God’s ultimate vision for your life is that you would experience a great catch, but experiencing this breakthrough means you must leave the shallow shoreline behind. This past Sunday at 3C South Coast, we celebrated Father’s Day by launching our new sermon series, GOing Deeper. Keeping “GO” capitalized reminds us that we are actively on the move toward God’s purpose to go and make disciples.
Before looking at the scripture, we prayed together for justice and practical solutions regarding South Africa’s immigration challenges. If you feel led by the Holy Spirit, we are only 40 blankets from our target. Be the reason someone sleeps a bit warmer this winter.
The Call to True Fatherhood and Discipleship
Honoring Father’s Day, Pastor Larry challenged the men of the house to step into the gap as spiritual fathers, especially in a nation where over 70% of children grow up in fatherless homes.
In 1 Corinthians 4:15, Paul the Apostle writes:
“For though you might have 10,000 instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.”
This model of fatherhood defines authentic discipleship. It underpins our vision to raise up 144 men of leadership and 144 women of valor to serve across KwaZulu-Natal. To discover how these structures facilitate our community growth, explore our church life ministries.
Reclaiming Your Design and the “Day of Subtraction”
Our new series centers on Luke 5:4 (TPT), where Jesus commands Simon Peter:
“Now row out to deep water to cast your nets and you will have a great catch.”
Positioning yourself for a great catch requires explicit obedience and physical effort. The word “row” signifies hard work. Peter and his partners were exhausted, cleaning empty nets after a fruitless night. Going back out demanded deliberate effort that defied their professional instincts and human weariness.
Fruitfulness, multiplication, and spiritual leadership are part of your original design. Genesis 1:28 reminds us that “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…'” You are already blessed; you simply need to walk in that reality.
A vital spiritual principle to remember is that before you succeed, you will often encounter a “day of subtraction.” This looks like a sudden challenge, obstacle, or setback where you face insufficiency while battling on multiple fronts.
When you shift toward God’s ways, spiritual resistance is inevitable. Yet, God’s power breaks through right in the middle of those draining situations. As 1 Peter 1:6-7 (NKJV) reassures us, we can rejoice through various trials because the testing of our faith—which is far more precious than gold—brings praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. These trials lead directly to a clearer view of Jesus and the alignment of our souls.
Becoming a New Wineskin
To receive what God is doing now, we need a willingness to change. In Matthew 9:17, Jesus warns against rigidity:
“Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
His teachings of grace could not fit into the rigid, legalistic traditions of the Pharisees. Fresh wine expands as it ferments, requiring a flexible, new skin. Old skins lose their elasticity and burst under pressure. We cannot contain a fresh move of God within old religious mindsets; we need the Holy Spirit to soften our hearts.
| OLD WINESKIN (Flesh & Pride) | NEW WINESKIN (Spirit & Rest) |
| Rigid, legalistic mindsets. | Pliable, open to divine change. |
| Relies on self-effort and works. | Relies on grace through faith. |
| Trapped in worry and anxiety. | Walks in humility and peace. |
| Bursts under new kingdom growth. | Stretches to contain the harvest. |
Worry and anxiety are the fruit of pride and self-effort, showing that we are trying to control outcomes instead of receiving grace. When we humble ourselves under God’s hand (1 Peter 5:5-6), we trade pride for divine empowerment because God gives grace to the humble.
Casting your anxieties once and for all upon Him allows His deep care to eliminate fear (1 Peter 5:7). If you missed the live message, you can catch up on our weekly sermons page.
Working from a Place of Rest
We must also stay positioned in vision. Matthew 9:35-38 shows that when Jesus saw the weary, scattered multitudes, He was moved with compassion because the harvest was plentiful but the laborers were few. We become those willing laborers by trusting that by faith through grace, God is the one working within us to bring His purposes to pass.
True New Covenant faith is never a transactional tool to buy or earn blessings; God’s favor, increase, and breakthrough are always freely received. Real faith produces a state of rest, not the constant restlessness and frustration that stems from human striving. As Hebrews 4:2-3 explains, the word preached only profits us when it is mixed with faith, allowing us to enter His completed rest. Forcing things through our own strength only leaves us exhausted and feeling disqualified.
Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
We are His workmanship, created for the good works He prepared beforehand. While we rest in His finished work, we must still remain sober, alert, and steadfast against spiritual opposition, resisting the enemy firmly in faith (1 Peter 5:8-9). True faith simply means leaning your entire life with absolute confidence upon God’s power, wisdom, and goodness (Colossians 1:4).
Cell Leader Discussion Guide
- The Discipleship Shift: Reflecting on 1 Corinthians 4:15, what is the practical difference between being an “instructor” and a spiritual “father” or mentor? How can we apply this within our families and cell groups this week?
- Leaving the Shoreline: In Luke 5:4, Jesus tells Peter to row out into deep water for a great catch. What does “shallow water” look like in your spiritual walk right now, and what specific step of obedience is God asking you to take?
- Rest vs. Striving: Pastor Larry taught that frustration and worry are signs of relying on self-effort. Share an area where you are currently experiencing frustration. How can you practically humble yourself and enter into God’s rest this week?
To find a community group near you or to access more leadership resources, look through our options to take part in weekly church life.
Practical Ways to Live the Word
True faith requires putting your roots down deep into the Word of God.
- Audit Your Anxiety: The moment you catch yourself worrying, recognize it as an invitation to step out of self-effort. Pause, pray for God’s grace, and intentionally cast that specific care upon Him.
- Commit to the Word: Set aside dedicated time this week to read, study, and meditate on the sermon scriptures.
- Download the YouVersion Bible App to read through Luke 5 and Matthew 9 across multiple translations.
- Engage via Outreaches: Don’t just hear the word; walk it out in good works. Find practical ways to take part in our upcoming local outreaches, including contributing directly to our winter blanket drive.
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank You that You have a distinct plan for our lives and that You never give up on us.
Forgive us for the times we have operated out of pride, worry, and fleshly striving. We humble ourselves under Your mighty hand today and ask the Holy Spirit to soften our hearts, turning us into new, flexible wineskins. Give us the courage to row out into the deep waters of obedience. We rest completely in the finished work of Jesus Christ, and we step forward expecting the breakthrough of a great catch for Your Kingdom.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
