Fishers of Men - the 419 series

The Miraculous Draught of Fishes, Jacopo Bassano, 1545

For all who are called to follow Jesus and become fishers of men, these are words of encouragement and strength. It’s a series of 4:19 verses from the Bible that I call the 419 series or "FM419" (Fishers of Men 4:19).

People Living in Darkness

The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble. (Pro 4:19)

The Lord loves those wicked people living in darkness and does not want them to perish. 

Becoming Fishers of Men

He calls His disciples to follow Him.  And all who obey the call, He will make fishers of men.  And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Mat 4:19)

Unfruitful Hearers

"And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (Mar 4:18-19)

The fishers of men cast the gospel net to bring men into the kingdom of God.  But they are also sowers who sow seeds.  Yet sometimes those seeds are sown among thorns, and those who hear the Word are unfruitful.  They allow the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word. 

Labor Until Christ is Formed

The fishers of men labor to see Christ formed in those who come to Him.  But often they do not continue to grow in the Lord.  They sometimes fall backward. This is what happened to the Galatians.  After they came to Christ by grace through faith, preachers led them astray.  These preachers told them they would not be justified by God, unless they did the works of the Law.  Paul wrote to the Galatians, “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you.” (Gal 4:19).  He felt that he must labor once again for them like little children until Christ was formed in them. 

If you’re a fisher of men and those you care for have gone backwards, don’t give up on them or become discouraged.  Continue to labor to see Christ formed in them. 

The Time of the Lord’s Favor

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord." (Luk 4:18-19)

Now is the day of salvation.  Now is the acceptable time to come to Christ.  Later will come the day of vengeance of our God, but now is the time of God’s favor.  The Spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus and anointed Him to preach the gospel to the poor, release captives, give sight to the blind, and set the oppressed free.  His disciples are to walk as Jesus did, and do even greater things.  We must work while it is yet day, for the night comes when no man can work.

Prophetic Evangelism

When Jesus was speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well, He asked her to go call her husband. When she said she had no husband, He validated her answer and said that she had previously had five husbands. The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. (Joh 4:19)

In sharing the gospel with people, we need the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit upon us.  We need the gifts of the Spirit in operation, so that we can demonstrate the power of the Spirit, confirming our message.  Just as Jesus told this woman everything she had ever done, the Spirit of Prophecy wants to be powerfully involved in our evangelism.

Obey God Rather Than Men

But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; (Act 4:19)

Peter and John had been preaching, “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Act 4:12).  And the religious leaders of their city tried to stop them.  They were told to preach no more in Jesus name. 

The enemy hates it when we preach the message of salvation only in Jesus name.  He will try to stop us, and even use religious leaders to do so.  But we cannot fear men.  We must obey God rather than men, just as the apostles did.

Without Being Weakened in Faith

God had promised Abraham that He would become the father of many nations, and that his descendants would outnumber the sands of the seashore.  Even though Abraham was elderly and his body was as good as dead with respect to having children, his faith was not weakened. 

“Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb;” (Rom 4:19)

In hope against hope he believed.  With respect to God’s promise to him, he did not waiver in unbelief.  Rather he grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, being fully assured that God was able to perform what He promised.

The fishers of men, who are following Jesus, also desire to have many spiritual children.  And this is the promise of God to them.  They are children of Abraham by faith and the same promise given to him applies to them also.  They are called to do greater works than Jesus Himself (Jn 14:12).

Fishers of men are often met with what seem to be little results.  They sow seeds but do not see the harvest.  Very few accept their message.  Yet they mustn’t waiver in unbelief.  They must not despise the day of small things.  Instead they need to give glory to God with their mouths, as well as their actions, and believe that God is able to perform what He promised.

Power of God

Paul told the Corinthians, “But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power.” (1Co 4:19-20).

