Let's Go Fishing

Mark Twain is like a lot of Christians. They have their pole in the water, but there is no hook on the end. They are not fishing; they are relaxing. Do you think this is what Jesus had in mind when he said, "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Some how I don’t think so.

Last week we talked about how the New Year brings the ability to declare a “do over.” We celebrate the chance to look at the past and try to do better this year than last year. Part of that starts with prayer where we patiently listen to what God has to say. But, you need to realize that God did not call any of us to just sit back and relax all the time and never do any work for the kingdom, to never do any fishing at all.

When Jesus called his disciples he knew that there would be a learning curve. He knew that they would need to figure out what they believed and then he would turn them loose to do something in the kingdom. He would put them out there to take risk and to share the good news. He did not directly send them to start physical churches as much as to explain their new knowledge of God.

Here is the real question for today. When was the last time we really went fishing?

Think for a minute, is a fisherman a fisherman if he or she expects the fish to jump into the boat or onto the shore on their own?

What happens if a professional fisherman never fishes?

It will not take long until he goes broke and is out of business. Right!

What about a church? The church is in the fishing business except it is defined as being for people. Jesus was not the only fisherman in this Galilean venture. Everybody that was brought on board was trained as a fisherman and put on the nets or on a cane pole on the shore and expected to work at fishing.

-------SHANNON

This leaves me with a problem. I have been with you as your pastor for 5 years. I am supposed to encourage and teach you how to fish. I don’t see that I have been effective in helping bring back the good old days of a full church with young couples and children. I haven’t been able to motivate anyone, except the youth to invite people to church.

The pattern of doing church at the absolutely minimum level has been the pattern as long as I have been here. When some tried to raise the bar and do more they had to do it almost alone.

And yet, the PPR committee has unanimously agreed that I should remain as your pastor. Isn’t that a statement that we don’t want more? We don’t want to work at it, we like it just like it is!

-----------SHANNON

I have understood for a log time that it is not Tom or God that can make you do anything. Only you can accept the call that Jesus has for you.

Tom, can’t make you even dig for worms much less put a hook in the water.

Each of you needs to look at your ministry and decide what bait God has asked you to use. You need to look at what God wants you to do to fish for people.

I feel like it is my role to awaken in you the spirit that I see in long time fishermen. The ones that know that you don’t just fish you have to understand the fish and the bait and have to work at it if you want to do anything more that sit on the bank and pretend to fish. The main thing that happens with a fisherman is they long to fish, they want to be out there casting and hoping and even expecting to land something.