In Luke 5:1-11, Jesus does something unexpected. After a long night of fishing with nothing to show for it, He tells Peter — a professional fisherman — to go back out and cast his nets again. In the middle of the day. It didn’t make sense by any conventional standard. Yet Peter, despite his hesitation, obliged. And the catch was so massive it nearly broke the boats.
Pastor Josh White used this story as the backdrop for a message about what he calls “Chair Three” — the third in a series on the different chairs or postures of a disciple’s life. Chair One is about hearing truth. Chair Two is about discovering who God is. Chair Three? It’s about dedicated service — moving from learning to doing, from observation to participation in God’s work.
Available: Willing to Be Interrupted
The first quality Josh noticed in these disciples was availability. Peter was mending nets after an exhausting, fruitless night. He had every reason to say, “Not now, Jesus. I need to get this done.” But when Jesus asked to use Peter’s boat as a makeshift pulpit, Peter said yes. When Jesus then asked him to go back fishing, Peter didn’t let his schedule or his pride get in the way.
That’s availability — not having every moment perfectly organized for God, but being willing to be interrupted where He has placed you. Josh challenged the congregation: “Disciples are available for God to interact with them in their lives where they are at.” It’s not about clearing your entire calendar. It’s about leaving room for the God who shows up in the ordinary moments of your week.
Faithful: Responding to Difficult Requests
Fishing in the middle of the day was, as Josh put it, “a little bit of a silly request.” Everyone on shore who had just heard Jesus teach was watching Peter lower his nets again. His professional reputation was on the line. Yet Peter responded faithfully anyway — because he respected Jesus more than he feared looking foolish.
This kind of faithfulness shows up when God asks us to do something that doesn’t make sense by worldly standards. It might be forgiving someone who hurt you, generosity that feels reckless, or a step of obedience that nobody around you would choose. Faithful disciples don’t wait until the coast is clear. They trust the One giving the instruction.
“Don’t be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.”
— Luke 5:10b
Teachable: Willing to Hear, Even When It’s Hard
Josh drew a sharp line between a teachable heart and one that’s already arrived. A person with an unteachable heart says, “This is just the way I am. This is how things are going to be. You’ll have to deal with it.” That’s not a disciple — that’s someone who’s decided they’re done growing.
Teachable disciples, on the other hand, “want to have a heart that is willing to hear how God would like us to not only live positively, but also to confront the sin that might be living in our lives.” Teachable people let God’s Word disturb their comfort. They let the Holy Spirit expose the patterns they’ve justified for years. And they’re willing to change.
Obedient: Applying What You’ve Learned
Disciples don’t just listen — they act. Josh noted that when the disciples discovered something about who God is and how He wanted them to live, they didn’t keep it to themselves. They said, “I will take this into my life and share it with others.”
This is where many believers stall out. They grow in knowledge but never move to practice. They can recite theology but their lives don’t reflect a pattern of obedience. Chair Three is about closing that gap — not perfectly, but genuinely. The question isn’t “Do I know what God wants?” It’s “Am I doing what God wants?”
Responsive to God’s Leadership
Finally, Josh challenged the church to be responsive when God’s leading requires a difficult decision — even one that changes everything. Peter had been a fisherman his whole life. Jesus told him his career was about to change: “You are going to be a missionary.” It required leaving what was familiar.
Responsive disciples ask: If God’s leadership and prompting has me make a difficult decision, am I willing to listen? That might mean a change in vocation, relationships, priorities, or location. God isn’t looking for reluctant conscripts. He’s looking for people who will say, with Peter, “If this is really what You’re asking — I’m willing.”
So What?
Two things Josh left the congregation with. First, God uses us in our weakness and brokenness. He doesn’t need polished, fully-equipped disciples. He uses vessels who know they need help. When Peter and the others went out to cast those nets, they weren’t capable — they were exhausted and empty. God chose that moment precisely because it wasn’t their strength on display. That’s the pattern throughout Scripture: grace works best in weak vessels.
Second, we live this out in community and by the Spirit. Paul asked the Galatian churches a convicting question: “Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3). Growth, obedience, ministry — none of it is meant to be done alone. Josh pointed to Ephesians 4 as a picture of this: the body of believers unified, each member playing their part, equipping one another for ministry.
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.”
— Ephesians 3:20-21
Scripture References
- Luke 5:1-11 — The Calling of Peter
- Galatians 3:3 — Beginning by the Spirit
- Ephesians 3:20-21 — God’s Power at Work in Us
- Ephesians 4:1-16 — Unity and Growth in the Body