Being A Fisherman

Rev. Michael Carl

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”  As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea?for they were fishermen.  And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.”  And immediately they left their nets and followed him.  As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets.  Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

What did it mean when Jesus strolled the shore of Lake Galilee and call those men to serve Him without reservation?  Well, in one way or another, it meant a complete surrender to Jesus.  When they heard Him say, “‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me’” (Mark 8.34), they eventually learned that He meant it.

For most of them, it meant dying for the Lord.  We all know from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs that all of the original Apostles, second edition (with Matthias), except John went to a martyr’s death.  Thomas, not realising the full impact of what he was saying, said it correctly when he said in John chapter eleven, “‘Let’s go back to Judea so we may die with Him.’” 

Yet, we have to ask today, what does it mean when Jesus says, “‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people’”?

Is there any real meaning behind Jesus’ own words, “‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me’” for us today?  Do we really believe this or have Christ’s own words simply become a romanticised exercise in a formulaic religious contemplation for today’s 21st Century North American Christian?

In truth, we have to come to terms with the reality that if we don’t really believe He means what He says in these Mark passages, then in fact we are denying the truth and efficacy of God’s Word. As one of my teachers along the way said, “We’re professing believers; but in fact, we’re practical atheists.”

The good professor was blunt, but brutally true.  When it comes to obeying the Word of God, we don’t do too well with the passages requiring personal sacrifice.

Folks, this must change.  If we’re ever to realise the depth and beauty of a vital relationship with our Lord, we have to let go and be willing to trust Him with ALL of His Words.

Are we willing to do that?

If not, then our practical doubts are going to rob us of the very meat and meaning for which we deeply long.

Let us resolve this day that we’re not going to be spectators; we’re going to take a step from the shore, wade in and fully become “a fisherman”.

What Change?

Chuck Baldwin
December 5, 2008

“Change you can believe in.” This was Barack Obama’s campaign slogan. There is no doubt that the American people were fed up with George W. Bush and his fellow Republicans. Who can blame them?

After campaigning for change back in 1999 (What political challenger doesn’t campaign for change?), President Bush and his fellow neocons promptly set out to continue business as usual in Washington, D.C. Federal spending and meddling exploded under the leadership of the GOP. In fact, one has to go back to the administrations of Franklin D. Roosevelt to match the increases in Big Government and Big Brother by Bush and Company. Add to the out-of-control spending habits of the GOP an unnecessary war, a near-Depression economy, and a burgeoning police state. It is no surprise that the American people were ready for change. And Obama excelled in delivering the message of change. So, what kind of change will Obama actually deliver?

Will Obama remove U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan? Probably not. Oh, he might reduce troops in Iraq, but if anyone believes that he will not leave a significant U.S. presence in Iraq, they are living in a dream world. Furthermore, many, if not most, of the troops from Iraq will most likely find themselves in Afghanistan. Mark my words; Barack Obama has no plans to remove U.S. troops from the Middle East. Net result: no change.

What about America’s economic woes? What changes will Barack Obama bring to the table? Hardly any. America will continue it’s trademark deficit spending; we will continue to send manufacturing jobs overseas; so-called “free trade” deals will continue to advance; Big Business will continue to receive government bailouts; the Federal Reserve will continue to call the shots for America’s financial decisions (and reap gargantuan profits in the process); Congress will continue to be inept, irresponsible, and clueless; there will be no attempt to return the United States to sound money principles; and there will be no reduction in foreign aid. In a nutshell, it will be business as usual in Washington, D.C., and New York City.

Don’t get me wrong: Barack Obama will doubtless throw out some bones to his liberal supporters in much the same way that Republican presidents throw out a bone or two to their conservative constituents. Watch for Obama to overturn the ban on embryonic stem cell research. America’s upper income earners can expect some sort of tax increase. No doubt oil companies will end up losing some tax exemptions. Watch for additional environmentalist policies to be enacted. And, yes, there will be some sort of “universal health care” proposal. But the Bush administration has already given America a socialized financial system, so how can Republicans complain about socialized medicine?

Obama might try to resurrect the “Fairness Doctrine.” Some suggest that Obama might try to rid the prohibition of homosexuals serving in the armed forces, but I doubt that he will take on this one. The political net gain would not be worth the potential fallout.

