Aaron Salisbury preaches on stepping out in faith at Rivers Apostolic Centre
A sermon by Aaron Salisbury drawing on two biblical stories to call the congregation to act on God's prompting despite desperate circumstances.
Summary
Ps Aaron Salisbury, Associate Pastor at Rivers Apostolic Centre, delivers a message centred on the phrase "launch out into the deep," drawn from Luke chapter 5 and 2 Kings chapter 7. The sermon was inspired by a phrase spoken by Matt Goodatt during an online launch of World Outreach in New Zealand on 8 June, which caused Salisbury's spirit to leap and set him reflecting on the two biblical stories. He argues that both Peter and the four lepers experienced miraculous provision not before they moved, but precisely at the moment they chose to act in obedience — and that someone is always waiting on the other side of that obedience. He extends the theme to Mary's conception of Jesus, suggesting that the entire world's redemption hinged on one woman's decision to agree with God. Salisbury illustrates the distinction between the Holy Spirit within and the Holy Spirit upon through a vivid anecdote: while driving palm branches to church for the Sukkot Feast, a strange bug crawled across his rear-view mirror and ended up on his lap, prompting him to reflect — drawing on childhood memories of insects in Central Africa — that many believers are content to watch the Spirit work from a distance but resist the Spirit coming upon them. He argues it is the Spirit coming upon a person that transforms the battlefield. Salisbury shares personally that in 2020 he suffered a severe heart attack and was told by a specialist he likely had two years to live; he is now in 2026 still standing and still preaching. The message closes with an altar call, inviting anyone who feels desperate — including those contemplating suicide — to come forward and receive the Holy Spirit.
Key Takeaways
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Opening and Scripture Reading
Aaron Salisbury: This morning, as I was just waiting on the Lord, I felt that nudge from the Spirit. Sometimes that nudge is something clear. Sometimes that nudge is just a nudge. But I love it when you have that nudge from the Spirit — that nudge that says, I'm going to do something this morning. Hallelujah. And it's wonderful when that thing that God wants to do is done before you even stand up. It's done before you even begin to utter a word. Because how many know God is great? How many know that his kingdom shall reign? How many know that Jesus is reigning here this morning? Hallelujah.
Well, it's such a joy to be able to open the Word of God this morning and to look at a couple of Bible stories that have really been a blessing to me over the years. If you have your Bibles, we're going to look at two stories this morning. The first one is found in Luke chapter 5. We're reading from verse 1.
"So it was, as the multitude pressed about him to hear the Word of God, that he stood by the lake of Gennesaret and saw two boats by the lake. But the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then he got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When he had stopped speaking" — everyone say, "stopped speaking" — "he said to Simon, 'Launch out into the deep'" — everyone say, "launch out into the deep" — "'and let down your nets for a catch.'"
But Simon answered and said to him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing. Nevertheless, at your word" — everyone say, "at your word" — "I will let down the net. And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And when they came and filled both boats, so they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.' For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken. And so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.' So when they brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed him."
Turn in your Bibles now to 2 Kings. This is the second story we're going to look at today. 2 Kings chapter 7 and verse 1.
"Then Elisha said, 'Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord: Tomorrow, about this time, a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.' So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, 'Look, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?' And he said, 'In fact, you will see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.'"
"Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate, and they said to one another, 'Why are we sitting here until we die? If we say we will enter the city, the famine is in the city and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live. And if they kill us, we shall only die.' And they arose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians. And when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise, no one was there. For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses, the noise of a great army. So they said to one another, 'Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us.' Therefore they arose and fled at twilight and left the camp intact — their tents, their horses, and their donkeys — for they fled for their lives."
"And when the lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank and carried from it silver, gold, and clothing and went and hid it. Then they came back and entered another tent and carried some from there also and went and hid it. Then they said to one another, 'We are not doing right. This is a day of good news and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king's household.' So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city and told them, saying, 'We went to the Syrian camp, and surprisingly, no one was there — not a human sound, only horses and donkeys tied and tents intact.' And the gatekeepers called out and they told it to the king's household inside."
Drop down to verse 16: "Then the people went out and plundered the tents of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord." Look at verse 17: "Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate and he died, just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him."
