“And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’” – Matthew 4:19
Kaua`i’s Aloha Church sits a stone’s throw from the Pacific Ocean, where generations of Hawaiians have drawn their income and sustenance from the multitude of fish swimming in the clear waters.
However, when some 270 pastors and lay leaders gathered at the church on Tuesday morning, Oct. 16, for the launch of the upcoming Kaua`i Celebration with Will Graham, they weren’t discussing their latest catch. They had a different type of fishing on their mind.
Mayor Bernard Carvalho, a strong follower of Jesus who was instrumental in inviting the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to the island, shared Matthew 4:19. “And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men,’” before talking about a traditional Hawaiian fishing technique.
“There’s an ancient method of catching fish here in Hawaii. Like the New Testament fishing, it’s the collaborative process that involves a net and a community of people,” the mayor explained.
“It is not about the efforts of a single person casting a single line into the sea. Nor is it about hiring a boat stacked with professionals while we sit back and enjoy the view,” he continued. “Rather, a team of committed folks with different gifts, abilities and interests, working together, pulling together, praying together.
“It’s a great way to think about how the modern church can share the light of Christ in the world today. We are a community composed of diverse people with different gifts, callings and interests. But in the end it’s not for our own edification, but the catching of fish, the bringing of people into God’s grace. We live this together. We share in the catch.”
Will Graham then took the stage, fitting in well with the passionate audience as he wore a floral Hawaiian shirt and lei.
Prior to the launch event, Will toured areas of the island that were devastated by historic flooding earlier this year. The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team and Samaritan’s Purse had come alongside homeowners to help them recover from the disaster, but the impact is still being felt.
Speaking from 2 Samuel 5:20, in which David says, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like a breaking flood,” Will offered his vision for what will happen in the coming months as the Celebration takes place.
“I’ve seen the areas where the water flooded roads and tore up the concrete, where it broke through houses. I’ve also seen some of the spiritual darkness here,” Will said.
He then compared the powerful surge of the water to the way the Holy Spirit can and will move in people’s lives at the Kaua`i Celebration. “The only thing that can break it is the God of breakthroughs. God will break through the darkness, the chains that bind people.”
He continued, “This is all about what God is going to do. God’s going before us. We just have to be obedient. God’s got a special plan for Kaua`i. When God leads us, we need to follow immediately.”
In closing the program, Will spoke of Hawaii’s trademark volcanoes as he called on those in attendance—along with thousands watching online—to pray for the upcoming evangelistic outreach.
“Instead of fire bubbling up from the ground,” he said, “let’s pray for spiritual fire from above.”