After Paul had laid a foundation in Corinth, other men came along, who were critical of Paul.  They were polished speakers and criticized Paul.  They won the hearts of people and drew a following among the Corinthians.  But Paul said that he would come and find out what power these arrogant preachers really had.  He knew that the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 

There will be arrogant talkers today who criticize the fishers of men, but have no power to back up their talk.  We mustn’t allow them to discourage us.  The fishers of men today must not simply be talkers, but demonstrate the power of the Spirit.

Divine Provision

Another obstacle to the work of the gospel is provision.  The fishers of men have needs and so do their families.  They need to trust God every day to supply all their needs.  The promise of God to them is this: “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Phi 4:19)

The Father is rich, and He is able to supply all our needs as we go about spreading the gospel. 

Entrust Your Soul to a Faithful Creator

The work of the gospel is not easy.  There are many trials and hardships.  Peter knew this first hand.  When we suffer for the sake of the gospel, that’s the will of God.  “Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.” (1Pe 4:19).  Don’t quit, but commit your soul to God and keep fishing for men.  Keep sowing seeds, and making disciples.

Our Reason for Loving

“We love, because He first loved us.” (1Jo 4:19).  Jesus loved us while we were yet sinners.  He laid down His life for us.  And all those who follow Him should love others with that same kind of love.  We love others, including lost sinners, because He first loved us. This is always the heart of why we fish for men.

I hope that this "FM419" series has been an encouragement to you in your labor for the Lord.  Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1Co 15:58)

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Photograph of painting in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA by Alexander R. Pruss. The Miraculous Draught of Fishes, Jacopo Bassano, 1545

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend Give Me Children or I'll Die!,  Rescue Souls!, and Here I Am, Send Me. You are invited to visit the Home page of this blog, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."  

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Popularity of the Gospel

Mega church

It’s not unusual today for church leaders to aspire to lead a mega-church with thousands of people.  They expect that they will become more and more popular and attract many people.

However, I’d like to show from Scripture what the trend usually is, so that we do not get our hopes crushed when things do not turn out the way we expected.

The Prophets
First, I’ll simply mention the prophets of old.  This includes all the Old Testament prophets up to and including John the Baptist.  They endured much persecution and were not widely popular with the people they were preaching to. 

Jesus said, “"Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Mat 5:11-12)

Many of the prophets were put to death. Jesus said to the Jewish lawyers of His day, “Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them.” (Luk 11:47)

Jesus Christ
The best example is Jesus Christ.  His popularity grew until it reached a peak on the day He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.  On that day, the masses were shouting praises to Him, waving palm branches, and making a carpet of palm branches for Him to ride on.  They saw in Him their long-awaited King and Messiah.

John’s gospel states: “On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, ‘Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel.’" (Joh 12:12-13).  It appeared to Jesus enemies that the whole world had gone after Jesus (Jn 12:19).  Even the Greeks wanted to see Jesus (Jn 12:21).

But this popularity was short lived.  Within a week, Jesus was arrested (Jn 18:3, 12).  And the next morning the crowds were shouting, “Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!” John wrote in his gospel account, “So they cried out, ‘Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar.’" (Joh 19:15)

Their next step was to put Him to death on a cross.  After this, Jesus never regained the same kind of widespread popularity He had at that zenith on “Palm Sunday” a week earlier. 

The eleven
All of the original eleven apostles experienced the same thing.  All of them were persecuted with threats, beatings, and imprisonment, and they were all eventually put to death.  The only exception was John, whom it is believed survived being boiled in oil, and was later banished to the isle of Patmos.

The apostle Paul
Each time the apostle Paul preached in a city, his popularity usually followed the same kind of trajectory pattern as that of Jesus. 

In Damascus this happened. “And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’ All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, ‘Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?’ But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.” (Act 9:18-22)

Notice how he increased in strength.  But that did not last. When many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.” (Act 9:23-25)

And it was like this wherever he traveled.  For example, in Psidian Antioch. Luke wrote of the popularity they enjoyed when Paul first began to preach there: “As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath. Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God. The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord.” (Act 13:42-44).  You know you are popular when the whole city assembles to hear the word of the Lord you are preaching!