The Phrase That Started It All
What inspired this message this morning was a man called Matt Goodatt. I encourage you to come next Sunday because Matt is going to be bringing the word of the Lord. On Monday the 8th of June, Matt invited me onto an online meeting where he launched World Outreach in New Zealand. Matt shared many powerful things and told many testimonies of how God is working throughout the world. As he shared, I was enjoying so much hearing the testimonies of how our God reigns throughout the planet. It was powerful. But he said one thing that jumped in my spirit. He said, "Launch out into the deep."
When he said those words, honestly, my spirit leapt. I felt like cousin Elizabeth when Mary came to greet her. I felt like I had a John the Baptist inside of me that was leaping, because it was so powerful. And I've thought a lot about that particular statement — launch out into the deep. Of course, I thought of Luke chapter 5, the first story that we read. It's a story that's well known. I've preached from that story. I've read it again and again. But how many times, for each one of you, have you read a certain scripture or a certain passage of the Word of God again and again, and then suddenly the Spirit breathes on it and something jumps out?
Since the 8th of June, I've been reflecting on that statement — launch out into the deep. It's been going over and over in my mind. And it's such an honor to be here this morning to share with you what the Lord's been revealing to me from that particular statement.
Peter's Story: The Vision in a Desperate Situation
You see, in the first story, Peter was given a vision — a God-given picture of a preferred future reality. And every single one of you this morning, I have no doubt, has in your mind somewhere a God-given picture of a preferred future reality. I believe God speaks to everyone, and God gives everyone that picture. But here's the point this morning: Peter had to make a decision to launch out into the deep. Everyone has a vision, but few actually make a decision to launch into the deep.
How desperate was Peter? Well, Peter was one of those guys who was a difficult one to teach. I can imagine young Peter learning in the synagogue. He was always the one who would put his hand up. The teacher hasn't even finished asking the question and Peter's got his hand up because he's got an answer — Peter's got no idea what he's going to say, but he's got his hand up because he's desperate to be chosen. Over here, over here.
You know, back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth — way, way back many years ago when I was at school — we used to play a bit of soccer. I went to school in Central Africa, and soccer was the game. This was how it would go down. There would be two soccer players who were the best of everyone, and they would be chosen to be the captains of the team. They would stand there looking good, looking flash, athletic — the best, and they knew it. And they got to choose two teams. The rest of us plebs would line up in front of them and get chosen one by one. Of course, the first pick was the best. They would go and stand next to the captain who'd chosen them, looking buff, studying their shoes, ready to get out there and show the world they were the best. The captains would each, one by one, choose a team. But as the choosing went on, every boy standing there knew they were desperate to be chosen towards the beginning because that meant they were considered elite. As the choosing went on, it got worse and worse. The last guys were studying their shoelaces because they just thought, I'm going to be picked right at the end. It's rough when you're so keen and so eager but you get picked right at the end.
And that was Peter. Every Jewish mom had one passion — that her son would be picked as a rabbi. That was the ultimate for any Jewish mom. Peter was in the synagogue, always putting his hand up because he wanted to be picked by the rabbi. To follow a rabbi was the greatest honor any Jewish boy could ever desire. But the rabbis only picked the select of the elect, the best of the best, the crème de la crème. Unless you were the brightest and the best, you never got looked at. In fact, you had to be able to memorize the first five books of the Bible by heart to be chosen. That's how sharp you had to be. The rabbis knew that anyone following them was following in their footsteps, and every rabbi had the desire to create a legacy in Israel through his followers.
Poor old Peter was desperate. So Peter got overlooked. His mom probably said, "Well, hey Peter, at least you can fish. Why don't you just do what your dad did — go out there and try and make a living from fishing." So Peter went out there and did his level best with fishing. And oh, that night — nothing.
Peter was thinking, at least I can fish. I've been overlooked by the rabbis. I've got no chance to ever be anything famous. I'm never going to be remembered. But at least I can fish. Am I talking to someone? At least I can fish. Some of you are thinking, well, at least I can do this. But then when that falls apart, you're desperate.
And so along comes this rabbi — and of course, the rabbis had overlooked Peter again and again. This rabbi says, "Launch out into the deep." And Peter's like, really? Rabbi, why don't you stick to doing your rabbi thing? I'll stick to fishing. I'm the fisherman around here. He turns around and says to the Lord, "We fished all night. I'm the expert, and I caught nothing. There's nothing out there."
