I Thought You Wanted, "To Go Fishing", (You Haven’t Even Baited Your Hook)

“I thought you wanted to go FISHING” (you haven’t even baited your hook.)

Mark 1:16-20 NKJ.

16. And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.

17. Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

18. They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

19. When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.

20. And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.

Can you remember the very first time, you felt the tugging of the Holy Spirit and need to ask Jesus in your heart.

Like the ones Jesus called that day, you and I were also called out of our obscurity to become part of His team.

To become fishers of men, to tell others about the good news and frankly just share, what Jesus has done for us in our own lives.

We willingly chose to become players on Gods team, we were full of great aspirations, ideas and great hopes

We all felt the urgency to bring others into the family of God, before Jesus one day would triumphantly return for us all.

but through the years some of us have become disenchanted along the way, we have chosen to become bench warmers if you will,

Instead of remaining actively involved in carrying out, the final command of Jesus

Matt 28:18-20 NKJ.

18. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

19. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20. teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

But you say, “Hey come on now” I go to church most of the time and I give when the offering plate comes by.

And that’s all good and well, but let me ask you a question.

When was the last time you told somebody about Jesus,

when was the last time you invited some one to church that you hadn’t already asked a 100 times before?

When was the last time you realized, that when you walk out your front door, you are entering into, your all the world?

Well preacher, I believe everything that your telling me this morning,

you should, everything we’ve read this morning was spoken by Jesus Himself, there’s no way anyone could make up stuff this good.

But really come on, what difference can I make in the world, I’m only one person?

Let me tell you something, when you really believe in something, you are willing to put your all into it, your total effort!

You become totally committed to the cause and you know that results will happen if you persevere,

otherwise you have to ask yourself, do I really believe in it?

Do you think Billy Graham ever thought what difference can I make, or Smith Wigglesworth, or D.L. Moody thought that,

But they were and are famous, Oh, not when they started out they weren’t.

They were men that believed and knew as long as God was in their camp, they could change the world, not just their world, but the whole world for the better!

Thomas Edison as a young man, believed someday, somebody would invent the light bulb.

Had he become disenchanted with the idea along the way, no one today would even know his name.

Chuck Swindoll wrote this in his book “Hand me another Brick”

Thomas Edison invented the microphone, the phonograph, the incandescent light bulb, the storage battery, talking movies, and more than 1000 other things.

December 1914 he had worked for 10 years on a storage battery. This had greatly strained his finances.

This particular evening spontaneous combustion had broken out in the film room.

Within minutes all the packing compounds, celluloid for records and film, and other flammable goods were in flames.

Fire companies from eight surrounding towns arrived, but the heat was so intense any attempt to douse the flames was futile.

Everything was destroyed. Edison was 67. With all his assets going up in flames

(although the damage exceeded two million dollars, the buildings were only insured for $238,000

because they were made of concrete and thought to be fireproof), would his spirit be broken?

The inventor’s 24-year old son, Charles, searched frantically for his father. He finally found him, calmly watching the fire, his face glowing in the reflection, his white hair blowing in the wind.