Fishing for People!

                             Prayer

                  Matt. 4:18-22 & Luke 5:1-11

1st Movement:

 Although I was born on a farm and graduated from High School from a small town school in Northeast Arkansas, I grew up in the South County of St. Louis and small town and rural activities were pretty foreign to me!  We would go to rural areas and farms in Southeast Missouri and Northeast Arkansas to visit family members for vacations and weekend excursions.  During these trips to the country, my dad would sometimes take us on fishing trips with my uncles and other family members. 

 Usually these trips were to places that involved fishing from an old wooden county road bridge.  While that was a popular place to fish in those days, I imagine that was a choice place to take kids who didn=t know what they were doing.  As long as we got out of the way when a car came by, we were pretty safe!  I have fond memories of those fishing trips; I can remember my dad and uncles telling us just how to catch those fish.  We were shown how to put our minnows on the hook and then stomp it before we put it in the water!  We were shown how to put the worm on the hook so that the hook didn=t show, and  lastly and most importantly we were shown how to spit on our bait before we cast it into the water!  That was a sure way to catch fish!  Needless to say, we caught a few fish, but many times went by that we didn=t catch a thing!  I=m sure many of these techniques were just ways to keep us trying something new to keep us interested.  They were ways to help us have fun and the fellowship and memories are the most that we got out of those trips. I don’t still spit on my bait, by the way!

 2nd Movement: 

 Unlike us, Peter made his living fishing.  He had to know what he was doing!  He knew how to fish, but like us, he had one of those days that he hadn=t caught a thing (Luke 5:1-11).  They were already cleaning their nets and calling it a day when Jesus comes on the scene.  Jesus tells them to cast their nets on the other side.  Peter says, AWe have fished all day and have caught nothing, but if you say so, we will do it.@  Jesus insisted, so they did, and they caught so many fish that it was breaking their nets trying to pull them up!  Jesus invites them to, AFollow me and I will make you fishers of people!@ (Matt. 4:19)  What a charge!  What a mission statement! 

Let's look at this term "Fishers of people" a little bit.  These men had taken their job of catching fish very seriously; it was their livelihood.  Now, they would take very seriously fishing for people. 

It too became their life!  Isn't this a neat little term for the ministry of the Church?  Shouldn't our mission be that of "Fishers of People?"

 What else can a church become?  We can become just a social organization.  Where people just join like a club and never give

Christ much thought.  They may not come but once a year, but they belong to such and such church.  It is just real good for their social standing in the community to "belong" to a church.  We must hasten to say a word about social activities. There isn't anything wrong with social activities as a ministry of the church: Potluck Brunch, BBQ Chicken dinners, Christmas party for Thrift Store volunteers, Christmas part for the church, Building gyms or activity centers, Crafters for Christ, Gaming activities, or a Thrift Store.  These things are great to do in ministry to people, but let's not forget in whose name we are doing them!  When Christ stops being mentioned and the church stops being "Fishers of People," it becomes just another social organization, and its ministry as a church is dead!

What else can a church become?  We can become a Family Reunion.  Our first thought is probably, "well what's wrong with that; aren't we suppose to be the family of God?"  Many churches pride themselves in being one big family! We have made that statement here! There's nothing in a way wrong with that!  When the family of God comes together, there should be a closeness and love.  But there's one way a church must differ from a Family Reunion.  Imagine for just a minute that you are at a family reunion.  Everyone is visiting and having a good old time, remembering when and catching up on what's happened since they were last together.  Then the atmosphere changes!  Everything quiets down as heads turn and a strange car drives up!  The family steps out.  They are very friendly, and they try to mix and mingle with the people.  But people are whispering, "Who are they?"  "What are they doing here?"  See, These people are strangers, and at a family reunion, strangers are not welcome!  But in the Church, strangers had better be welcome, or we have forgotten our mission of being "Fishers of people!"

 One last thing a church can become is a History Class.  Being "Fishers of People" involves teaching.  That is a must!  But reduce our Sunday School Lessons, our sermons, and our Bible Studies to what happened back then and what they should have done differently and forget the "How does this apply to today?" and "Where do we need to change today?"  and the church has stopped being a church because it has lost its mission!  When our teaching stops meeting the needs of the people, we have stopped being "Fishers of People," and we have failed!

 3rd Movement:

 How can we become "Fishers of People?"  "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people."  (Vs. 19b) First, Jesus says, AFollow me.@  Follow the leading of Jesus.  How can we do that? 

 Prayer!  This is consequently the first step that Adam Hamilton, pastor of the Church of the Resurrection, gives for growth!  Pray for guidance.  Pray for ourselves.  Pray for the ministry of the church.  Pray for each other. Hamilton says every meeting at the COR starts with prayer! I try to do that here!

  Along with prayer, do what we can to follow the teachings of Jesus.  How can we do that?  Do what we can to know the Bible better: read it, study it, attend church and Bible studies.  And as a result, Jesus says, Aand   I will make you . . ."  Not maybe you can become!  This is positive!  If we will follow Jesus, Jesus will make us "Fishers of People."

 So as we close today, as we remember the words of Jesus, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people," this becomes very personal.  We realize that our ability to become "Fishers of People" is really up to us!  He says, I will If you will! (pause)    Are we "Fishers for People?" (pause)         Why not?

As we encounter Christ at the table today, let’s yield to the Spirit that we can become Fishers of People!

                                                                 Prayer of Confession

Service of Communion