But what the Lord did was give Peter a vision — a God-given picture of a preferred future reality. Peter had to make a decision to launch out into the deep. And I believe I'm talking to somebody this morning. Maybe you're just numb. Maybe even comfortably numb, because your life has gone that way. Maybe you were not a great sports person and when they were picking teams, you were the last one. Maybe academically you always put your hand up but the teacher just crushed you. Maybe you were great friends with the principal — not because of your academic prowess, but because of your naughtiness. But the reality is, when we get overlooked and bypassed again and again, when business doesn't go well, when family crushes us with their words again and again, we get desperate. We get so low and we think there's no hope for me. I'm just one of those guys that's always going to be picked last.
But Peter made a decision. He launched out and he experienced the provision of the Lord.
The Four Lepers: Moving Into the Danger
Let's look at the second story. The four lepers, as I'm sure you know, were the most despised people in all of Israel. Lepers were considered to be cursed by God. It was culturally acceptable to spit at a leper when you walked past one. Imagine going out to your workplace and people spit at you as they walk past because they say you are cursed of God, you have leprosy. So the four lepers are sitting outside the gate — completely despised, completely rejected, overlooked again and again. Not just overlooked, but cursed by the people, convinced that God had abandoned them.
But they had a vision. The vision was: anything is better than sitting here until we die. And I want to talk to someone this morning, because I feel there are some here who feel like a leper. You feel that life has just so beaten you up. You feel that you've got nothing to offer. You feel that you just want to stay comfortably numb in your space because you've got nothing to give and nothing to offer.
But these four lepers had a little conference and said to themselves, anything's better than staying here. Come on, let's just try something. We're going to die anyway. Let's just give it a go. So they made a decision to launch out into the deep — into the danger of the Syrian camp. They launched out and they too experienced miraculous provision from the Lord.
The Miracle Is Conceived in the Decision
But I want to show you something this morning. When was the miracle conceived for Peter in Luke chapter 5? The key is verse 5, where it says, "Nevertheless, at your word, I will let down the net." The manifestation showed up in verse 6 — the manifestation of the miracle. But the conception was in verse 5. Peter's decision to move out and launch into the deep conceived the miracle. The manifestation was the great number of fish that showed up in verse 6.
Peter's obedience meant not only he was blessed, but the other boat was blessed too. So much was the blessing that even the other boat began to sink.
Now look at the second story again. When the lepers moved, God moved. I want you to hear me this morning. When the lepers decided to move, God decided to move. The miracle happened when they moved. Their willingness to move — those four lepers — meant a whole nation was saved from death and starvation.
And I want to tell you something this morning: someone is waiting on the other side of your obedience. Someone is waiting on the other side of your obedience. You say, I don't want to launch out. I've been pushed back too much. I wasn't chosen. I was overlooked. Nobody loves me. It's not worth it. But let me tell you — if you can't do it for yourself, do it for someone else. Because someone is waiting. You have no idea who's waiting.
Mary's Obedience and the World That Waited
Go to Luke 1:38. Here's the most powerful story of all. The angel said to Mary:
"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son and shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be? I do not know a man." And the angel answered and said to her:
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you. Therefore also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren."
Here's the key verse, verse 37. Everyone say it together: "For with God, nothing will be impossible." Let's say it again. "For with God, nothing will be impossible."
"Then Mary said, 'Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her."
Here's the question. When in Mary's womb was Jesus Christ conceived? I would like to suggest to you that verse 38 was the moment — because Mary said, "Let it be to me according to your word." And I believe that was the moment Jesus Christ was conceived. But here's the thing: the entire world was waiting on the other side of Mary's obedience.
The Holy Spirit Within and the Holy Spirit Upon
Where are you going this morning? Well, Acts chapter 1 verse 8 says, "And you shall receive power" — just as Mary did — "when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth."
Now, I've got a story to tell you. It was the Sukkot Feast. How many of you went to the Sukkot Feast? Quite a few of you. Well, Wendy said to me, "Aaron, I want you to go and cut down some palm branches." So this was one of the ones I cut down from our property. We had a lot of these bamboo palm things hanging around. I cut down a bunch of branches and we were on a bit of a deadline. So I put down the seats in the car and put all these palm branches in the back of the car. I was driving along, aware of the deadline, and I turned off the highway and came down the service road.
I'm driving along, looking through the mirror, conscious of the time. And I look up in my rear-view mirror and this bug started to crawl across it. I have never, ever seen this kind of bug in my life. It had these long antennae and it was ugly. This thing was just coming across like this. And I'm looking at the bug thinking, hey, I'm driving here. Just leave me alone. I've done nothing. I cut your branch down, but go easy on a guy. I'm just trying to get to church, just trying to honor the Lord and get my palm branches to the church.
