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| Go Fish #5: The One that ALMOST Got Away | 2.28.10 Home |
Core Thread
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Also see Phil's article to keep on track with a related message.
Every fisherman has a story or two about "the one that got away." But we can't really do anything about the "one that got away" other than to do everything we can to make sure folks find their way to Jesus when we have opportunity. So today, we want to focus on the ones that "almost" got away -- the ones that did find Jesus!
In Mark 2:1-12, four friends get a paralyzed man to Jesus who would not have ever made it to the Lord without their help. Folks interested in Jesus' teaching, folks in need of healing, and folks who were critical of Jesus were all crowding around Jesus. The house was full, the door was blocked, and there were too many folks for the friends to get the paralyzed man to Jesus.
So the four friends went up on the flat-roofed house, dug a hole through the mud and thatch, and lowered their friend to Jesus. Jesus ministered to the whole need of the man -- forgave his sins and healed his physical condition of paralysis. But, it never would have happened -- the paralyzed man would have been "the one who got away" -- if it hadn't been for the friends.
We have a choice to either be one of the four friends who helped the man get to Jesus, or we can be one of the impediments who make it hard for folks to get to Jesus. The choice is ours! And I believe I know that our heart is for reaching folks who need Jesus. So let's take a lesson from these four friends and remember ...
For another example of this principle from the Old Testament, also read 2 Kings 7:3-11. The principle in this story is pretty self-evident: we've been blessed incredibly, so rather than simply hoarding the blessings for ourselves, we need to share them with others. Also see Phil's article on Blessings.
Helping Hand.
Review
When we follow Jesus, He sends us out to fish! He doesn't ask us to be weird about it, but instead he wants us to realize that we are wired certain ways by His design and wired into the relationships that we have to share His grace with those people.
But that begs a crucial question: Why fish? And the answer is really pretty simple. Our friends can't discover message of Jesus by contemplation or by observing nature. They can be brought to reverence by the wonder of it all, but they will know the story of Jesus unless someone shares it with them!
So why don't we more readily share the message of Jesus? Once again, the answer is pretty simple: FEAR. We are not so much afraid of persecution or losing our lives, but we are afraid we're not good enough, that we will be rejected and alone, and that we don't know what to say. But, God is looking for everyday folks in whom He promises to be at work, as they share Jesus.
This week, we want to focus on a fourth principle in our Go Fish series: Fishing is always better with buddies!
The reason?
And it really doesn't matter whether we fish near or far, fishing is better with buddies! So Jesus sent his disciples out with buddies (Mark 6:7 & Luke 10:1). And Jesus' early followers went out with buddies (Acts 13:1-3 & Acts 15:40-41).