But that didn’t last.  Luke wrote: “But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming. Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, ‘It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.’” (Act 13:45-46)

The same thing happened in Iconium. “In Iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a manner that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of Greeks. But the Jews who disbelieved stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren.” (Act 14:1-2)

In Lystra, after Paul healed the crippled man, the people shouted that the gods had come down to them.  They began to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods!  “When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, ‘The gods have become like men and have come down to us.’ And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.” (Act 14:11-13).  Paul and Barnabas had great difficulty restraining the people from offering sacrifices to them.

This as usual was short lived.  “But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.” (Act 14:19)

The same thing happened in Thessalonica.  “And according to Paul's custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.’ And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women.” (Act 17:2-4)

Their popularity in Thessalonica didn’t last very long. “But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and attacking the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people.” (Act 17:5).  Even though a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women believed in Christ, afterward Paul and Barnabas were forced to leave the city due to the violence.

This pattern was repeated later in Berea: “Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men. But when the Jews of Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there as well, agitating and stirring up the crowds.” (Act 17:12-13)

Putting it All Together
We could give many more examples, but these will suffice to make the point.  When we look in Scripture at the popularity of Jesus and His apostles, including Paul, we see that it was always short-lived.  If they did see a time of great popularity, it did not last for long.  It was followed by violent persecution.  The apostle Paul taught, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2Ti 3:12)

In fact, Jesus warned, "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.” (Luk 6:26)

So when preachers today think that they are going to achieve and sustain widespread popularity, expecting to build a mega-church with a great numbers of disciples, they deceive themselves.  This is not the pattern of Scripture.  Rather, in Scripture, when the Truth is preached, it may be popular at first, but it will always bring intense persecution.

When we see someone today preaching a message that receives and sustains wide popularity, we have to question it.  We should find out what the message is that they are preaching.  It is usually not the true gospel of salvation through repentance from sin and faith in Christ by grace alone.

I watched a televised interview on "60 Minutes" with a pastor of a one of the largest mega-churches in the world.  He said that he does not preach or teach from the Bible.  His teachings and books are more of a self-help gospel. He tells people “how to become a better you.” The reporter asked him why his latest book did not have one mention of God or Jesus Christ.  His response was, “That’s just my message. There is Scripture in there that backs it all up.”  He does not feel it is his gifting to explain the Scriptures.  In a separate television interview with Larry King, when asked how we get to heaven, he side-stepped the question.  Then later when a caller directly challenged him on that, he refused to say that an atheist or any non-believer will perish if they do not put their faith in Christ.  Consequently, he is wildly popular even with non-believers, including Jews. 

However, the true gospel is considered a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks.  And it will always eventually be met with stiff resistance.  But it is still the power of God unto salvation. 

Let me encourage you to preach the true gospel, and not to give people what you think they want to hear, just so you can be popular.  You may not see all the fruit of it in this life, but you will be greatly rewarded in eternity.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy reading Persecuted or Popular? and Obedient to the Heavenly Vision. You are invited to visit the Home page of this blog, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."  

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Being a Witness for Christ

Often times you hear people use the term "soul winner." First, I don't use that term, since Jesus never used it. The term implies that one person can actually convert another into a Christian.

I think (as Paul said) we can plant and water, but God gives the increase (1 Cor 3:6). We can share the gospel, but we need to leave the results to God. It's the work of the Holy Spirit to convict sinners and bring them to a place of repentance, and we cannot do that. We should never think it is our responsibility whether the person gives their life to Jesus or not. If we have shared the gospel with the person, then we have been obedient, even if they reject Christ!

Being a witness for Jesus
Now that I have clarified that, let me use another expression that is more compatible with Scripture than soul winner. Every disciple of Christ is supposed to be a witness who is making disciples. That includes sharing Jesus with people. Every disciple should do this and can do this with the Lord's help. Even if the disciple does not own a Bible or know how to read, he or she can testify to the glory of God with his words and actions about how Jesus has changed his life. And if he or she gives a witness for Christ under the power of the Holy Spirit, this can have a powerful impact on those who hear it.

