As a follow-up to Sunday’s talk about Jesus’ call to the disciples to “Follow Me,” we need to make sure we remove the roadblocks that your head and your heart are already putting up… It’s SO EASY to get fired up after a good talk on Sunday, but lose all momentum by Monday afternoon or Tuesday. We so easily lose sight of God’s greater purpose for us (and we’re not alone - don’t forget the disciples went back to fishing when they thought Jesus was gone - John 21:3).
Remember what we said Sunday? Sometimes we don’t sugar-coat it - we just refuse to follow Jesus. Other times, we’re REALLY GOOD about leaving our nets immediately, but we’re HORRIBLE about going back to pick them up again because our faith in our plan is greater than our faith in God’s plan… And as I was reminded Sunday afternoon, there’s a third option that says some of us are deceived into thinking we are following Him when we’re really not doing anything - to be a bit more clear, we’re great at planning to fish, leading to fish, preparing others to fish, talking about fishing, but we never actually fish!!! A great challenge on this can be found here. We never go out and actually begin to tell others about our story (or to say it differently, Jesus’ story in us)!!
What’s stopping you, commUNITY church from not just talking about fishing, but actually casting the nets, casting the line, stepping into the water, and PLANNING TO CATCH SOME FISH?!?! Seriously, what’s stopping you?
Here’s one thing that’s stoping you - you’re scared to. You’re scared to bring up “the Jesus stuff” in conversation. You’re nervous about what your friends and family that have known you for months/years/decades will think of this “change” you’re going through… which leads to another stopping point...
Here’s another game-stopper for you - you’re nervous about what’s already going on inside you. You’re recognizing change in your own life that you still haven’t processed yet. You’re not quite sure what God is doing in you, and you think you like it, and you know its necessary, but because of all these changes, you’re apprehensive to engage someone else because you’re still not sure you understand it, so how can you talk to someone else about it.
Perhaps something else at the opposite end of the spectrum could be true for you - you’re not seeing any change in your life. You feel like a stagnant pond where there’s really not much going on except the odor is getting stronger… And if that’s the case, how can you talk to others about what Jesus is doing in your life if you don’t see anything?? So, that would lead me to ask how’s your life in prayer? How’s your life in reading the Word? How’s your life being connected to community and other believers? If those aren’t present, I think I know the reason for the stagnancy…
So church, let’s be clear - we’re called to fish. We’re ALL called to fish. Some of us are called to help teach others to fish, but we’re ALL called to fish - that’s not the question. To make this clear, watch the short video below.
Remember what we said Sunday? Sometimes we don’t sugar-coat it - we just refuse to follow Jesus. Other times, we’re REALLY GOOD about leaving our nets immediately, but we’re HORRIBLE about going back to pick them up again because our faith in our plan is greater than our faith in God’s plan… And as I was reminded Sunday afternoon, there’s a third option that says some of us are deceived into thinking we are following Him when we’re really not doing anything - to be a bit more clear, we’re great at planning to fish, leading to fish, preparing others to fish, talking about fishing, but we never actually fish!!! A great challenge on this can be found here. We never go out and actually begin to tell others about our story (or to say it differently, Jesus’ story in us)!!
What’s stopping you, commUNITY church from not just talking about fishing, but actually casting the nets, casting the line, stepping into the water, and PLANNING TO CATCH SOME FISH?!?! Seriously, what’s stopping you?
Here’s one thing that’s stoping you - you’re scared to. You’re scared to bring up “the Jesus stuff” in conversation. You’re nervous about what your friends and family that have known you for months/years/decades will think of this “change” you’re going through… which leads to another stopping point...
Here’s another game-stopper for you - you’re nervous about what’s already going on inside you. You’re recognizing change in your own life that you still haven’t processed yet. You’re not quite sure what God is doing in you, and you think you like it, and you know its necessary, but because of all these changes, you’re apprehensive to engage someone else because you’re still not sure you understand it, so how can you talk to someone else about it.
Perhaps something else at the opposite end of the spectrum could be true for you - you’re not seeing any change in your life. You feel like a stagnant pond where there’s really not much going on except the odor is getting stronger… And if that’s the case, how can you talk to others about what Jesus is doing in your life if you don’t see anything?? So, that would lead me to ask how’s your life in prayer? How’s your life in reading the Word? How’s your life being connected to community and other believers? If those aren’t present, I think I know the reason for the stagnancy…
So church, let’s be clear - we’re called to fish. We’re ALL called to fish. Some of us are called to help teach others to fish, but we’re ALL called to fish - that’s not the question. To make this clear, watch the short video below.
Church, I love you… I know you can do this. Now, let’s lay all the weights aside and go fishing!!
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