Net Cast launches a brand new podcast and website for listeners everywhere
Welcome to our brand new pod site for our Net Cast podcast. We are taking an in-depth approach to sharing the good news about Jesus Christ. Join host, Mark L. Hatfield for each episode and grow closer to the Lord with each comprehensive Bible study.
Podast
You can listen to Net Cast on popular platforms including iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts and more.
To see a list of all of the platforms where the podcast is available, visit www.anchor.fm/netcast. Subscribe to the podcast and stay current using your favorite platform/player.
Pod Site
The purpose of this site is to provide our listening audience with a place to follow up every episode for additional material and information. We offer transcripts of many episodes, a store full of digital downloads. You can also support the podcast by making a monthly contribution. We are solely listener supported.
Why Net Cast?
While Net Cast is short for "internet podcast", there is so much more depth to the significance of our name.
This podcast was designed based on principles that Jesus shared with His disciples when they were fishing, by casting nets (Luke 5:1-11). It is also a short version of "interNET podCAST". The site contains audio files and the corresponding transcripts that are biblical teachings that will serve as a means to encourage others to follow Jesus.
Some of the early disciples of Jesus were fishermen by trade. They understood the many challenges and the intense patient endurance that was required to bring in a net full of fish. After a long night of hard work, they would often catch nothing. They would be found on the shores of Galilee cleaning and mending their nets, in hopes that the next trip out on the water would be more profitable.
On one occasion, a crowd pressed in on Jesus as He was teaching the word of God. The fishermen were no longer in their boats, that were now resting on the shore, and the nets were being washed and repaired.
One of the fisherman, named Simon, was asked by Jesus to get into the boat and push off from the shore a little so that he could teach the multitudes of people that came to hear Him.
After Jesus had finished His teaching, He told Simon to put out into the deeper water and cast the nets again. Since these men had been out all night and without catching anything, Simon Peter questioned Jesus. Yet, Simon was willing to obey the Lord and cast the nets.
As the story concludes, the nets had enclosed so many fish that they began to break. The fishermen aboard the ship had to request help from the second boat and its crew. The net contained so many fish that both boats were completely full and the boats began to sink.
The final scene is remarkable, as Simon's response was to ask Jesus to depart from him, because he was sinful. Simon realized that Jesus is Lord and should not be questioned, but rather obeyed. All of the fishermen were amazed. Jesus finally said to Simon, "Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men."
The whole point of the teaching was to show the disciples that just as He drew an overwhelming crowd of souls that needed to hear the word of God, they too would cast a spiritual net in their new ministry that would create the same results as long as they trusted in the Lord.
They left everything and followed Jesus.
Since following Jesus is the best decision that anyone can make, Net Cast was developed to present biblical teaching that will encourage listeners to come to the Lord and to admonish current disciples of Christ to cast their nets that we might save the lost.
Jesus died for the sins of the world and was resurrected to life again just as He promised. It was then that the real intent of this "fishers of men" concept would be revealed.
In John 21, Simon decided to get into a boat and return to fishing for fish, along with some other disciples of Jesus. On this occasion, they caught nothing. Jesus then made an appearance on the beach and asked, "Children, you do not have any fish, do you?" The disciples acknowledged their lack of fish, saying, "No".
Jesus then commanded them to cast the net on the right hand side of the boat and they would find a catch. When they obeyed the Lord, they brought in a great number of fish. John told Peter that it was the Lord. Peter remembered that it was Jesus who formerly had issued this command to cast the net again. He put his shirt back on, since he was stripped for work, and jumped overboard to swim to meet Jesus. The rest of the disciples brought in the large net full of 153 fish.
Reaching the shore, they noticed that Jesus already had fish cooked for them over a charcoal fire. Jesus asked them to provide even more fish from their catch and then invited them to, "Come and have breakfast." They shared fish and bread in a renewed fellowship with Jesus.
After breakfast, an exchange took place between Simon Peter and Jesus that was intimate and intense. Jesus begins questioning Peter about the sincerity of his love. If you recall, Peter is always so bold about his willingness to remain dedicated to Jesus. He was also guilty of denying Jesus in His trial.
Jesus was testing the enthusiasm and zeal of Peter by asking if he truly loved Him. Peter shows his passion in bold expression, like jumping overboard and hastening to see Jesus. The Lord was having a heart to heart with Peter to make sure that He was dedicated. He asks three times if Peter loved Him. Peter tells Jesus that there can be no doubt about his love, as Jesus knows through experience and by divine knowledge of his sincere love of the Savior.
This confirmation of love led Jesus to admonish Peter, "Tend my lambs" and "Shepherd My sheep". In other words, Peter would spend the rest of his days on earth, working with the souls of men and teaching them the word of the Lord.
Net Cast is a podcast site that has fishing for men and sharing the teachings of the Lord as its primary objective. We hope to help guide your walk with Christ through the studies of the word of God offered here.
Welcome to Net Cast!
In Christ,
Mark L. Hatfield
What Now?
Be sure to take the time to subscribe to the RSS feed on your favorite platform/player to ensure that you will catch every episode of the Net Cast Podcast. Thank you and God bless you richly in Christ Jesus our Lord.