Right before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told the disciples that they would receive power from the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses. He said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." (Act 1:8). This is still His plan today that his disciples be empowered by the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses both where they live and even to the remotest parts of the earth.

The Greek word in Scripture that we translate as “witness” is martus. The same word can also be translated martyr or record. So when we are a witness for Christ, we are also martyrs, because we must die to ourselves -- our own desires, preferences and plans -- so that we can do the Master’s bidding. We testify of what the Lord has done in our lives and what we say goes on record for others to hear and understand.

On the other hand, when the Lord ascended on high, he gave gifts to men. He gave five gifts to the church, which are apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelists (Eph 4:11-13). These gifts are given to equip the Body of Christ and prepare God's people for works of service. God has works for every disciple to do, and these gifts will prepare the people to do those works for the Lord. So God specifically calls certain people to be these gifts -- this is who he has made them to be.

Some are evangelists. That word "evangelist" comes from the Greek "euaggelistes". It comes from the word for the “gospel,” which in Greek is "euaggelion" -- "eu" meaning good and "angelion" meaning news or message. An evangelist is one who proclaims the good news to others, a preacher of the gospel. Not everyone is called to be a preacher of the gospel. An evangelist also equips people for works of service, usually equipping them to share Jesus with others. An example of an evangelist is Philip of Caesarea (Acts 21:8).

Here are some biblical examples of people sharing Jesus with others and being a witness, even though they were not necessarily evangelists:

The man delivered from a legion of demons
Jesus cast out many demons out of one man who lived near the lake in the region of the Gersasenes. Afterward, the man was clothed and in his right mind once again. Then the time came for Jesus to leave that area. “As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. And He did not let him, but He said to him, ‘Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.’ And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.” (Mar 5:18-20)

You see how that man shared Jesus with the people he knew? This is what God wants each of us to do.

The woman at the well
Jesus met a woman at a well one time. In their discussion, he asked her to go call her husband. She said she had no husband, and Jesus told her that was correct, because she previously had five husbands, and the man she was currently with was not her husband. “So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, ‘Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?’” (Joh 4:28-29)

“From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, ‘He told me all the things that I have done.’ So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.’” (Joh 4:39-42)

Again, this woman shared Jesus with the people in her life and it impacted them in a great way. They later came to know Jesus personally as a result of her bearing witness.

Man healed of leprosy
During Jesus earthly ministry, he always ordered people not to tell others that He was the Christ, because the time had not yet come for that. But when He healed people, He would often tell them to go show themselves to the priest and make an offering to the Lord. He explained that this would be a testimony to the priest. “And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ And immediately the leprosy left him. And He ordered him to tell no one, ‘But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’ But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.” (Luk 5:13-15).

So even when people were told not to tell anyone but the priest, the news about Jesus spread. This shows the power of your testimony. When you share with one person, it spreads.

Now that Jesus has given Himself as a sacrifice on the cross and ascended into heaven, He wants those who know Him to tell others about Him without reservation. In other words, we are not under any orders to keep silent about the gospel. Can you see how effective your testimony can be at spreading the good news about Jesus, when you share Him with others? News about Him will keep spreading even farther!!

Commanded to Make Disciples
Every disciple is commanded to make disciples.  The Lord Jesus Christ, the one with all authority in heaven and on earth has commanded us to do so.

And Jesus came up and spoke to them [the Eleven apostles], saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Mat 28:18-20)

This was not the "great suggestion" but the Great Commission given by the holy Son of God.  First He commanded His eleven apostles to make disciples of all nations.  Secondly, He commanded them to teach their disciples to observe all that He commanded them -- the apostles -- to do. Therefore, one of the things their disciples were taught was that, just as the eleven apostles were commanded to make disciples, every disciple must also observe that command.  And as those disciples of the apostles made disciples, they taught their disciples likewise.  This has continued right on down to the present day, and as Jesus said, it will continue even to the end of the age.

