Sunday Morning Worship - But I Will Do As You Say With Preacher Archie L Gilmer!

Oak Grove’s story begins with a little church called “the light on the hill,” built in 1920 with timber from a neighbor’s woods, windows from a house coming down, lamps from Skyland, a bell from the Asheville Fire Department, and a whole lot of volunteer labor. That first congregation did not wait until everything looked perfect. Faith used what God had already put in their hands, and the Lord built something.

Ninety-some years later, Oak Grove did it again. The old building got too small, the parking got tight, and the bathrooms were barely enough, so the church moved closer to the community and built the current house of worship. That history matters, but that history is not a recliner. It is not an excuse to sit back and say, “Good job,” while the next generation waits for somebody to hand the faith forward.

Luke 5 puts Peter in the boat after a long night of work with nothing to show for it. Jesus says, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch,” and Peter says the whole thing right: “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as you say.” Faith does not always understand the command before it obeys. Faith just knows who is in the boat.

Jesus does not need Peter’s fishing expertise to find the right hole. Jesus is Lord over the fish, Lord over creation, and Lord over the harvest. The catch comes in so heavy that nets start breaking and boats start sinking. God could have made His point with a few fish, but He filled both boats because He was getting ready to call those men away from fish and into catching men.

Matthew 9 says the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few. The fields do not stay ready forever. Oak Grove has prayed for direction, provision, health, people, and strength, and God has already been answering. Other boats are coming alongside, other believers are helping lift tired arms, and provision keeps showing up before excuses can get comfortable.

John 21 brings the same lesson again after the resurrection. Tired disciples fish all night and catch nothing, and Jesus says, “Cast the net on the right hand side.” The net goes where Jesus says, and the catch comes again. The nets, buildings, playground, carpet, sound equipment, parking lot, and every tool in hand are not trophies. They are nets for catching men and women for Christ.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Obedience does not need full understanding Peter knows fishing, and Peter knows the night has been a waste, but Peter also knows enough to say, “I will do as you say.” Faith is not pretending the facts are different; faith is obeying Jesus while the facts still look stubborn. The deepest trust often begins right where experience says, “This should not work.” [34:50]
• 2. History must not become hiding Oak Grove’s past is full of faith, sacrifice, and God’s clear provision, but a good history can become a soft hiding place. The church honors the “light on the hill” best by carrying the same courage into the next act of obedience. Gratitude for yesterday becomes dangerous when it turns into permission to stop moving today. [39:43]
• 3. Provision comes with responsibility God has been sending help, money, workers, and open doors, not so the church can relax, but so the church can get the house in order for ministry. When needs keep getting met before excuses can settle in, provision starts sounding like a summons. The question is no longer whether God can supply, but whether obedience will match what He has already placed in hand. [48:52]
• 4. Other boats are already arriving Peter’s net-breaking catch required partners, and Oak Grove’s next season will not be carried by one set of hands. Other ministries and brothers and sisters in Christ are coming alongside like boats pulling up beside a sinking load of fish. God’s help often looks like people who arrive just when tired arms need lifting. [51:15]
• 5. Change can be faithful casting John 21 shows Jesus telling tired disciples to throw the net on the other side of the boat. Sometimes faith keeps going in the same direction, and sometimes faith moves the furniture, changes the approach, and casts differently. The point is not preserving the familiar; the point is putting every net where Jesus says fish will be found.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [26:13] - The Ribs That Came Back
• [27:59] - Oak Grove’s Light on the Hill
• [31:05] - Luke 5 and the Miraculous Catch
• [34:50] - Peter Obeys What Makes No Sense
• [36:14] - God Sees Years of Faithfulness
• [42:06] - Breaking Nets and Sinking Boats
• [46:12] - The Harvest Window Is Open
• [48:09] - Other Boats Coming Alongside
• [53:21] - Faith Takes the Next Step
• [55:42] - John 21 and the Other Side
• [60:24] - Nets, Tools, and Needed Change
• [63:55] - Courage to Build Again
• [65:10] - Lord, Do as You Say

Bible Reading

Luke 5:1-11
Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him. [31:30]

John 21:1-6
After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way. Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will also come with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing. But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. [55:42]

Matthew 9:37-38
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” [44:12]

Observation questions

1. In Luke 5, what details show how tired and unsuccessful Peter and the others were before Jesus told them to put out into deep water?
2. What happened to the nets and the boats after Peter obeyed Jesus, and who had to come help with the catch? [42:06]
3. In John 21, what is similar about the disciples’ situation to Luke 5, and what specific instruction did Jesus give them? [59:24]
4. What are some examples of “nets” or tools already in hand that can be used for reaching men and women for Christ? [01:00:24]

Interpretation questions

1. Peter said, “We worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say.” What does that response show about the kind of faith Jesus is looking for? [34:50]
2. The first church building was raised with borrowed materials, donated items, and volunteer labor. What does that suggest about how God often starts His work among His people? [27:59]
3. Jesus filled the nets so fully that they began to break and both boats started to sink. Why might Jesus have chosen to provide far more than a small, manageable catch? [46:12]
4. In John 21, Jesus told weary fishermen to cast the net on the other side of the boat. How can a change in method still be an act of faithfulness rather than compromise? [59:24]

Application questions

1. Where in life right now does obedience seem harder because experience keeps saying, “This will not work”? What would “I will do as You say” look like in that place? [34:57]
2. A strong history can become a soft hiding place. Is there any way gratitude for what God has done in the past has turned into hesitation about what He may be asking now? [39:43]
3. God’s provision brings responsibility. What has already been placed in hand—time, relationships, resources, skills, space, or opportunity—that ought to be used more intentionally for ministry? [48:52]
4. Other boats often arrive when the load gets too heavy for one set of hands. Who has God brought alongside in this season, and is there any help that has been noticed but not really welcomed yet? [51:15]
5. Sometimes unbelief dresses up like caution. When does “being careful” become a way of delaying obedience? How could that be recognized honestly in a church or in a personal decision? [53:21]
6. Everything in hand can become a net for reaching people—buildings, meals, playgrounds, parking lots, conversations, hospitality. What ordinary thing could become a gospel net this week if it were used on purpose? [01:02:54]
7. The harvest does not stay ready forever. Who is already close by—family, neighbor, coworker, or friend—who may just need a little love, fellowship, or invitation right now? What would a simple next step look like? [01:07:09]