JURONG OUTREACH - FEB 08

A GOOD FISHERMAN PT 1
3rd Feb 08

Jesus used the “Fish Miracle” to tell the disciples that they would become “fishers of men” (Luke 5:1-11; cf. Matthew 4:18; Mark 1:16). They liked fishing, and Jesus wanted them to continue, but to change the species. He says, in effect, “You have been catching minnows; I call you to catch men.” 

“Catching people” seems a strange term for evangelism. We catch fish for our good (to sell or eat), not the good of the fish. But the word Jesus used means “to bring life to people” (Jeremiah 16:16-18; Amos 4:2). Christians fish for souls, not to hurt them by removing them from their element, but to save them by bringing them into a different element. It is like transferring fish from a contaminated lake where they are sure to die soon, to a lake of clear, fresh water where they will never die. We rescue people from the world’s deep waters of guilt and despair. We help them find God’s “water of life” (Revelation 21:6), “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.” including peace and contentment. Our motivation for “fishing” is not personal gain but love of souls (Hebrews 13:17; 2 Corinthians 12:14,16).  We want them to be in heaven with us.

A good fisherman possesses qualities that make him a good soul winner. Consider these: 

A fisherman must go where the fish are.  

He cannot stay at home and watch fishing shows on the Sports Channel. He can’t just read magazines about fishing or spend his time looking at Wal-Mart fishing tackle. If he wants a “fish fry,” he must go to the lake and put his hook in the water! Likewise, we cannot just sit in our church buildings fellowshipping or in our homes watching TV and expect to save many souls. Jesus said, “Go” not “Wait” (Mark 16:15). “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” We must talk to our friends about Christ and visit those who visit us. We must send out the message via television, radio, mailings, and the Internet.  

A fisherman must be patient.  

If he is restless and quick to move, he will never catch many fish. A fisherman is not guaranteed visible success. He may come home “empty-handed” (cf. John 21:3). “Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.” We are not guaranteed immediate success as soul winners either, but we must not quit because the first friend we invite to services turns us down or the first Bible study we teach bears no fruit. We must not discontinue supporting missionaries because they don’t have many baptisms or stop having Gospel meetings because only a few come. We have to work harder, pray harder, and be more patient.  

A fisherman must work and persevere.  

He can’t sit in his favourite chair, watch television, drink a coke, and catch fish. He must get his tackle together, change clothes, drive to the lake, unload the boat, and tend to a hundred details. Once there, he may get wet, but that’s all right. He has been wet a thousand times. No-body said that it was going to be easy. Fishing is hard work. Real fishermen get up early and stay out late. They don’t quit when the weather changes. They don’t stop because they run out of bait. They think more of fishing than eating. They will let the sun blister their faces, and mosquitoes eat them alive, but they hang in there if the fish are biting. The good teacher must not be discouraged when nothing seems to happen when we “go fishing.” We may go days, weeks, and months without a nibble, and then a person becomes interested in the Word. One lady invited her neighbour to “church” forty-nine times (by actual count) before she went. She later became a Christian.  

A fisherman must have courage.  

One must be brave to fish on large lakes and in the oceans because of the dangers of storms and drowning. A Breton fisherman prayer says, “Lord have mercy upon me; my boat is so little and Thy sea is so great.” A fisherman risks his life to face the sea’s fury. Paul said, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). Our brothers and sisters through the ages have died for their faith. We may not risk our lives, but we do take risks to fish for Jesus. We risk ridicule, embarrassment, and hurt feelings to share the Gospel (cf. Galatians 1:10). 

To be continued

A GOOD FISHERMAN PT 2
10th Feb 08

Continued from last week: 

Jesus used the “Fish Miracle” to tell the disciples that they would become “fishers of men” (Luke 5:1-11; cf. Matthew 4:18; Mark 1:16).

A fisherman must have an eye for the right moment.
He knows there are good times and bad times to fish. He knows where the fish are. He knows what kind of fish bite when, and the bait they like. He knows what bait to use in spring and what bait to use in fall. He makes it look easy to those sitting on the bank, but a life-time of knowledge goes into it. Fish are crafty, and a fisherman has to use his wits. The good teacher chooses his moments care-fully. He watches for ways to turn the conversation toward spiritual things as Jesus did with the Samaritan woman (John 4). At times our friends will welcome the truth, and at times they will be too busy with other things or even resent it.

