Lesson 27 – The Net

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind.” Matthew 13:47.

“The birds of the air, the lilies of the field, the sower and the seed, the shepherd and the sheep–with these Christ illustrated immortal truth. He drew illustrations also from the events of life, facts of experience familiar to the hearers–the leaven, the hid treasure, the pearl, the fishing net, the lost coin, the prodigal son, the houses on the rock and the sand. In His lessons there was something to interest every mind, to appeal to every heart. Thus the daily task, instead of being a mere round of toil, bereft of higher thoughts, was brightened and uplifted by constant reminders of the spiritual and the unseen.” –Child Guidance, p. 51.

CALLED TO BE FISHERS OF MEN

1.To what did the prophet Isaiah compare the world and its inhabitants? From the experience of fishermen, when is the best time for fishing?

Isaiah 57:20. But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it can- not rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

Revelation 17:15. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

“Night was the only favorable time for fishing with nets in the clear waters of the lake. After toiling all night without success, it seemed hopeless to cast the net by day; but Jesus had given the command, and love for their Master moved the disciples to obey. Simon and his brother together let down the net. As they attempted to draw it in, so great was the quantity of fish enclosed that it began to break.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 246.

2.What in life can be compared to silt and sludge? Why is the work of evangelism supremely important?

James 3:16. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

Colossians 2:8. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

“Both the parable of the tares and that of the net plainly teach that there is no time when all the wicked will turn to God. The wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest. The good and the bad fish are together drawn ashore for a final separation.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 123.

3.What did Jesus often do on the shores of the sea of Galilee? Still today, what is He inviting His disciples to do?

Matthew 4:12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19,21, 23. Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; ¹³And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim…. ¹⁵The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; ¹⁶The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up…. ¹⁸And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and An- drew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. ¹⁹And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men…. ²¹And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them…. ²³And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

“When the gospel net is cast, let there be a watching by the net, with tears and earnest prayer. Let the workers determine not to become discouraged; and not to let go the net until it is drawn ashore, with the fruit of their labor.” –Prayer, p. 41.

4.What did Christ make clear when He called His disciples? According to the parable of the net, what will be accomplished?

Luke 5:10, 11. And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. ¹¹And when they had brought their ships to land, they for- sook all, and followed him.

Matthew 13:47. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind.

“Many souls are being rescued, wrenched from Satan’s hand, by faithful workers. Someone must have a burden of soul to find those who have been lost to Christ. The rescue of one soul over whom Satan has triumphed causes joy among the heavenly angels. There are those who have destroyed in themselves the moral image of God. The gospel net must gather in these poor outcasts. Angels of God will cooperate with those who are engaged in this work, who make every effort to save perishing souls, to give them opportunities which many have never had. There is no other way of reaching them but in Christ’s way. He ever worked to relieve suffering and teach righteousness. Only thus can sinners be raised from the depths of degradation.” –Welfare Ministry, p. 249.

RESCUE PLAN

5.Besides the net, what else is used in the fishing operation? What is its purpose?

Matthew 13:2, 48. And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore…. ⁴⁸Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

“The casting of the net is the preaching of the gospel. This gathers both good and evil into the church. When the mission of the gospel is completed, the judgment will accomplish the work of separation. Christ saw how the existence of false brethren in the church would cause the way of truth to be evil spoken of. The world would revile the gospel because of the inconsistent lives of false professors. Even Christians would be caused to stumble as they saw that many who bore Christ’s name were not con- trolled by His Spirit. Because these sinners were in the church, men would be in danger of thinking that God excused their sins. Therefore Christ lifts the veil from the future and bids all to behold that it is character, not position, which decides man’s destiny.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 122.

6.In the process of separation, what is the church’s responsibility? What results is God looking for?

Romans 14:1; 15:1. Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations…. ^15:1We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

Galatians 6:1. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thy- self, lest thou also be tempted.

7.At the end of the conflict of the centuries, what strange work will be accomplished by the God of love and mercy? According to this parable, what will happen at the end of the world?

Revelation 11:18. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest de- stroy them which destroy the earth.

Matthew 13:49, 50. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, ⁵⁰And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

“Again, these parables teach that there is to be no probation after the judgment. When the work of the gospel is completed, there immediately follows the separation between the good and the evil, and the destiny of each class is forever fixed.

“God does not desire the destruction of any. ‘As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?’ Ezekiel 33:11. Throughout the period of probationary time His Spirit is entreating men to accept the gift of life. It is only those who reject His pleading that will be left to perish. God has declared that sin must be destroyed as an evil ruinous to the universe. Those who cling to sin will perish in its destruction.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 123.

For Additional Study

“Peter exclaimed, ‘Depart from me; for I am a sinful man;’ yet he clung to the feet of Jesus, feeling that he could not be parted from Him. The Saviour answered, ‘Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.’ It was after Isaiah had beheld the holiness of God and his own unworthiness that he was entrusted with the divine message. It was after Peter had been led to self-renunciation and dependence upon divine power that he received the call to his work for Christ.” –The Desire of Ages, p.246.

