Fishers of People

Matthew’s Story of Purpose

You heard that Matthew did a summer internship with our NextGen team, which wrapped up a few months ago. I can speak for the whole staff when I say he was a huge answer to prayer—stepping in and filling gaps during a season of big change. There were definitely some tears at his last staff meeting… and maybe even a whispered prayer that he’d get kicked out of school so we could have him back.

But what I loved most is this: real transformation happened when his life connected to a purpose greater than himself. When he first moved to Minnesota, it was, “I don’t want to be here. I want to go back.” But that shifted when he got involved in NextGen ministries—serving at Camp Daniel with those with disabilities, helping lead Summer Blast VBS, pouring into hundreds of kids, and pointing them to Jesus. His life was no longer about himself—it was about something bigger.

The Need for Purpose

We need purpose. A deep sense of purpose is vital for our souls. It’s what gives us direction. It’s what gives our lives meaning and keeps us going, especially when times are hard. That’s why Ravi Zacharias once said, “Purpose is to life what the skeleton is to the body.” Take away a man’s purpose, and you take away his will to live. This is the fundamental problem with a worldview where there is no higher being and everything came from a random explosion. There is no purpose. There is no meaning to your life. You might as well pursue immediate pleasure and satisfaction, because nothing ultimately matters. And in many ways, that defines the world we live in right? A world that is running after immediate pleasure. Why? Because that is all you have when you have no purpose. Just the next moment of satisfaction. We see King Solomon, a man who had everything from earthly standards, recognize this reality when he writes in Ecclesiastes,

Ecclesiastes 2:10–11 NLT

Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

This world can offer endless pleasures, but like the wind, they are here one moment and gone the next. Viktor Frankl, the psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, wrote, “Ever more people today have the means to live, but no meaning to live for.” Deep down, we long for a purpose greater than ourselves.

One of the greatest gifts Christianity offers is exactly that: Jesus calls us to a purpose far greater than ourselves. In a world that says, “Nothing matters—live for yourself,” Jesus says, “I have made you for something far greater—a purpose that is truly fulfilling.”

We see this shift in our Luke reading from the Cast the Nets series. You know the story: Jesus gets in Peter’s boat and tells him, “Go out where it is deeper and let down your nets.” Peter had fished all night and caught nothing, yet he obeys: “If you say so, I will.” What follows is a miraculous catch beyond imagination—so many fish the boats begin to sink. Chaos surrounds them, Peter cries out, yet Jesus remains calm. And after it all,

Luke 5:10–11 NLT

Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.

Jesus calls the disciples to a new purpose. A purpose far greater than themselves. And there are three key realities about this purpose that Jesus gave not only to the disciples, but to the purpose that he has for each on of your lives.

Jesus shifts your purpose from seeking temporary things to investing in eternal people.

The first point is this: Jesus shifts your purpose from seeking temporary things to investing in eternal people. He takes the purpose of your life — like He took the purpose of the disciples’ lives — and redirects it. Peter, Andrew, James, and John weren’t just fishing for fish anymore; Jesus called them to a greater purpose: fishing for people.

Now, it’s important to notice — Jesus wasn’t saying, “Never fish again.” In John 21, we see the disciples back at the nets after the resurrection. They likely continued fishing to help fund their ministry. And in the same way, God isn’t calling every one of you to quit your job and enroll in seminary. No — He’s shifting the purpose of what you already do. From living for things to living for people. From chasing what fades to living for what lasts.

This is a radical shift, especially when you think about your daily life. I’m guessing a lot of you know what I mean. You wake up. You look at your calendar, your to-do list, and you take a deep breath: “Oh boy. I have so much to get done today.” And then you go. You rush from meeting to meeting. You avoid conversations because, well, you have work to do. And when people do come up, you try to keep it short. At the end of the day, you can check off every item on your list. But here’s my questions. Do you God looks at that kind of day and says, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. I’m so proud of how productive you were?” I don’t think so. I think He would say, “Child, you are missing your purpose. You are missing the people I am placing right in front of you.”

Henri Nouwen put it like this: “You know … my whole life I have been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted until I discovered that my interruptions were my work.” You were created not to live just for things that fade, but for people who last forever.

Jesus shifts your purpose from blending in to being the salt of the earth.

The second point is that Jesus shifts your purpose from blending in to being the salt of the earth. In our other Gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus is giving the Sermon on the Mount to these large crowds, and in it, he says these words that give a very clear picture of of the purpose that you have as His follower. He says,

Matthew 5:13 NLT

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

“You are the salt of the earth. Not, ‘Go try to be.’ Not, ‘Give it your best shot.’ You are. That’s a statement of certainty — a statement of identity — because the gospel doesn’t just transform what you do; it transforms who you are. You are salt that God has scattered into the places of your life — your home, your workplace, your neighborhood. So what does that mean? Well, let’s think about what salt does. Salt doesn’t exist for itself. No one eats a bowl of salt — that would be disgusting. Salt exists to bring out the flavor of whatever it touches.

This is the problem if your if your goal as a follower of Jesus is just to blend in. If you talk like the world, live like the world, chase what the world chases — why would the world ever believe your witness? Just like salt that loses its flavor, a believer who blends in loses their impact.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, ‘Flight into the invisible is a denial of the call. A community of Jesus which seeks to hide itself has ceased to follow Him.’

So what do your unbelieving friends, neighbors, and coworkers need most? Another version of themselves that blends in? Or someone who embodies the hope of Jesus? Someone who lives for what’s eternal? Someone who adds the flavor of grace to their otherwise lifeless pursuit?

You are the salt of the earth.

Jesus shifts your purpose ultimately to Himself.

But finally, Jesus shifts your purpose ultimately to Himself. Jesus concludes,

Matthew 5:14–16 NLT

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Isn’t that incredible? You are the light of the world. Jesus says that you have been placed in this dark, broken world to shine. To walk in a way that shines. To live with a purpose that shines. For your own glory? No no no. “So that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” You see, all evangelism, witnessing of your faith, shining your light - all of it is to lead to one reality, the ultimate purpose each one of us was made for, and that is to know, love, and glorify Jesus. All purpose in life finds its end in Jesus. He is ultimate meaning behind everything, because He is the ultimate One that gives meaning to everything. The light that you shine is merely a reflection, because Jesus says,

John 8:12 NLT

“I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

As we think about Cast the Nets and where God is leading, it’s not ultimately about money. It’s not about buildings. It’s not about expansion. It’s about Jesus. It’s about as many people as possible discovering their ultimate purpose—the reason they were created—to know, love, and glorify the God who has redeemed them and claimed them as His own. That is where true fulfillment is found.

And the primary way God is revealing Himself to those people is through you. You are the salt. You are the light. God uses you, not because you’re perfect, but because you are an imperfect vessel into which His light has shined. And the beauty of that is this: when people see someone imperfect radiating a hope and purpose that isn’t of this world, they start to wonder, “Who is this Jesus? Could He do the same for me?” So let’s cast the nets. Be the salt. Shine the light. All for Jesus and His glory. Let us pray.