Category: Gospel

  • Words left unsaid

    Grateful for what Jesus didn’t say

    I don’t know about you, but sometimes I speak before thinking. It’s gotten me into trouble over the years, and I’ve had to explain and apologize a lot.  Somethings are just better left unsaid.

    There was an instance in the Bible where something was intentionally left unsaid by Jesus, and I’m literally eternally grateful. We find it in Luke’s gospel.

    And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

    He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:16-21 ESV

    It was a familiar passage to his audience, taken from Isaiah 61. He didn’t finish reading the passage. The next line in Isaiah is: “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God”

    That’s significant. When Jesus was reading in the synagogue, He declared that He was the Messiah. It was fulfilled in their hearing. If He had said “the day of the vengeance of our God” was fulfilled, then there would be no time for anyone else to come to faith.

    The day of vengeance (mentioned in several other places in Scripture) is when the Lord finally deals with His enemies. Anyone who is not a believer is an enemy of God.

    Had Jesus read the rest of that passage, time would have been up. All hope for the lost would be gone.

    That day is coming. Jesus is returning to fulfill it. In the interim, though, there is time for God’s enemies to be reconciled through faith in Christ. 

    Don’t waste a moment longer. Time truly is limited because none of us knows the day or hour of His return.

    Praise God, He left those words unsaid … for the moment.

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    Jesus stopped reading Isaiah’s scroll one line too soon. He left out the day of vengeance, and grace is still open to you and me.

    TAKEAWAY

    You are still living in the year of the Lord’s favor, not the day of His vengeance.

    Your chance to be reconciled to God through faith in Christ is still open right now.

    You don’t know the day or hour of Christ’s return, so this isn’t the moment to delay

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  • Fishers of Men

    Different gifting, same calling

    Steveston Harbor uagust 2026

    Earlier this week, we enjoyed a day trip to nearby Steveston Harbor in Richmond, BC. Founded as a separate community in the 1880’s, Steveston was home to numerous large-scale salmon canneries and fishing fleets. It’s still home to 600 fishing boats, the largest fleet in Canada. Seafood fresh off the boat can be purchased along Fisherman’s Wharf.

    It’s home to several whale-watching tour groups who head out regularly to catch views of orcas and humpbacks. We didn’t take a tour, but we still saw seals and otters around the wharf area.

    The downtown area, with many early 1900s historical buildings and the wharf, has been used in dozens of TV shows and movies. You may have seen Steveston without ever going there.

    A walk along the boardwalk and downtown brings you to more restaurants than you can count, fish markets, gift shops, a museum and stores of all kinds. Lining the boardwalk are signs about maritime heritage, including one that helps you understand what the different fishing boats look like and how they operate.

    Different species need different types of equipment. That makes sense. It’s also true when fishing for people. We are called to be fishers of men, but that doesn’t mean we all do it the same way.

    While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Matthew 4:18-22 ESV

    And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:18-20 ESV

    All of us are called to share the gospel, but not all of us are gifted as evangelists. Does that lack of gifting excuse us from sharing the truth? Absolutely not.

    We use the gifts, talents and tools God has given us. Some people are naturally inviters, and they invite people to church. Others have the gift of making conversation, and matters of faith come up easily.

    Still others live their lives striving to imitate Christ and love others. That can make people curious, and they ask about why you are that way. After all, loving your neighbor, walking in integrity and humility and not worrying seem strange to our world today.

    Perhaps you are a prayer warrior, laying down covering fire for the evangelists and praying for specific people to come to know the Lord.

    Maybe you are called to stand on a street corner with a Jesus is near sign and a megaphone. That’s not my thing, but if it’s what God calls you to, you need to listen.

    Perhaps it’s going door to door and giving out tracts. Tracts have been around a long time, and while many get thrown away, people have come to know the Lord that way.

    For me, it’s in relationships and conversation. I try to be alert to opportunities to discuss matters of faith and plant seeds. Sometimes they seem to go nowhere; other times they lead to deeper conversations.

    God knows you, and He knows people you can reach. Different fish are caught by different methods. 

    God is responsible for the results. Only the Holy Spirit can change hearts. Still, we are responsible for doing our part.

    There are plenty of lost people out there. Let’s follow our calling and go fishing for them every day. Eternity matters.

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    Walking the Steveston boardwalk, I saw signs explaining how different boats and gear are built to catch different kinds of fish, and it struck me that fishing for people works the same way. Jesus calls all of us to be fishers of men, but He doesn’t call us all to fish the same way.

     

    TAKEAWAY

    Different fish require different equipment, just as God gives each believer different gifts for reaching people with the gospel.

    Not everyone is gifted as an evangelist, but that doesn’t excuse anyone from sharing the truth in whatever way God has equipped them.

    Whether through invitation, conversation, prayer, tracts, or simply living faithfully, God is responsible for the results; we’re responsible for using our gifts.

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