http://www.angelfire.commi2/robhenderson/
robnaomi@oceana.net
“I will make you fishers of men.”
Matthew 4:19
January 14, 2001 am
I stand before you a desperate man. I am desperate because as most Christians I believe that the return of Christ to take His people home is imminent. I am desperate because last year over two million North Americans died; most of whom never made a commitment with Jesus Christ. I am desperate because we have souls all around us who need Jesus. The Baptists and the Methodists cannot do it alone. We need to do our part in our corner of the kingdom.
Last summer we traveled to Rice Lake, Canada. What a glorious vacation it was. I love going to Canada anyway and so going to Rice Lake was like a dream. Into the heartland of foreign soil we drove. We pitched our tent within fifty feet of the lake. Boy was I excited. My gear was ready, the bait bought, and the boat gassed and rented for the whole next day. My plan: fish morning until dark. So I laid my head down that evening dreaming of the coming morning.
That night two storms blew in. Thunder, lightning, wind and rain. Water began to seep into the tent. Finally, after two runs to the car for protection and no sleep the storms ended. All I could think about was fishing. Why did I want to fish? Because I was a desperate man for big bluegills. Despite the lack of sleep I was ready to go at five thirty. The boat needed the water baled out first and away I went while the kids slept in the car and Naomi snoozed in the tent.
The fishing was great. I caught big bluegills. Bigger than my hand. I went out and caught a dozen first thing. I came back for breakfast. Fishing that early makes a man hungry. Cleaned and refrigerated the first catch. Went back out and took Charity with me. We caught more bluegills and then trolled coming back using one of Bob Grabinski’s lures. She caught a nice walleye. We returned. I cleaned fish while drooling. We had cajun fried fish for lunch. Out after lunch again, this time with the whole family. All in all, we caught between fifty and sixty fish, I cleaned all of them.
I love to fish. I love to fish for fish. But what Jesus Christ has called all of us to do is to fish for people. He says, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”
I believe that Jesus was a desperate man. I don’t mean desperate in the sense that he was helpless but desperate in the sense that He saw the sorrow and pain in the lives around Him. He was desperate because He knew that His time was short on this earth and that His Father’s plan needed to be carried out. He was desperate because the people needed a Savior. And the Savior needed disciples to carry out His work. And so he called some fishermen to help him. He wanted to make them fishers of men. Just like He wants to make us fishers of men.
The problem I find, though, is not the thought of being fishers of men but in actually having to leave the comforts of our padded pews and go and tell the good news of Jesus Christ. And the challenge for our church today is to bring the gospel to a lost and dying world.
When was the last time we saw people get saved because of this church? We need a harvest of souls that will shake the earth with the truth of God’s redemption and the filling of the Holy Spirit. We need to get people saved if we are to continue the ministry that God called this church to do over 100 years ago.
The greatest ally of evil isn’t the atheist movement or the Satan worshipers. The greatest ally is the Christian who chooses not to tell others about their faith in Jesus Christ. We must change our attitude if we are going to see the world changed for Christ.
If we are going to see the world changed then we need to have a heart to change the world.
This heart comes from our own willingness to step out and tell others our story.
Everyone has a story. If we name the name of Jesus Christ and have trusted Him, by faith, for our salvation then we have a story to tell. All of us can and should be witnesses of the resurrection. My life and your life are testimonies of what Christ has done for us. We are to be ministers of reconciliation bringing the good news of God’s offer of reconciliation to mankind. I have a story and so do you.
I used to think that only other people had interesting lives. But as I have grown in the Lord I have learned that I do have a story to tell. In fact, my story, just like yours, is interesting. You see, the day of my salvation is spectacular in and of itself considering the overwhelming miracle that takes place when a soul is transformed. However, as my life story unfolds from that point I see a God who has been there for me every step of the way. And that is really the story. Our story is not some cosmic secret that we are to tell no one. It is to be as fresh as today’s headlines and as relevant as breathing air to stay alive.
This story begins in your heart. Are you saved? Have you accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of you life, and do you accept His sacrifice on the cross for your sins? If so, then you must begin to share this story with others.
If we are going to change the world then we need to have the will to change the world.
We must be determined to see souls saved for the kingdom. We must be sold out to the cause of Jesus Christ. We must be willing to do whatever it takes to spread the gospel both far and near.
We must be willing to pay the price no matter the cost. But in what ways do we utilize our will to spread the gospel?
First of all, there needs to be a sacrifice of our spiritual self. We need to just simply pray.
We hear so much about the need of revival and a pouring out of the Holy Spirit. But it seems that we pray the prayers but lack the faith. We need to pray with faith believing that God will bring the lost to the fold. It is our responsibility to be praying for those that we know are lost and heading to an eternal dismissal from God’s presence. Hell is real and we must pray that those we know don’t go there.
