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Get Out of the Boat

By Josh Morris

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19–20

Several years ago, I was sitting in my living room having a conversation with my brother when my six-year-old nephew walked into the room. I knew he was there, but I didn’t pay much attention to what he was doing…that is, until I saw him pick up my watch off the coffee table. I wasn’t overly worried about the safety of my watch, but I did want to know where it was about to walk off to. My brother noticed that I was keeping an eye on him, and so he started to take notice as well. After several minutes of closely studying all the parts and buttons of the watch, my nephew held the watch up to his mouth and licked the face of it. Then he set it back down on the coffee table and walked away.

Shocked, my brother and I looked at each other and simultaneously asked, “Did he just lick that watch?”

Later, I learned that my nephew had recently seen a man lick his finger, rub the face of his watch and wipe it off with his shirt. He couldn’t figure out why the guy had done it, but to my nephew, it looked pretty cool. So when he saw a watch sitting on the coffee table, he knew it was his opportunity. But instead of licking his finger, he figured he could get the watch really wet if he just used his tongue. And after doing all that work, he thought, “Why dry it off?” Although my nephew is much older (and wiser) now, he still gets embarrassed when we crack jokes about him being a watch licker.

People often get embarrassed when they don’t know much about a specific subject. As soon as you start hanging out with people who are knowledgeable in an area you’re not, there are many opportunities for embarrassment. Sometimes that fear of embarrassment keeps us from going deeper. It’s easier to pretend that we’re not interested in something instead of admitting that we are new, untrained and unlearned.

There are several stories in the Bible that cause me to believe the apostle Peter can completely relate to that kind of embarrassment. Matthew 14 tells us about the time when Peter thought walking on water sounded like a great idea. A few moments later, he was gurgling Jesus’ name and crying out for help. Several hours before, Jesus had instructed the disciples to take their boat and go out to sea, but He didn’t accompany them at the time. Later, when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water towards them, they grew afraid thinking that He was a ghost. When Jesus identified Himself and told them not to be afraid, Peter said, “Jesus, if it’s really You, then tell me to come to You on the water.” 

What Peter was really asking is, “Jesus, does Your power work through me? Can I do what You do?” And if you think about it, the fact that Jesus told Peter to come didn’t really prove anything to Peter and the disciples. Anyone could have told Peter to try walking on water. It was only when Peter stepped out of the boat onto the water and did not sink that they knew—this is the Son of God. And while stepping out in faith and saying you need help is never easy and can sometimes be a little embarrassing, it’s always worth it. Peter was the only disciple who actually walked on water.

When Jesus was on earth, He did something incredible that I’ve recently begun to fully understand. Although He impacted thousands of lives directly through His preaching, teaching, and healing, He chose only 12 men to disciple. There is a world of difference between teaching someone and discipling someone. Discipling is so much more. It involves teaching by example, leading through life circumstances and, in the end, helping to completely transform someone’s life.

You have to mature from being a spiritual six-year-old to becoming a fully-discipled adult. Hebrews 5:12–14 addresses the issue this way: “You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.” 

As followers of Jesus, it’s not enough to simply attend church on a weekly basis and assume that you’re experiencing everything God has in store for you. While experiencing church with the Body of Christ is absolutely a part of a healthy Christian life, God wants to disciple you through study of the Word, prayer, and godly relationships. In turn, you will find that your influence in the lives of others begins to grow. You start to have an impact that runs deep and leads to spiritual maturity.

Before He ascended into heaven, Jesus told His disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19–20). 

Jesus was explaining to the disciples that because of the baptism of the Holy Spirit they would soon receive, He would always be there for them. He would be there to continue training them, He would be there to continue guiding them, and He would be there to continue loving them. And because of His Holy Spirit within them, they were qualified to go and make other disciples.

There’s something that you need to know. Jesus is still here to train you, guide you, and love you. That is what qualifies you to learn and grow in your walk with Christ, and then to go and make disciples…even if that means you get called a “watch licker” every once in a while.

Faith is a desperate dive out of the sinking boat of human effort and a prayer that Jesus will be there to pull you out of the water.
~ Max Lucado

Memory Verse

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19–20