San Diego Church

As they obeyed that command, Jesus spent the next three years equipping them for the work of catching, cleaning and gathering a different kind of 'fish.' So down through the ages this work has gone on. And the picture of the net is an abiding one. With it we catch the fish of today - young people in need of the life He offers.

The G12 Vision also uses nets, both to catch these fish and also to develop them to become like Jesus. The basic work is done in the Life Cells, but the Life Cells must come together in the Celebration Service on the weekends. There is more to "church life" than the Life Cell. New believers are presented to the whole body of Christ of which they have just become a part. The Celebration Service is a splendid way of expressing the joy of people coming to Christ and finding their place in the body of Christ.

But there is also another part of the strategy that is called 'The Nets.' These are the occasional gatherings of all the Life Cells at once. The principle purpose of these Nets is evangelism, spiritual warfare, prayer, celebration and vision. When the Life Cells get together it is like the troops assembling. All the little companies gather in their battalions and begin to think, feel and act corporately. They are part of the greater army of God and must fill their function.

This level of corporate gathering is essential. Those who make commitments to Christ in the Life Cells need to confirm their decision publicly and discover the wider family of God. Such gatherings are powerful times of prayer and intercession, making spiritual warfare central. Spiritual forces are routed and God's victory is stamped on the spiritual atmosphere.

During the net meetings the vision is held up once again and people are made fresh in their determination to fulfill it. There is an opportunity for fine-tuning and repairing the breaches. Issues are addressed corporately and everyone hears the same thing at the same time, building stronger and stronger unity.

But one of the greatest purposes of the Nets is to bring everyone together to praise and celebrate the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is nothing like going to a big meeting where Jesus is being glorified by those who are fighting shoulder to shoulder in the trenches. When we come together we encourage each other in the fight and learn to stand strong in the battle.

The Nets can grow very large. It doesn't take long for the multiplication to reach into the thousands. This process begins with a single cell, but it soon grows to 12 and then those 12 will reach another 12 and so you have 144. That process repeats and you have 1,728. Once more and you have 20,736.

Imagine a youth group so large that they have to be banned from coming to the regular church meetings on a Sunday because there is not enough room for them. Picture a whole stadium filled with youth committed to becoming the kind of men and women of God He called them to be. Think of tens of thousands of young people meeting in Qualcom Stadium proclaiming deliverance for the city. All this is possible through the G12 net meetings.

During these meetings the net is cast for the lost to be saved. The Holy Spirit pours Himself out and hundreds make commitments. And they do so in the presence of a people ready to receive them. The consolidation process begins right away and disciples are made. The Net meetings are a very powerful means of winning people to Christ. When these Nets start to operate in the city, salvation will not be far away.