Author Unknown
To Fish Or Not To Fish, That Is The Question
Matt 4:19 “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men”
Now it came to pass that a group existed that called themselves fishermen and there were many fish in the waters about them. In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes and the fish were hungry. Week after week and month after month and year after year the group that called themselves “fishermen” met in meetings and talked about those called to fish, the abundance of fish, and how we might go abount fishing. Year after year they carefully defined what fishing meant, defending fishing as an occupation, and declared that fishing be the primary talk of fisherman. These fisherman built large beautiful buildings for local fishing headquarters and their plea was that everyone should be a fisherman and that everyone should fish. However, the one thing they did not do, they did not fish!
In addition to meeting regularly these men determined to send out fishermen to places where there were many fish. This sending committee was headed by those who had great vision and had courage to speak about fishing and to promote the idea of fishing in far away streams and lakes, held meetings to define fishing, to defend fishing, and to decide what new streams should be thought about. But the one thing the staff and the committee members did not do, they did not fish!
Large, elaborate training centers were built whose original and primary purpose was to teach fisherman how to fish. Over the years, courses were offered on the needs of the fish, the nature of the fish, how to find fish, and the psychological effects of fishing. Those who taught had doctorates in ‘Fisheology’! But the teachers did not fish! They only taught about fishing.
Further, the fishermen built large printing houses to publish fishing guides. Presses were kept busy day and night to produce material solely devoted to fishing methods. A speaker’s bureau was also organized to schedule special speakers on fishing. After one stirring meeting entitled ‘The Necessity Of Fishing’, two young men left the meeting and actually went fishing and one of them actually caught two fish! He was honored for his great catch and was scheduled to appear at all the big meetings to tell how he did it. So he quit fishing in order to have time to tell his experiences to the other fishermen!
Now it is true that many fisherman sacrificed and put up with all kinds of difficulties. Some lived near the water and had to put up with the smell of dead fish. Some had to endure the ridicule of some who made fun of these fishermen’s because they claimed to be fisherman but they did not fish.
And they wondered about those who thought it was of little use to attend meetings and talk about fishing. I mean, after all, were they not following the Master who said, “Come and I will make you fishers of men”? Imagine their chagrin when someone actually suggested that they were not really ‘fishermen’. Yet it did make sense. Can we rightfully call a person a fisherman if year after year he never catches a fish?
Can A Person Really Be Following Jesus If He Is Not Fishing? (NOTE: This sarcastic language story is symbolic of the churches efforts today to save the lost. It seems that the mission of most churches is taking care of our own instead of saving the lost. Brethren, if we don’t turn this trend around, we will not see heaven.)
January 31st, 2007
1 Corinthians 1:12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
Are you of Ira Rice? Are you of Harding? Are you of Memphis School? Are you of Lucado? Are you of Sunset School? what camp are you?
Divisions abound among the sisters churches of Christ.
How did we get ourselves in such a mess?It is true that people have different personalities, views, approaches.. This is true regardless of what business we are in, secular or our Father’s business.
My prejudiced view is the underlying cause of division points to us not being true to what we claim. One such area is autonomy.
Autonomy of each congregation is mentioned often as a biblical characteristic of a true church, yet in my 29 years as a Christian, I do not recall having been taught what it takes to be autonomous. Associated with autonomy is that we do not have a headquarters and we are all priests thus there is no separate priesthood. Even elders oversee the congregation that installed them. They are not elders of multiple congregations. Are we true to what we claim?
The churches in Malaysia and Singapore have been around for more than 30 years. Yet we show behaviors of dependency on US brethren. This I believe is the crux of the problem of division among the churches. Learning from US is not the same as dependent on US. We can learn from any one including pagans, nature, newspaper, including other people’s mistakes etc. This does not mean we are dependent on or require approval from them before we dare to act within our own autonomous congregation in another country.
The fault does not lie with the US brethren. The fault lies with our dependence on US. We do have a headquarters! The emotional and psychological headquarters is USA. We do have a separate priesthood. It is the priesthood of "scholars and the educated" from US. Without their blessings and confirmation you may be in danger of disfellowship. Without inviting them, we are unable to hold a gospel meeting. We are tied to the apron string which really is a purse string thus the local minister sponsored by US must toe the line and he has to prove to them their money’s worth. We look for "brotherhood " teaching materials. Is there a headquarters that vet through the materials with a stamp of approval? Is the bible not self sufficient until and unless this "brotherhood" body approves? Why do we still need a US missionary in Malaysia and Singapore? When are we going to grow up after more than 30 years in this region? If we are not ready now do we want to make an effort to cut the apron string from Mama USA so that in a couple of years we are truly autonomous?
Every seed produces its own kind. Its own divisive kind has been reproduced locally and has reared its ugly head for many years in the matter of disfellowship. Ponder on these questions:
1. How is it a brother from a small town Malaysian congregation, dictate sister churches to disfellowship a brother from another congregation? Who appointed him to lord over others?
2. How is such a brother given free rein with the audacity to dictate what congregations in Singapore ought to do when it is different country? Since when is he the authority to oversee his perceived diocese of Malaysia and Singapore?
3. Such a brother depends on the latest news from US when he can easily travel to any congregation in Malaysia and Singapore to check his facts. How did he get away with slandering a brother who lives close to him based on assertions from some US Pharisees living several thousand kilometres away? Are they his headquarters? Are they his separate priesthood who approve his action?
What do you do with such a brother? Should such a one who lives by the sword die by the same sword of disfellowship by sister congregations? 
We must worship God in sprit and truth. John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Notice it says spirit AND truth. We harp a lot on the truth portion but we emphasise little on the spirit part. We also forget that it is an AND statement meaning both are necessary. If someone who is perceived to be teaching something not truth but with the right spirit, he is in danger of being disfellowship…..so…. someone who is doctrinally correct yet divisive in spirit should be disfellowship as well. Right?
What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Since denomination means division, thus such a brother who is divisive is denominaionalist too, a son of Satan the Accuser?
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Matthew 23:3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
Such a brother is denominationalist based on his spirit of division which manifest itself as such
1. Having US as his emotional and psychological headquarters
2. Depending on US as his source of information to disfellowship local brethren without speaking with the accused from another congregtion within and outside his own country as well.
3. Lording over other congregations as if it is his diocese and he is a local representative of the US headquarters.
I repeat, the issue is not learning from any one including US brethren, but the dependence on US as manifests in our behaviour.
So what do you think? As I said in my Part 1 on this topic, I am not seeking your agreement to my views. If I have provoked you to work towards unity even if you disagree with me on approach, I think we are starting the journey of rebuilding after so many years of tearing each other down.
How then do we move forward?
Watch out in Part 3 for some suggestions for us to fast and pray.
January 30th, 2007