Although he might want to, I doubt that Obama will actively promote additional gun control (Democrats always lose when this happens). He may push for a ban on “high capacity” magazines that hold over ten rounds, as Bill Clinton did. If Obama does not go after guns directly, we can expect some sort of attack on ammunition (which is already happening) that will drive up the cost of ammo even more. Of course, some sort of gun confiscation or martial law could materialize in the wake of another “terrorist” attack. But a McCain administration would act no differently, so, again, the net result is zero change. Remember, it was Republican George W. Bush who expunged Posse Comitatus and deployed 20,000 army troops on U.S. soil to be used for domestic law enforcement. If Obama really wanted to bring about change, he would reverse Bush’s draconian decisions, would he not? Don’t hold your breath.

We can also expect more harassment of gun owners and lawful gun dealers by the BATFE. But this is no change at all. The current leadership at BATFE is already about as hostile to gun owners and gun dealers as it can possibly be. An Obama BATFE will be no worse. But neither will it be any better. Net result: no change.

So, what will be the overall change to the direction of America? Answer: there will be no change to the overall direction of the country. There will be no change to the welfare state. There will be little change to the warfare state. No change to NATO, except to expand it. Very little change, if any, to foreign policy. No change to America’s open sieves, otherwise called national borders. And there will be absolutely no change to the burgeoning New World Order that began in earnest under both Bushes and Bill Clinton.

The NAFTA superhighway will have the support of the Obama administration. The North American Community will proceed unimpeded by the Obama White House. In all likelihood, the Amero (a common currency with Canada and Mexico) will materialize during Obama’s first term. But this would all have happened had John McCain been elected. No change here.

One reason why it is so easy to predict a business-as-usual Obama Presidency is the people that Obama has surrounded himself with. Former New York Federal Reserve chairman Timothy Geithner* for Secretary of the Treasury; former Secretary of the Treasury Lawrence Summers* for National Economic Council director; Bush’s Defense Secretary Robert Gates* will keep his job; Illinois Representative Rahm Emanuel for Obama’s Chief of Staff; Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State; Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano* for Secretary of Homeland Security; former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle* to head the Health and Human Services Department; former Assistant Attorney General Eric Holder to be Attorney General; New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson* as Secretary of Commerce; Susan Rice* for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations; Paul Volcker* for the Economic Recovery Advisory Board; James Steinberg* as Deputy Secretary of State; Mona Sutphen* for Deputy White House Chief of Staff, and Louis Caldera* for Director of the White House Military Office.

Does anyone see “change” with the above names? Every one of them is a longtime political insider. And at least eleven of them (those with an asterisk [*] behind their names, above) are members of the globalist Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). In fact, six out of the eleven cabinet-level positions in the Obama administration are CFR members.

The CFR has dominated both Democrat and Republican Presidential administrations for decades. Presidents such as Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton have all been members of the CFR. Vice Presidents such as Hubert Humphrey, Nelson Rockefeller, Walter Mondale, and Dick Cheney have been CFR members. And over the last several decades, practically every secretary of defense, secretary of the treasury, and most CIA directors have been CFR members. And let’s not forget that this year’s Republican Presidential nominee, John McCain, is a CFR member.

Do you now see why–no matter who is elected President of the United States–nothing changes? Republican or Democrat, it does not matter: the CFR and their collaborators remain in power. And as Sonny and Cher used to sing, “The Beat Goes On.”

There will be no real change in Washington, D.C., until the CFR and their elitist cronies are thoroughly and universally removed from power. And the only way this will happen is if we elect an Independent President of the United States (someone who truly understands the New World Order and is dedicated to defeating it), because the two major parties will never allow someone opposed to the CFR to become their nominee. The only Republican candidate for President in 2008 who demonstrated those credentials was Dr. Ron Paul. And to a lesser degree, the only Democrat who even seemed to vaguely understand this was Dennis Kucinich. Notice that both men were thoroughly repudiated by their respective parties’ leadership and all but totally ignored by the national news media. (The CFR and their surrogates also control the national news media. What a coincidence!)

So, while the occupant at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue may have changed, there will be no real change to the direction of these United States. Count on it!

*This is the final call for FREEDOM DOCUMENTS. Orders must be received by Wednesday, December 10. To order FREEDOM DOCUMENTS, go here:
http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/products.html

*If you appreciate this column and want to help me distribute these editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link:

http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/donate.php

© Chuck Baldwin

Chuck Baldwin is Founder-Pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. Dr. Baldwin is also the host of a lively, hard-hitting syndicated radio talk show  “Chuck Baldwin Live” and is the Constitution Party nominee for President in 2008. 

To learn more about his radio talk show please visit his web site at: www.chuckbaldwinlive.com. When responding, please include your name, city and state.