The key to the ministry of Charles Finney was prayer. Soon after he got saved, others around him got saved. It wasn’t his fervor that saved them. It was prayer. Even the strongest resisters in the community would find themselves in the woods pleading for God to save them.
Prayer is the key that will unlock revival in our lives and in the church of Jesus Christ.
Secondly, there needs to be a sacrifice of security. We need to simply give.
So often we place more value on the temporary and forget about the eternal. When Jabez asked that his boundaries be expanded it was not to just create an atmosphere of security but to be able to spread righteous influence. Each of us needs to be investing into the kingdom of God as the Holy Spirit guides us; not as Alan Greenspan guides us. We need to see what God’s Word says about money and wealth, not the Wall Street Journal. Which brings me to a sticky subject.
People who have made wise investments have done so sacrificially. They have carefully looked at the market and their future and then purposefully invested in a deliberate manner. The danger is using the same theory when investing in the kingdom of God. Most of the time, there is really no way to determine if moneys sent to a foreign mission or given for a local work is really getting the job done per dollar in comparison to other works. That is why we give by faith.
However, I do have this pledge as your pastor: I will do my very best to see that every dollar given for the kingdom of God through this church is used appropriately and honestly. From this day forward, I will do all that I can to see that we have a fiscally sound treasury. People who have money have it because they have not put it in places of poor choice. We need to set your hearts at ease knowing that the funds are being spent wisely and on the needs of God’s kingdom.
What must we do? We must give our money as the Holy Spirit leads. One day, each of us will give an account of what we did with God’s resources that He entrusted to us. Perhaps God will call on you to do something extraordinary with the monetary means that He has supplied and your faith will be put to the test. Be obedient by seeking wise and spiritual counsel. And then give- with no strings attached. We need to let go and let God.
But I must also warn you: there are those ministries that are only out to earn money. Sad to say, but to them you represent an endless resource of income for their selfish means. So be careful as to how you give. Not every evangelistic cause is doing what they say they are doing.
Thirdly, there needs to be a sacrifice of our time and energy. We need to simply just do it!
To reach the lost with the gospel we need to be willing to give up the Evening News with Dan Rather or that Kentucky Wildcat basketball game that everybody here tunes into all of the time. We need to give up some of the activities that we enjoy so that we can invest our time in the kingdom.
But whatever we do, we are going to need to put forth effort. We will need to use our energy- both physically and intellectually. Evangelism is work. And this kind of work takes tenacity, patience and lots of prayer. We may reach 400 homes and not get one person into the kingdom. But we must do what we have been called to do: we must be fishers of men.
You might say: But pastor, I am old and tired. I have done my work. Chuck Swindol had this to say in his book about Moses, who, if you will recall, was 120 and still going strong when he died: “You’re just as old as you want to be.” He goes on to say to live life to the hilt! If you are a student , live it up! If you lose your job, enjoy it! Don’t climg into a closet and pull the door shut behind you. Live life to the fullest becasue as God gives you the measure of years he will sustain you with His grace.
Paul wrote that he would have the older women teach the younger women. It doesn’t mean that they boss around the younger women but it means that they pour their years of godly wisdom into the younger ones. It means that they are there to encourage them and help them to be godly moms.
None of us are ever too old or too retired to benefit the kingdom of God. And what better way to benefit the kingdom than to reach out and reach the lost for the sake of Christ?
To change the world we need to have God change the world.
And add to the back of that statement: “Through us.” Forget other Christians and other churches. If we are going to see our community reached for Jesus Christ then we are going to have to determine that it is up to us. God is looking for a few good men and women and teenagers to reach a world lost and going to hell. Building the kingdom isn’t just up to the pastor but it is a call for each of us.
You are an evangelizer. This is not a call specifically to certain people. Each one of you are to be fishers of men. Look what happened when the Samaritan woman got saved: she shared what happened to her. Look at what happened to the demon possessed man in Mark chapter five: he stayed to share what had happened; tradition tells us that he became a pastor in that community of the Gadarenes. How about when Corneilius got saved? He wanted his whole household saved also. You are an evangelizer.
Within our community there are families that have arose today whose lives are being methodically shredded by an enemy that does not care for their soul. Families are being ripped apart by divorce and betrayals. Children are becoming victims. We need to do something. We need to bring them Jesus Christ.
And even in our own families there are children and grandchildren who need Jesus Christ. We cannot wait any longer. We must be fishers of our families.
I am calling on you to make a pledge. And that pledge is this: “I will make it my unmistakeable goal this year to reach one person for Jesus Christ.”
This is our call and should be our goal.