That requires preaching the gospel, as Mark recorded that "He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.'" (Mar 16:15). You don't need to be a pastor to preach.  The Greek word for "preach" is kērusso, meaning "to herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the gospel): - preach, proclaim, publish."  You don't even need a building or a pulpit to preach.  You can herald the good news in buses, trains, planes, shopping malls and streets.  You can proclaim the good news to your neighbor, and tell the sinner he needs to repent.  The gospel can be published on tracts and blogs that you can give to people to read.  The main point is that we are all commanded to make disciples, therefore it is a sin to disobey the Lord's command to do so.

Putting it All Together
So we know that God calls some people to be evangelists and they go about preaching the gospel. This is one of the gifts Jesus has given, and not everyone is called to be an evangelist.

But every disciple should be sharing Jesus with the people in their lives. Do not fail to evangelize! Just like the woman at the well, the Gerasene man delivered from demons, and the leper that was cleansed, we must testify to people about the good things the Lord has done for us, how He has healed us and set us free from sin, as well as anything else He does for us as we go through life. When we do, it will touch the lives of the people with whom we share. The good news of Jesus Christ will spread even further, and many will come to know Jesus personally.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the links in the side bar.  I recommend Give Me Children or I'll Die!, Confrontational Evangelism, Rescue Souls!, and Compassion for the Lost (poem). You are invited to visit the Home page of this blog, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." 

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Fullness

I was talking to my friend, Owen, recently and he said that people sometimes ask him, "Do you see the glass as half empty or half full?" His response is, "I don't see it half empty or half full! I see it filled all the way up to the top and overflowing, everywhere I look! Maybe that's not normal, but that's how I see it."

The reason he can say that is not because he is simply an optimistic person, but because of his faith in Jesus Christ and his understanding of fullness in Him. I think that if we could catch a glimpse of the fullness God intends for our lives, we would have a brand new perspective and a renewed faith.

Let's begin with a brief Greek word study.

Greek Word Study
In a related post on the topic of multiplication, I noted that the word “multiplied” in the New Testament comes from the Greek word "plethuno", which means "to abound or multiply." That word "plethuno" has its roots in the Greek word "plethos", which means “fullness”, that is, a large number, throng, populace, bundle, company, or multitude. This is not only used in the New Testament, but even in the Old Testament. There is a Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint. In the Septuagint, this same Greek word plethuno is used for “multiply.”

This present study looks at the word "fullness" in the New Testament. It is the word "pleroma". "Pleroma" means "repletion" or "completion." In other words, it can refer subjectively to that which fills (as contents, supplement, copiousness, or multitude). In this sense, it refers to that which is put into something in order to fill it up. It can also refer to the piece that filled up, fulfilling, full, or fullness. On the other hand, it can also refer objectively to that which is filled (as container, performance, or period).

"Pleroma" comes from "pleroo". "Pleroo" means "to make replete," that is, (literally) to cram (a net), level up (a hollow), or (figuratively) to furnish (or imbue, diffuse, influence), satisfy, execute (an office), finish (a period or task), verify (or coincide with a prediction), etc., accomplish, (be) complete, end, expire, fill (up), fulfil, (be, make) full (come), fully preach, perfect, supply.

So when we read about "fullness", we should understand it is something that has been crammed, like a vessel leveled off at the top, filled up to the brim, and made full.