So I'm watching this thing. Then it goes black — the street lights on the service road are only every so often. It's like, where's the bug? Oh, there it is. And I'm watching this thing crawling along. Then it goes black again. I look up — it's gone. And I look in my lap. It's on my lap.
You say, why are you freaking out? It was just a bug. Okay, let me give you a bit of history. I grew up in Africa, in Central Africa. The first place we rented was right on the bush. We had a house in the clearing and there was bush right there. As an eight-year-old, I used to love running around the bush — the animals, the insect life, the bird life. One time I was down the back of our place having a great old time running around, and I noticed there were these bugs crawling on a particular plant. They were beautiful — just gorgeous little bugs. So in my eight-year-old wisdom, I thought, I would like to take you home.
Now, why do eight-year-olds put things in their pockets? There is no explanation for why an eight-year-old puts anything in their pockets. You give an eight-year-old an apple — when the apple core comes along, it goes in the pocket. If they're eating an orange, all the pips go in the pocket. As an eight-year-old, you stick everything in your pockets. So I saw these beautiful little insects and I stuck them in my pocket. I was very proud of the fact that in my sweaty shirt pocket I had three beautiful insects.
What I didn't realize was these insects were of the SWAT variety — special weapons and tactics. And I still don't know to this day how they did this, but in synchronization they decided all together to bite. And they weren't just nipping me to say, hi, we're in here, hello. No, they were up for blood. They bit me in such a way that I howled and started to dance that would have rivaled Michael Jackson. I was dancing around the place with these things in my pocket.
So that's the backdrop to the little guy on my rear-view mirror. I do like insects, but I have a respect for them because of that.
And what I learned in Central Africa was we used to go on these outreaches, sometimes hundreds of kilometers from the nearest light bulb — hundreds of kilometers away from electricity. We wanted to be with the people we were evangelizing. We ate their food, we hung out with them, we slept in their huts. But I learned something very early on: don't shine your light on the walls of the hut. Just don't do it. But when you're not supposed to do something, you get curious. So I thought I'd sneak a little quick flick of the torch on the wall. And I regretted it instantly, because in Central Africa, much like here in Australia, I don't know what the bugs eat, but these dinner-plate-sized things were on the walls of the hut. You'd flick the light on and — oh — you'd turn the light off. But then in your stupidity, what do you do? You turn the light on again. You're already freaked out. Why are you putting the light on? And that was the worst thing to do, because you turn the light on again and it's not there. Where is it? Where's this great big hairy thing?
But as that weird-looking bug was creeping along the rear-view mirror and I was looking at it, I felt the Holy Spirit speak to me. And he said, "Many treat my Spirit like that. They're fascinated to watch my Spirit work. They even have the Holy Spirit within them" — Ephesians chapter 1, verses 13 to 14. "However, they don't want the Spirit upon them."
You see, many are sealed in the Holy Spirit, yet they have concealed what is sealed. And when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, he is revealed and transforms the battlefield.
You say, you made that up. No, I didn't. Go to 2 Kings. We just looked at 2 Kings chapter 7. Let's back up a bit in the story of Elisha.
Elisha's Servant and the Horses of Fire
In 2 Kings chapter 6, verses 14 to 17, it says, "Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city."
What was the Syrian king doing? Well, if you read the rest of 2 Kings chapter 6, the king of Syria was very miffed because every bit of secret intelligence and data that he was discussing with his officers and generals — Elisha knew. Everything. Elisha just had such a walk with God that he knew what people were whispering about in the secret place. So the king said to his generals, "How come every military strategy I try against these Israelites, they know exactly what's going on before I even get there? Who is the mole in my army?" And they said to him, "Oh king, there is no mole in your army. It's Elisha the prophet. He knows what you whisper in your bedroom." So the king said, right, the key is to get rid of this Elisha. That's why he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.
Look at verse 15: "So the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, and there was an army surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, 'Alas, my master, what shall we do?' So he answered, 'Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.' And Elisha prayed, 'Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.' Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."
You see, the Holy Spirit is here this morning, and he's here to empower you and to come upon you, because he wants to transform the battlefield. The prayer of the man of God revealed to the servant what was concealed to him.
Here's the question: were the horses and chariots of fire there before the servant's eyes were opened? Yes, they were. He just couldn't see them. Next question: were the fish in the water before Peter launched out into the deep? Yes, they were. Peter just couldn't see them.
