Go Deep was the title of Sunday’s sermon by Pastor Scott. The Super Bowl provided plenty of metaphors for our Christian walk. Appropriately enough, the sermon started by having the congregation sing the second verse of the childrens song “Deep and Wide” – “mmmmm and Wide, mmmmm and Wide, there’s a fountain flowing mmmmm and wide”.
The scripture reference was Ephesians 4:11-13.
11) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12) to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13) until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
As Christians, we must seek to not only grow wide, but to also grow deep. Ephesians 4:13 gives a way to measure our depth. Specifically there were three ideas that came from the lesson:
- Unity of the Doctrine of Jesus Christ. The idea that we are all using the same playbook.
- Knowledge of Jesus Christ. More than knowing, having the relationship, and experience with Jesus.
- Spiritual Maturity in Christ Jesus. Our goal is to be mistaken for Jesus.
One of the illustrations from the sermon that really stuck with me was the idea of a fisherman cleaning his nets. Technically this is not fishing, but without cleaning the nets, you cannot fish. Pastor Scott noted that he had talked with a boy who was fishing with nets, and he indicated that he spent about 80-90% of his time cleaning his nets. I think about the time that I spend tying fly’s for the spring and summer fishing trips. 80% sounds about right.
Without the spiritual exercise of “cleaning our nets” – that is equipping for the journey, we cannot “fish” – that is win lost souls to the love of God. Ephesians 4:13 is a high standard that we should strive for in our lives.