What's Wrong With Our Fishing

LUKE 5:1-9 “WHAT’S WRONG WITH OUR FISHING?”

A) Back in July, I attended the National Association Of FWB’s in Memphis, Tenn.

* It was my very first, and I’m telling you, I loved it!

* There was great preaching ... Booths set up in the Convention Center ... Church growth ...

* I read stories of churches that started with just a handful of people like we did, yet, they are

now running in the 100’s and some, even more!

* I thought, “Lord, our church is 7 years old, and we are struggling ... What’s wrong?”

B) And the Lord began to tell me why our church is not growing like it should!

* And the first thing that God told me was ... There is too much unfaithfulness!

* Unfaithfulness in attendance, visitation, and in tithing and giving of income!

* I’ve got to confess to you that the need for church growth is greater than it’s ever been before!

* The more we accomplish for Christ, the more I realize how great the need really is!

* In spite of what little we’ve done, more men, women and children in SC are living without the

love and salvation of Jesus Christ than ever before!

C) In the last 10 years, attendance in SC FWB churches has fallen by approx. 10%!

* In the same period, the population of SC has grown by more than 11%.

* In spite of all that we’ve done as SC FWB’s, we’ve lost ground by 21% in the last ten years!

* Statistics ... 88% of people under the age of 25 do not attend church anywhere!

* 50% of 18 year olds, leave church and never come back!

* In the last 50 years, the average FWB church in SC has only increased it’s average Sunday

School attendance by 5 people! * That’s only 1 person every 10 years!

D) It appears that the world is multiplying, and the church is only adding!

* Do you realize that there are only 2 kinds of pastors, and 2 kinds of churches?

* The 1st type is the maintenance church! * The maintenance church keeps the utilities paid,

and the church family diapered, fed and burped!

* The pastor exists to preach a feel good sermon, and marry the young and bury the old.

* If somebody does find their way into the door, the maintenance church might accept the

newcomer if he or she fits the criteria!

E) The 2nd type of church is the mission church!

* A mission church can never be satisfied as long as 1 unsaved person exists in the community!

* A mission church looks for ways to get outside the stained glass to reach the stained lives!

* A mission church cannot rest as long as people around them still face an eternity in hell

without Jesus Christ!

* 2 Peter 3:9 says that God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to ...”

* And friends, as long as Jesus doesn’t want to see 1 single person on this earth bust hell wide

open, I don’t want to see a single person on this earth bust hell wide open, neither should you!

F) So, as I read this passage, I began trying to figure out why we’re losing ground in SC!

* I took a long hard look at the cold, hard facts that some of our friends and family are going to

face forever in a hot fiery hell if we don’t find a way to reach them with Jesus’ love!

* Jesus told Peter to be a “fisher of men.”

* God drew me to this passage as I looked at what it means to be a fisher of men!

* As FWB’s, we’re doing some things right as we fish for men!

* And ... As FWB’s, we’re doing some things wrong as we fish for men! * Let’s look first at:

(1) WHAT’S NOT WRONG WITH THE WAY THEY FISHED!

* Let’s look at the fishermen in this passage to see what they did right as they fished!

A) There Was Nothing Wrong With The Boats! * The boats were capable and well built!

* They were used by the fishermen every day to take them safely out into the waters.

* Friends, there’s nothing wrong with the Church of Jesus Christ!

* It’s carried us safely for over 2000 years! * People tell me:

* I don’t go to church because the church has hypocrites!

* And you and I both know that they’re right ... The church does have hypocrites.

B) Definition of a hypocrite ... Profess one thing with our mouth and do something else!

* That’s also the definition of a sinner!