“Stepping into the Boat…”
Matthew 8:18-22 records some conversations Jesus had with several people who promised to follow Him, at times with their own conditions. A lot has been and can be gleaned from the interaction! Verse 23 picks up with the simple but powerful narrative transition:
“When he (Jesus) got into the boat, his disciples followed him.” (Matt 8:23)
Much has been written and can be learned from this incident, but here I want to raise a simple question: have you stepped forward to follow Jesus into the next thing he has for your life. When the disciples followed Jesus into the boat, the storm soon followed, with the powerful moment when Jesus finally stilled the storm.
Think about it: for the disciples, the fear, the desperation, the miracle, and the subsequent question, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” (Matt 8:27) were not learned on the shore – but in the boat.
Many of us appreciate the simple and clear declaration of the Gospel in Ephesians 2:8-9 “ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
It can be easy to skip right on and miss verse 10. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:10) So, walking by faith, and learning to take steps of faith, are an ongoing part of the Christian life!
When you consider that “the harvest is still plentiful, and the laborers are still few” (Matt 9:37), learning to discern Jesus’ call and step out in faith is still at the forefront of being a disciple. Post pandemic there has been a decline in short term mission involvement, yet the fact is that over 90% of fulltime missionaries received there call as a result of a short term mission trip. I have heard many reasons over the years given for not taking a few weeks to travel and serve on the front lines: an annual concert series that happened each summer may have been the worst excuse ever!
As I get closer day by day to my 70th BD, and I can unequivocally that I have never regretted any step of faith forward “into the boat”. My wife and I wouldn’t be serving the Lord with ALWM today if not for our very first short-term mission trip to Indonesia in 1990. Haf way around the world – our 6 children aged 1-14 at home. We had lots of reason why WE SHOULDN’T go, but only one REASON TO GO mattered most: Jesus called us. Virtually everything of consequence in our lives has taken place in the boat, in the storm, in the uncertainty, on the edge, in the midst of His working to change lives as the Gospel was being proclaimed. Our lives were and are being transformed as well.
Western Christians can fall prey to the cultural pull to “stay the course”, “don’t rock the boat”, “what will people think”, “play it safe”, “don’t get out of your comfort zone” – all of which don’t mix well with “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”(Luke 9:23)
The often used phrase “If not you, who?” “If Not now, When?” is mis-attributed to many: from Malcolm X to Roanld Reagan to actress Emma Watson, and many more. It likely traces back to the first century Jewish Scholar Hillel. No matter who really said it first, the point is well taken and the question worth asking you here, whether about an upcoming short term mission trip, or whatever the “next step’ is for the good works Jesus has for you to walk in. Take a step of faith. What’s next? My guess I some of you already know, but are afraid of stepping out. When Jesus calls, His presence, His promise to be with you, is all that matters
“If not you, who?” “If Not now, When?”