Get out of the Boat!
Matthew 14: 22-34
I know two friends in Beirut who became pastors. Vicken Cholakian, he is the pastor of the Armenian Evangelical church of Athens, and his brother Hrayr Cholakian, he is the principal of Shamlian Tatikian School in Beirut. Both loved motorcycles. When they were students we had the experience of riding their motorcycle.
A pastor went to motorcycle shop looking for new cycles. The salesman did not know that the customer was a pastor. The pastor was looking for Honda 750. The sales person started telling him about it. Good speed, acceleration, excitement, racing, good-looking girls would be attracted.
Then the salesperson realized that the customer was pastor. Change of voice: Good mileage, practical vehicle. good visibility…
This pastor was reflecting later that if a pastor likes to buy a lawnmower no one would be surprised. But motorcycle?
Of course motorcycles are dangerous. But there is an image of the church. Is being a Christian more like mowing a lawn or like riding a motorcycle? Should Christian life be safe and secure and no risk? OR, is Christian life dangerous and exciting?
Unfortunately, for “unchurched” people or the common image of a church is that church is slow lawnmower, slow movement… I am not suggesting we should ride motorcycles. I am saying look at the passage. There are times we need to be in the boat as I was explaining in the Armenian message. But it is dangerous if the church is always riding lawnmowers. Maybe it is time we took the risk for and with God.
What can we learn from the passage?
Jesus Loved Simon Peter, the impulsive leader.
Peter, this simple fisherman had special zeal to work with Jesus. Wednesday Bible study group was studying John’s gospel. It was in the last chapter, that we find Jesus asking Peter: Do you love me? Three times. “Simon, son of John Zebedee, do you truly love me more than these”. Three times. Peter said yes. Remember, the same Peter, three times denied that he knew Jesus. He cried and repented. Jesus again is coming and asking Peter, the one who came out of the boat, the one who failed, the one with little faith, Do You Love Me?
Brothers and Sisters, If you are in the boat for long, long, long time, God will ask the same question to you this morning. Do you love me? If it is yes, Get out of the boat. Come on down.
The point here is different. We need also be out of the boat. We need to get moving. We need to put our feet on things which are not very secure. THERE IS RISK IN CHRISTIAN LIFE. I believe Jesus wants the congregation to become DOERS, RISKY DOERS.
The Good Samaritan did not become good by playing safe and never doing anything.
*There was this man drowning in a lake. His wife was not there. His neighbor heard that this man is drowning. He did not do anything about it. The man died. His wife sued the neighbor. The court did not condemn the neighbor. LEGALLY WE ARE NOT RESBONSIBLE. Am I the keeper of my brother?
Yes, Christianity is getting out and sharing. Christianity is not a stagnated faith, it should be moving faith, growing faith, acting faith. Here, Jesus found one disciple, who was ready to risk his life to come to Jesus and learn more. That impulsive, unreliable Peter, became the disciple.
2- We should come out of boat with caution.
Yes, risk it when you are ready. But be focused. Be still even in action. Be calm even when your feet are on JELLO. The secret is the focus. Peter had doubt when his eyes were in wrong place, looking around, looking to the problems. HE lost it. Many of us can lose the mission when we are out of boat and our eyes are not on God. Look straight. “I lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from?” (Ps 121:1) And once you are in the water it is difficult not to look around. You need something stable to stand on or hold.
*One night a house caught fire. A young boy was forced to flee to the roof. His father stood on the ground below with arms outstretched, calling to his son, “Jump, I’ll catch you” .All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. The boy was afraid to jump. His father kept yelling: ” jump, I’ll catch you, JUMP”. But the boy said. “ Father I do not see you” The father said “ But I can see you and that’s all that matters”.
Caution: Do not take risks without being focused on Jesus, even if you not see him. HE IS THERE FOR YOU.
*Tom Peters came with a book, In Search of Excellence. He believes business people should be fearless in their work, with little concern about making mistakes. He believes that people who are out there trying new things but making mistakes should be promoted, while those who never take a risk should be fired. After all, he says, the fearless people are learning.
3- Therefore there is TIME to BE OUT OF THE BOAT.
The author Kent Crockett has said: "God places many of His blessings outside of our comfort zones, then asks us to come get them. If we ever want to receive some things we've never had before, we've got to do some things we've never done before."
What is it for CACC? What will be things that we have not done it before?
For a first time, you took the risk of inviting a new pastor from oversees.
OK, that part is accomplished. What about now? Can we take new chances? If Michelangelo wanted to play safe, he would have painted the floor of the Sistine chapel. No, he did paint the ceiling so that your eyes will look up to the sky.
Feeling secure and safe, being in the boat is part of the CACC mission. But also, risking and moving and driving more mileage is part of the CACC package.
My job is to activate the church so the church will move and take risks. Now each one of you also has a gift which needs to be taken out of the soil and put in action.
Where are you today? Are you in the boat? I hope so. Do you enjoy the fellowship in the boat? Believe me, if you are not in one of the small groups who meet during the week, you are missing that warm feeling of the boat.
Do you want to be like Peter going out of the boat? Do you hear Jesus calling you?