Scripture Text: Luke 5:1 (KJS)
And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word
of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 And saw two ships standing by
the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing [their]
nets. 3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed
him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and
taught the people out of the ship. 4 Now when he had left speaking, he said
unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night,
and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 6
And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and
their net brake. 7 And they beckoned unto [their] partners, which were in
the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and
filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw
[it], he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a
sinful man, O Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at
the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 10 And so [was] also James,
and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus
said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 11 And when
they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.
1.
A Passion for Fish <><
The disciples fished all night long and still
didn’t catch anything. I know
people who fish all the time, but do you?
Do you love fish? Do you
love people? Do you care about your friends, family and neighbors? How do they
know you care? Do you want them
to be saved to spend their eternal lives with the Lord and with you?
Do you have the Lord? Then
He wants you to go fishin’ for men with Him.
Go fishin’ for them.
2.
A Plan for Fishin’ <><
God has an eternal plan for your life.
He wants you to go fishin’ for men with Him.
He knows where they are and he will enable you to make the catch.
He is the Master!
Mark 1:17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will
make you fishers of men." From v. 4: … he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let
down your nets for a draught.
a.
Take the time to go. Fish
won’t come to you. We must go.
b.
Present the bait. What is the bait anyway?
The bait is Jesus and his love.
c.
Wet the hook; give them a chance to bite.
Let them see Jesus in you.
d.
Plan for the catch. Take a
net. Make some room if you want
to plan to bring them in. Where
are you going to put them? Where
are they going to park? Where are
they going to sit?
3.
A Patience for Fishin’ <><
Don’t quit or give up. The hard ones are the ones that the Lord specializes in.
He wants to save them. Would
you be the one who the Lord uses to catch men?
Yes.
2Pet 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his
promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
4.
A Pattern for Fishin’
<><
Jesus is our pattern for goin’ fishin’ for men.
He came for us, died for us, loved us first, and invited us to come in.
He wants us to do the same. We must work together, don’t pull against
each other. Keep the main thing
the main thing. Would you follow
Jesus to become a Fisher of Men?
Are
you ready to go Fishin’? <><
Jesus told his disciples,
‘Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ The call that Jesus extended to his disciples back then
extends to us today. Yet many Christians today have never tried to catch
others for Jesus. Some have tried
once or twice and have given up. And
some continue to daily fish for men. Which
group do you find yourself in? The
group that is fishing is the ones who are fulfilling God’s plan for their
life. Some of us may think that
we don’t know enough, we don’t have the right equipment, or we don’t
believe that it is our gift/duty to fish for the unbelievers of our society. God uses all who will come to him.
Remember what God said to
Moses.
Exodus 4:11 The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who
makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I,
the LORD? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to
say."
God will give supernaturally the ability to win people to Him.
Yes,
but how can I get started? <><
If you take just a moment to
think about it, you’ll realize that there are people in your life-faces you
see everyday that will never see Jesus in anyone but you. That is why it is
important that you take the time to care to let Christ’s love flow through
you…to take a genuine interest in them as Jesus does. You and I are His representatives in the here and now.
It’s time
to go fishing for people. First,
on this brochure, or on another piece of paper, list the names of friends you
believe could be interested in attending church and finding out who God is.
Then, begin to pray for each of them specifically, asking God’s Holy
Spirit to prepare their hearts to receive the life-changing message of Jesus
Christ’s love through you.
Next, invite them to the services.
Talk to them about the uniqueness of the church and the special people
who attend with you. Share with them who is God to you.
After the
visit, Follow Up! <><
If they were not able to make
it to church, let them know that you missed them and would still like to see
them attend. Give them a call or
pay them a visit. Show some
concern and care. Tell them why
the Lord is special to you and what he has done for you.
This is your personal testimony. Share
Him with them. He is the real
catch of the day. Leave their
decision up to Him, Jesus. But
don’t give up, continue to pray, invite, and share Jesus.
Find a Christian friend <>< Take
a friend fishin’
You need someone to help.
Someone who will be your partner in fishin’.
It’s much more fun and effective to fish together. Share with one
another your list. Fish together. Let
each other know how you are doing. Tell
some fish stories together. Now,
begin to make your list of friends, family and neighbors to pray for and to
fish for. Here are those who God
wants me to fish for.