JAN 19: 2020
GATHERING FISH
Whitebaiting – a Childhood Memory
I am going to start with a childhood memory. Dad would wake me up before sunrise when it is still dark and usually cold and we would head down to the mouth of the Taramakau River. We lived near the beach and it wasn’t far – just a few miles. We would unload the car, Dad would carry the big net – which didn’t fit into the boot so dad would have it hanging out of the back and strapped down over the pole of the net with a tie around it and the tow bar. He was always in a hurry, so I would run alongside him over the sand dunes to the river mouth - I would carry the empty bucket. There was usually a small crowd and everyone knew everyone and they all knew the rules. I would sit on the sand and watch. A line was formed and down to the edge of the river, Dad would go when it was his turn. They would be about 50 yards apart. The key was to place the net in the water and just above the sandy bottom so as not to trawl sand into the net. Whitebait were so small so the netting was very fine. Another reason to be careful placing the nets, any sharp rocks may rip a hole in the net. Water would quickly fill the net until it was fully inflated behind the frame and it got mighty heavy. Thus, it took an adult to do this. I tried once or twice as a young teenager but it was too heavy.
Once inflated, Dad would slowly walk along and down to the river mouth’s edge and then step up onto the riverbank and see what he had caught. Sometimes there was nothing, sometimes there was a good pound or so of streaming whitebait, other times there was a mix of whitebait, cockabullies’ and bits of sticks or stones. I would wait excitedly to see what it was going to be as he tipped the net out into the bucket. My job was to pick out the junk. Off he would go back to his place in the line… We would stay there sometimes for a couple of hours if the fishing was yielding anything and even if we weren’t getting much and someone else did well, everyone was egged on to try again. If everyone came up empty-handed for a spell, dad quickly gave up and off we would go home.
I would watch the sun as it rose over the ocean, chase cheeky seagulls away from the fish buckets or play around in the sand, quickly getting tired of just watching the fishers going through their motions time after time after time.
The whitebaiting season was just 3 months of the year each spring) starting 1 September until 30 November each year. The whitebait make their way upstream from the sea, swimming near the river’s edge. They lay their eggs up the river in their spawning grounds - left for the males to fertilize them. They usually swim in groups (shoals) - large shoals are referred to as runs. Big runs often follow floods or spring tides a few days after the water clears – usually in the daytime on a rising tide. Huge excitement would occur is one of the fishers caught a big shoal of fish!
There is a lot to successfully gathering these fish. Today I am going to cover 5 points that relate to gathering fish.
We need to GO to where the fish are
The whitebait were at a specific place - they come in from the sea into the rivers hence the net fishing was at the mouth of a river.
APPLICATION
Mark 16:15 -And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Our mandate from Jesus is to go into all the world is all-encompassing, all-inclusive, all races, all colors, all tribes, all tongues, all ages, both male and female
For us as the church, the mouth of the river is the whole earth.
John 21:3-6 3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. 6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
Listen for Jesus direction as to where to go. Go with Jesus when evangelizing. Listen for who to talk to, when to talk, what to say.
2. We need to know when the fish will be there
Dad would check the tides each evening and time our visits to those incoming tides to maximize our potential of catching more fish. The Spring tides would bring great excitement into the house with the thought of a great catch! Spring tides (aka King tides) are larger than a normal tide and happen twice in a month. A spring tide will typically break through the standard boundaries on a beach and come up further than normal in a high tide. A Springtide often brought in more fish than the catches combined in a week of fishing.
APPLICATION
Matthew 10:16 - Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
We need to be wise as to when we evangelize! That is why here in the States Christians will often pick places where there are crowds – like Bonnaroo music festival. They go in teams, they pray prior to going and usually reap a good harvest of folks who make decisions for Christ.
Acts 2: whole chapter (Handy Link)
The disciples were praying, they were empowered. The city was full of visitors for the feast of Pentecost. The disciples went out into the streets, Peter preached and reaped a mighty harvest - 3,000 souls.
2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
God knows when to go, don’t do it in our own strength. Listen to God. Example: Ray Barnett (expound on how I ‘caught’ Ray’ in the net. This is a one on one example. God moves in all sorts of ways so this is not a prescriptive way to evangelize.
3. We need to fish with understanding
The whitebait live out in the ocean for 9 months of the year and in springtime in the southern hemisphere, they would swim from the sea up into the river mouth and along the river banks close to the edge of the banks where there is less current to swim against. The fishermen would know the seasons, study the tides, look for Spring tides and floods, watch the water, the waves, looking for signs of big shoals, and place the net in the water very slowly and carefully so as not to scare any fish that are there. They never went alone as it was dangerous. At times even 2 men wasn’t enough. I remember 2 of them lost their lives in a spring tide one year.
APPLICATION
Luke 19:5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.
John 2:1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
Matt 11:19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
Jesus went to weddings, invited himself to Zacchaeus house, hung out with sinners. He went to where they were.
One church we attended for about 10 years back home had a net for Asian students coming to Wellington city for University /college studies. The Asian students in WLG would clear out their flats/houses they rent and have just one or two assigned to each one. They would then go to the airports and pick up new students coming in by offering them to stay at their flat, and often fill the flat up to 6 or so guys – or gals. They spoke the same language, ate the same food, with a crowd in the flat is was cheaper for everyone, and they would take them along to the youth nights where they met even more Asians
This is an example of people knowing the habits of the Asians and more specifically Asian students and casting out a net which gathered them in. It was a very successful gathering strategy and the Asian contingent of the church grew to be the largest community within the overall church.
We as Megamorphic are a net. We have a vision for running both regular and special ‘key of David’ gatherings. These gatherings allow for God-given talents to express original, excellent prophetic music to bring glory to God.
Another net is our “Create to Relate” vision. In summary, we are all creative – Biblical creativity is not limited to the arts. We can all learn how to build and grow relationship.
Counseling is just one facet of helping people to develop their creative relationship.
The very act of choosing to gather with others is the most powerful way to get good at relating!!
Don’t be a loner!
4. We need to see the Kingdom as a net
If the fishermen tried to catch one fish at a time, it would take a very long time to get a meal! A net had the capacity to catch 10s or 100s of the whitebait at the same time.
APPLICATION
Matthew 13:47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
It may take one person to lead another to Christ in a prayer of repentance, or to invite another person to church. But for that person to be discipled takes a whole community.
5. We need to be NET gatherers
Fishermen would GO to where the fish were and use the NET to gather them in. As kids, we would often leave the buckets of fish and wander off!! As a result on one occasion when it was a spring tide the waves came up and tipped over the buckets causing us to lose our catches of fish.
APPLICATION
Amos 9:11 -12 11 - In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: 12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the Lord that doeth this.
The tabernacle was a gathering place – where Israel all came together, feasted and brought their offerings. King David’s heart in building the tabernacle to house the Ark of the Covenant (restore the presence of God back to the people) was one of – if not the greatest – achievements he made as King of Israel and Judah.
GO - Gather and Outreach
GO - the GO of the Great Commission includes both Gathering people together and Outreach – reaching out to where they are.
Our church Mission is to mobilize a network. Being gatherers is 50% of the deal. Offering people rides to church, being proactive. We need to work together to gather in the harvest.
Biblically informed Decision (BID)
Lets not just go to church but let’s be church, let’s be gatherers – Monday to Sunday 24/7 we are gatherers
Let’s be relational go-getters
Hebrews 10:25 - forsake not the gathering together as the manner of some is.