Peter had to first agree with God. Mary too had to first agree with God to receive the seed of the Lord Jesus Christ in her womb.
Agreeing with God
Here's a scripture to write down — Job chapter 22, verse 21. It says in the English Standard Version: "Agree with God and be at peace; thereby good will come to you."
This morning is about agreeing with God. Why? Because when you agree with God, there is such peace that comes into your heart. Peter was not at peace. The lepers were not at peace — until they agreed with God. And then it says, "Thereby good will come to you."
It says in Hebrews 11 verse 6: "But without faith it is impossible to please God." You can have all the love, all the grace, and all the other wonderful attributes, but without faith God is not pleased. It's that simple and straightforward. "For he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him."
The Call to Launch Out
This morning we're going to pray for some people, because I believe the Lord is calling us as a church to launch out into the deep. What does it mean to launch out into the deep? It means even though your situation may be desperate, even though nothing may appear to be going right right now, even though you may be sitting in your seat comfortably numb — the Lord is here by his Spirit and he wants to come upon you. Why? Because when he comes upon you, he transforms the battlefield.
Some of you are in the thick of it right now. You're in the battlefield. Maybe you've just kind of checked out and said, well, I'm just going to go on existing. God didn't call you to exist. He called you to thrive. And if you're not thriving, maybe it's because it's time to launch out into the deep.
What I love about the stories we read this morning is that God called Peter and God called the lepers in their worst possible place. They weren't pumped. They weren't overcoming. They weren't full of pride. They were desperate. And there's something about when the people of God get desperate.
Maybe you say, but you don't understand, Aaron. I'm in the worst place of my life right now. Let me tell you — you're exactly where God wants you to be. Because when he begins to move on your life, it will be to him the glory.
Personal Testimony: The Heart Attack
I've been debating whether to share this or not. Can I be a bit vulnerable this morning? As many of you know, in 2020 I suffered a severe heart attack — so bad that as I lay on the plinth right there, the doctor told me this afterwards: the orderlies and the medical team stood around me and said, "We don't think this guy's going to make it, but we'll take a chance. We'll pump him full of drugs and just hope for the best." So they stuck two cannulas in my arms as I was lying there in severe cardiac arrest, pumped me full of drugs, and the Lord began to work in my life.
I remember returning back to church. I couldn't even stand in worship when I first came. I was so weak, so had it, so sick. I would come and sit in my chair, and my son would drive me to church and drive me home. I went to see a specialist after I came out of hospital, and the specialist looked me in the eye and said, "You've probably got two years of life left, because someone who's got your condition doesn't come back from it. Medically, it's not possible."
That was said to me in 2020. It's 2026. I'm still standing.
And let me tell you, I'm going to keep launching out. Because many of you have had the medical fraternity, you've had your family, you've had people that you look up to tell you, you're not going to do it. You're not worthy. You've been overlooked again and again. And you're saying, well, my life means nothing. I don't have what it takes.
Well, let me help you here. You're right — you don't. But there is someone who does. And that someone is here in power. And he wants to come upon you. Why? Because he wants to transform your battlefield. Sometimes he takes the enemy out, like he did for the lepers. Sometimes he doesn't take the enemy out, but he gives you the power to overcome the enemy. But whatever happens, God wants to transform your battlefield.
Altar Call
So I'm going to ask everyone to stand. Would you stand this morning as we bring this service to a close? The power of God is here to come upon you, because he wants you to launch out into the deep.
I'm going to ask you in a moment to come to the front. And you're not coming to Aaron. You're not coming to Rivers Church. You're not coming to any of that. I'm asking you — come to Jesus. Come and experience his power. Let the Spirit of God come upon you. Why? So you can be a witness. Let the Spirit come upon you so you can bring forth, as Mary did, something that is going to change the world.
And I'm speaking to those right now who feel maybe you've just got nothing left. Maybe you're at your last place. Maybe even you're contemplating suicide. Don't ever do it. There's always hope. I'm speaking to someone this morning. I just want to say to that person who is contemplating suicide — there is hope this morning. God wants to deliver you. God wants to set you free. God wants to come upon you, because when he comes upon you, he's going to demonstrate his goodness and his power.
So come. If you want the Spirit upon you this morning, just come. Come to the front. Come and stand up the front. Thank you, Jesus. I'm going to ask Andrew to come stand with me. We're going to pray for some people this morning. Just come. Launch out into the deep. Hallelujah. Launch out this morning. Launch out. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Father God.