This is an interesting question to the Body of Christ in this End time. The phrase regarding “casting of net” has a great significant in the Christian fraternity. It is about who is availing him or herself to become a fisher of men. Who is availing him/herself to be use by God to draw men from the way of sin and destruction onto the marvelous light of our Lord Jesus Christ. Matt 4:19-20; And he saith unto them, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets and followed him. The first task Jesus gave to his early apostles before he started His ministry was the call to fish men from the pool of sin. In our world today, we see many that have wallowed far away from God and are caught up in the shekels of this world and Satan. There is no means they can redeem themselves unless somebody stretch out their arms to pull them out. The only outstretch arm that can bring light and deliverance to them is the message of the cross from our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 10:14, How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? It is the same believers that are going to be the mouthpiece of God. It is just a matter of them availing themselves.
In the early church age, the early apostles believe Jesus came to die for the Jews only. Peter the leader of the Apostle also believes the same, “Act 11:19; Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only”. But God raised a man called Paul to change that narrative so that the Gospel can go to the Gentile world. Jesus Christ did not only die for the Jews but the entire world. In the book of “Act 13:47; For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth”, we see a prophecy being fulfilled which was prophesied by the Prophet Isaiah. “Isaiah 49:6; And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth”.
In Act 13, we see the birthplace of missions. The church in Antioch which became the Headquarters of the Church in the time of the early Apostles. The headquarters of the church shifted from Jerusalem to Antioch because Jerusalem was about to be destroyed by Emperor Titus in AD 70. The church in Antioch typified a model church because we see people of both Jews and Gentiles, Act 13:1; Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. Barnabas was a Jew, Simeon that was called Niger, Niger is from the word Nigro which means a Blackman. Lucius of Cyrene, Cyrene is Lybia, so we see Africans being part of the meeting. Manaen, he was the foster brother of Harold the Tetrad who was raised in Rome. Therefore, he was a European. We also have Saul who was later called Paul a Jew. In the church in Antioch, we see the birthplace of missions. Paul and Barnabas had hands being laid on them and they were officially commissioned onto the mission filled even though they already have a calling to reach the lost by the Holy Spirit. Act 13:2-3; As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Before we will be able to cast the net to fish men for the Lord, we need to be burdened with the Lord’s burden. We can only have the Lord’s burden when we genuinely fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Our fellowship with the Spirit is the breeding grounds for the passion for the lost souls. The Holy Spirit Himself lays the burdens on our heat and tells us when and how we should cast our nets. As we fellowship with the Lord, He reveals the fields to us, and we see how scattered and lost mankind is. He then fills our heart with compassion for them. Matt 9:36-38; But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. So has Believers, as we see how lost people are in this world, we pray to the Lord for Him to send us onto them to redeem their souls from destructions. We do not send ourselves, but we pray for the Lord to send us.
