An Institute of Fishing Mark 4 060108
An Institute of Fishing
Matthew 4:18-20
Have you ever got a bad case of the ‘I oughtas’ or the ‘I shoulda’s’. U know what I mean. That is when you think of doing something, talk about doing something, but just don’t get a round to it. What I would give for a round “to-it” whatever that is.
Sometimes we say we oughta do it, just to make us look better & feel better.
Christians are notorious for doing that. I oughta read my Bible. I shoulda prayed about it. I shoulda went & checked on somebody. I oughta share X w/someone.
If we are not careful we can I oughta and I shoulda, all throughout our lives.
Why don’t we do it? We don’t do it because it these kind of things can &will change lives.
God’s Word, time w/ Him, & our testimony changes lives and all the powers of hell fight against us daily to keep us from growing in the Lord. And the whole time we lack zeal for God & people all around us need Jesus. I am closing out a series today on The Plan: X’s Great Commission & our response to it. My concern is that we are simply relieved because the series is over & we will go on to other stuff, instead of dealing with our lack of obedience in this area of sharing X. I just hope that is not the case. Read and Pray
Their responsibility was to leave their agenda & follow Him. His resp. was to make them successful. The weight of your success is on X. The weight of your obedience is on you.
You don’t have to worry that He is going to give you more than you can handle.
He is the one that does the work. He just does it thru you.
He has a way of making your weaknesses strengths & converting your strengths to His use. Just look at this fishermen he used. They were unschooled, ordinary men.
Filled w/the Spirit of God, they spread His Word all over the known world.
How? He made their weaknesses strong—Peter’s foot shaped mouth became God’s mouthpiece for proclamation in Jerusalem. He converted their strengths for his causes.
Fishermen are courageous- these were- squalls on the Sea of Galilee were often.
“” are perseverant- you have slight day, you go back the next. IF not, why do you buy a new rod, new rifle, or a new golf club. You want to give it a better shot.
“” are patient. That is why I don’t fish much. I want to catch them.
Now if I fished like my daughter did on her 1st try, I would love it. i.e. feeding, hooking, manipulating. “” are flexible. They will use whatever means possible (net, drag, hook).
“” are unobtrusive. Obnoxious don’t catch many fish. “” have a sense of timing, know when to set the hook. When sharing X, God uses all of it.
Perseverance, patience, any means, unobtrusive, sense of timing, watching God open the door. His Spirit empowers our willingness & He leads us into divine appts. that He has made, so that we can share the message He has given us, so that He can save the life that we share with. It is the greatest cooperative program there is. When we partner w/Him.
He gives us every credential we need. He calls us, qualifies, authorizes, commands, & guides us. His Goal is that all may hear so that some may come.
And that can only come when we pay the cost: mainly stepping out of our comfort zone.
How we love our shallow religiosity, talking a good game & failing to live it.
M. Twain liked to fish but he really didn’t want to catch fish, he wanted to relax.
When he just relaxed, people would call him lazy. So he came up w/the perfect solution.
He would get a pole, a line & a bobber but no hook, throw it out & lay back.
People would look & say, “He is fishing, don’t bother him.”
That is the way a lot of Xians are. Our poles are in the water, we play a good game, but we refuse to use the hook. That is not fishing, that’s relaxing & that is not what we are called to do.
There was once a group who called themselves fisherman.
And there were many fish in the waters all around. In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams & lakes filled w/fish. &the fish were hungry.
Week after week, month after month, & year after year, these “fisherman” met & talked about their passion to fish, the abundance of fish, & how they might go about fishing. Year after year they carefully defined fishing, defended it, & declared that it is always the primary task of the fisherman. They searched for new & better ways to fish & to define it.
*They loved slogans: Fishing is the task of fishermen.
Special meetings: Fishermen’s campaigns & special months to fish.
Sponsored costly nationwide & worldwide congresses to discuss & promote fishing. Listened to all the ways to fish, new techniques, & any new concepts.
Built large, beautiful buildings called ‘Fishing Headquarters’.
They said everyone should be a fisherman & every fisherman should fish.
One thing they did not do though: they didn’t fish.
*They met regularly, organized boards, sent fishermen out to other places.
Hired staffs , appointed committees, formed conventions, held meetings to promote fishing & defend fishing. They sought out new areas to fish in…they just didn’t fish.
*Large, elaborate training centers were built whose original & primary purpose was to fish. Courses were offered on the needs of fish, the nature of fish, where to fish, the psychological reactions of the fish, how to approach & feed fish.
Some held doctorates in fishology & taught fishing. Year after year many graduated & were given fishing licenses. Sent out to do full-time fishing, some to distant waters filled w/fish. Many felt called to fish, were commissioned & sent to fish.
Often though, like those who had taught them, commissioned them, they did not fish.
They were engaged in many activities, worthwhile activities: they built power plants to fish, tractors to plow new waterways, they made equipment, went to fish hatcheries. Some said they wanted to fish but called to furnish fishing equipment.
Others thought it was their job to relate to fish on their level, others to be friendly to fish.
*After one stirring meeting on ‘the Necessity for Fishing’, a young fellow left the meeting & went fishing. The next day he reported that he caught 2 outstanding fish. He was honored for his excellent catch, scheduled to visit big meetings to tell others, so he quit fishing in order to tell others to fish. He was placed on the Fishermen’s General Board as having considerable experience.
*Now it is true that many of the fishermen sacrificed & put up all kinds of difficulties. Some lived near water, smelt dead fish daily, others received ridicule for being a part of fishermen’s clubs & never even fishing. They worry about those that don’t think it is priority to attend weekly meetings to talk about fishing. After all, were they not following the Master who said, Follow me & I will make you fishers of men.
*Imagine the outrage when someone 1 day suggests that those who don’t catch fish are not really fishermen, no matter how much they may claim it.
Is a person a fisherman if, year after year, he never catches a fish? Never even sticks his hook in the water? Or sets the hook when he gets a bite?
What do you go a fisherman that don’t fish, is He still a fisherman?
Well, what do you call a Xian, one who has committed His/her life to X & never make it his/her priority to follow His greatest commission.
What do you call a group of Xians, those committed to X that never share His message?
Is that still a group of called out folks for X~ that is what the church is—called out ones.
Are you a real Xian if you do not follow the mandates of X & trust Him to lead you in it? Do you take the mandates of X seriously? I mean so seriously that it changes your life, your focus, your attitude, your interactions, daily schedule, priorities.
Is your Xianity such that you are a changed person by it? W/ a changed heart, life, focus, attitude, changed priorities.
No matter what we do as a church: what we promote, give to, get excited about, move forward, no matter what it is—If we don’t do what God has called us to do, it is for not.
He has called us to be fishermen. That means the bait is the Gospel, your world is the pond, drop your hook, when one bites, set your hook, & draw them in for Him.