Here are the instances in the New Testament where the Greek word "pleroma" appears. The English word for pleroma in each verse is bolded below:

A patch sewn used to repair a tear in a garment is considered fullness (pleroma)
"But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. (Mat 9:16)

The baskets used to collect left overs after Jesus multiplied the fish and loaves were full (pleroma)
"and they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish." (Mar 6:43)

"When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?" And they *said to Him, "Seven." (Mar 8:20)

When the Israelites come to faith in Christ, they are considered fulfilled or completed (pleroma)
"This is set in contrast to their transgression and failure: Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!" (Rom 11:12)

When all the Gentiles who are going to be saved have been saved, then that people group will be considered complete or full (pleroma)
"For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery--so that you will not be wise in your own estimation--that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in." (Rom 11:25)

The relationship between love and the law is that love is the fulfillment or completion (pleroma) of the law:
"Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." (Rom 13:10)

Paul intended to visit the Romans with the fullness (pleroma) of Christ’s blessing
"I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ." (Rom 15:29)

All that the earth is full of (pleroma) belongs to the Lord
"For the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." (1Co 10:26)

When the time comes for certain events in God’s plans to be carried out, the time for those events is considered to be full (pleroma)
"But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law." (Gal 4:4)

"with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth." (Eph 1:10)

God Himself has a completeness or fullness (pleroma)
"and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God." (Eph 3:19)

All of God’s fullness resides in His Son Jesus Christ, and God is pleased to have it that way
"For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him." (Col 1:19)

God’s fullness (pleroma) and all that He is dwells in Christ in bodily form
"For in Him all the fullness (Gr., pleroma) of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete (Gr., pleroo), and He is the head over all rule and authority." (Col 2:9-10)

It is from the fullness (pleroma) of Jesus that we have all received
"For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace." (Joh 1:16)

The church, the Body of Christ, is the fullness (pleroma) of Jesus Christ
"And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." (Eph 1:22-23)

Christ has a fullness or completeness (pleroma). Attaining this fullness in our level of maturity is the end state of the body of Christ
"And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ." (Eph 4:11-13)

Putting it All Together
It's clear from God's Word that a patch sewn into a garment to repair a tear is considered fullness. Just as a patch fills up an entire hole in a garment, this is what it means when there is fullness. The entire need is met, the entire empty place filled up.

The baskets used to collect leftovers after Jesus multiplied the fish and loaves were full. So not only did he fill up and complete the crowd’s need for nourishment, but even the baskets containing the leftovers were brimming full.

When the Israelites come to faith in Christ, they are considered fulfilled or completed. When all the Gentiles who are going to be saved have been saved, then that people group will be considered complete or full.

The relationship between love and the law is that love is the fulfillment or completion of the law.

Paul intended to visit the Romans with the fullness of Christ’s blessing. When the time comes for certain events in God’s plans to be carried out, the time for those events is considered to be full.

God Himself has a completeness or fullness. All of God’s fullness resides in His Son Jesus Christ, and God is pleased to have it that way. It is from the fullness of Jesus that we have all received grace upon grace, because it continues to overflow from Him and fill us.

The church, the Body of Christ, is the fullness of Jesus Christ. God’s intention is that we will all one day attain to the measure of the stature that belongs to the fullness of Christ.

Christ has a fullness or completeness. Attaining this fullness in our level of maturity is the end state of the body of Christ.

The word for “multiplied” in the Bible is the English translation of the Greek word plethuno, which comes from the word pleroma that we have researched in this word study.

Since this word for “fullness” is a root for the word meaning “multiply”, we can better understand what God is doing when He multiplies. He causes everything to abound and increase exponentially until every hole, every need, every ditch, every deficiency, and every area lacking is completely filled up. When He does this, we end up with a large number, a throng, a populace, a bundle, a company, or a multitude.

I hope this study has helped to open up your understanding of fullness. Hopefully you are able to begin seeing the glass completely full to the brim now, instead of just half full. It's only possible through the eyes of faith when you know Christ.

If you already know Jesus Christ personally, but are not experiencing His fullness in your life, then let me encourage you today. Why not take a moment right now to cry out to Him from your emptiness and ask Him to bring about His fullness in your life. Then read the related post in this blog on Multiplication and watch the Lord increase your faith in Him to do that in your life.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: You are invited to visit the Home page of this blog, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." 

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.