
Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 36, pp. 73-83