MISSIONARY REPORT FROM NORMAN COLLEGE, U.S.A.

To be read on Sabbath, December 30, 2023

The Special Sabbath School Offering
will be gathered on Sabbath, January 6, 2024

“And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there…. And left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.” 2 Kings 7:5-7.

Greetings from the United States of America, the land of the birthplace of Adventism and the home of the brave, those who will be the first to stand up for the commandments of God against the Sunday law.

This country gained its independence officially on July 4, 1776. It grew from thirteen colonies to become a nation of fifty states, populated by 332 mil- lion people and covering a land mass of 3.8 million square miles (9.8 million square kilometers). Since the opening of the sixth seal and the beginning of the sixth church period of Philadelphia, the United States has been a pro- phetic hotspot. The Dark Day of 1780, the falling of the stars of 1833, and the second great awakening of 1844 all occurred in this land. It was the birthplace of Ellen G. White, James White, Joseph Bates, Uriah Smith, Stephen Haskell, and many other Adventist pioneers.

The Reform Movement in America began during World War I under the leadership of Dr. J.H. Miller and his co-workers. Eventually, Elder Otto Welp, the first President of the International Missionary Society, Seventh-day Adventist Church, Reform Movement, moved from Germany to the United States and helped to build up the work. Today, the Reform Movement has twelve ministers, twelve ordained church elders, and twelve Bible workers serving over 500 baptized members in forty churches and groups spread in thirty of the fifty states within the United States. Every week, new Macedonian calls are received. The nation is divided into four fields making up the American Union–the legally registered, nonprofit, religious organization first incorporated in 1927 after World War I.

By God’s grace, Norman College, a former Baptist university campus and conference center located in Norman Park, Georgia, was miraculously obtained by the American Union after submitting its bid at auction on June 30, 2021, and closing on the property on July 27, 2021. On the campus are five chapels, an auditorium for 900 people, a cafeteria for 350 people, a gymnasium with a 500-person seating capacity, fifty private hotel rooms, thirty-five classrooms, nine offices, a maintenance building, a parsonage, an apartment, and ample green spaces, all on 10.9 acres of land. Each building came completely furnished and equipped with the operating supplies necessary to be- gin. It was reminiscent of the Syrian camp inherited by the Israelites in Elisha’s day. Like the repentant lepers of old, the brethren in America have witnessed the Lord’s blessing upon His people of the last days.

After the acquisition of the College, the delegates to the American Union gathered and voted to update the Union’s constitution and bylaws to establish the former Norman College as the new headquarters of the American Union. As the remodeling, updating, and painting projects continue, the college is already a center for training Bible workers, hosting conferences, recording vid- eos, and operating Orion Christian Academy, an online school. Soon, Norman College Academy, a brick-and-mortar middle school, will open its doors. After that, Shiloh Missionary School will begin and, eventually, Norman College will reopen as a hybrid educational facility, offering online and face-to-face courses in religion (chaplaincy), education, languages, and nursing. Distance learning will be accessible via Internet to anyone around the world who wishes to gain a private, accredited Christian education at a Reform Movement institution.

At this moment, your assistance is needed to install fiber-optic Internet cables and solar panels. Fiber optics will increase efficient and dependable communication within the United States and around the world. Solar panels will reduce electric utility bills and lower maintenance costs. A new science and medical laboratory is also needed. Your donations will make a great difference in building up Norman College, Shiloh Missionary School, and Norman College Academy. Now is the time to invest in the future and share in the enterprise to educate for eternity. You can invest in Norman College for the glory of God.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Sister Ellen G. White wrote to all Adventist believers worldwide to invest in the Southern work in America. Norman Park, Georgia, is in the heart of the old South of the United States.

Brothers and sisters, now is the time to make haste to do something. Will you now give of your means to advance the work in the South? If you have in your possession houses and lands that you do not need, will you sell them, and invest the means thus obtained in more firmly establishing the various lines of work that have been begun in the Southern field? –See Letter 72, 1902, 3, 4, 8.

Throughout her lifetime, the Lord’s servant gave to build up the work in the United States. She told of borrowing in order to give and shared how it was an investment in the treasury of heaven: “We are establishing missions and building meetinghouses in America. I have had some property I could not sell, and as I could not sell, I hired money and tried to invest it where it was most needed in the cause. Already we have placed thirty thousand dollars in the treasury of heaven.” –Manuscript Releases, vol. 5, 310.

Today, the Lord appeals to each of you around the world to help the work in America to grow so as to reach each corner of this huge land and be a blessing to the world. Electric panels, fiber optics, working hands, funds, books, medical equipment, gifts-in-kind, and prayers are all needed. God will bless your investment. Who knows? Perhaps you or a loved one may enroll in one of the institutions at Norman College in the near future. Come to the United States, and see Norman College for yourself. A conference is held every year at the end of December. Thank you in advance for your gifts and offerings. God bless you all.

–Elder Idel Suárez, Jr.
American Union President | Ministerial Research Institute Leader

–Margie Seely
American Union Secretary | General Conference Education Leader