A fisherman fits the bait to the fish and varies his methods.
One fish will rise to one kind of bait and another to another. Three methods of fishing were used in Jesus’ day. There was (1) fishing by hook and line. The disciples in Luke 5 were (2) fishing with a casting net (amphiblestron). This net was circular and might be nine feet across. It was cast into the water from the land, or while wading in the shallows. Lead pellets weighted the circumference so it sank quickly to surround the fish, and it was drawn up quickly before the fish knew what was happening. There was also (3) fishing with a drag net (sagene), which was pulled behind a boat, or better, between two boats. We must use different approaches to win souls to Jesus. Paul said, “To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).  

A fisherman must keep himself out of sight.
If he shows his presence, even his shadow, the fish will likely be scared off. A Christian also tries to keep himself out of sight so that the sinner can more clearly focus on Jesus. We do not preach ourselves, but Christ (1 Corinthians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:5). 

A fisherman must have faith.
Normally a fisherman does not see fish in the water. He prepares his line and casts the bait on faith that there is a fish there. He’s not always successful. He casts over and again whether he gets a strike or not. If one place proves unproductive, he moves to another. He repeats his casts endlessly. He seems content if he takes one fish every hundred casts. So it is with a soul winner.

The Savior’s hook is a cross. Do you have it “in the water?”

A Different kind of faith

The father of Origen, a third century theologian, was arrested for being a Christian. Origen, then only seventeen, was aflame with the desire to follow his dad and share in glorious martyrdom. His mother pleaded with him not to go, but the headstrong boy did not want to listen to reason. His quick thinking mother did what she could—she hid his clothes. Though Origen stormed and protested, she wouldn’t reveal where they were hidden. He couldn’t leave the house, and so he was unable to volunteer for martyrdom.

Isn’t it interesting? Origen was brave enough to be martyred, but not brave enough to go outside naked. Stepping outside without clothing would have sped up his arrest and imprisonment, but it was a step he was unwilling to take.  

In a sense, I suspect that talking with a friend about our faith is for many of us the equivalent of going outside naked. It makes us uncomfortable. We feel exposed. We declare that we will give our lives for Christ if He should ask it, but to risk a bit of embarrassment for him seems to be beyond our level of discipleship. How sad. The disciples were willing to forsake everything, including the esteem of their friends.  

—King Duncan, Collected Sermons

“Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.” —Mark 5:19

 SAFE AT HOME?
17th Feb 08

It was like a scene from a horror film: A 32-year-old man plummeted three meters into a gaping hole that suddenly opened beneath his home, trapping him beneath foundation rubble and killing him.  

Authorities said Jason Chellew was relaxing in his living room around 9:30 p.m. Friday, April 21, when he heard creaking noises, sprang up and began to move across the room just as the floor opened beneath him sending him plunging into the ground, authorities said. According to authorities, the home, built in the 1980s, may have been sitting atop a decades-old underground mine.  The area, in the Sierra Nevada foothills, was heavily mined for gold in the late 1800s.  A mine collapse is one likely cause of the strange episode, officials said.  Recent rains possibly softened the ground under the home which is located in an isolated area near Lake Alta , California . 

"It's unbelievable," Placer County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Dena Erwin said.  "From the front of the house, it's absolutely normal. Then, in the middle of the house, is this enormous hole." "You hate to lose anybody like that," said Carol Gillies, clerk of the Alta Fire District. "This whole area is undermined with mines. It makes you think about, 'Where did I build my house?' "  

Good question!  An even more important question is: “Upon what foundation am I building my LIFE?”  Jesus stated a truth that has been validated by experience that the foundations of our lives WILL be tested (Matthew 7:24-27).   

He also informed us that there are basically only TWO foundations upon which we can build our lives: 

Foundation #1 - “Therefore whoever HEARS these sayings of Mine, and DOES them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the ROCK: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock." 

Foundation #2 - “But everyone who HEARS these sayings of Mine, and DOES NOT do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the SAND: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And GREAT was its fall” (Matthew 7:24-27). Jesus taught that THE foundation that will remain sure and steadfast through time and eternity is based upon HEARING -AND- DOING the will of God!  

Build YOUR life on the Rock: placing your faith in Jesus

(Acts 16:30-31), repenting of sin (2 Corinthians 7:9-10),

confessing Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), being baptized (immersed) in the name of Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38), and following Him faithfully for the rest of your life (1 John 1:7).  

Upon which foundation are YOU building your life: upon the sinking sand or upon the Rock that forever shall stand?  

God bless you!

 - David A Sargent

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Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house

            Not a creature was praying, not one in the house.

Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care

            In hopes that Jesus would not come there.

The children were dressing to crawl into bed,

            Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head.

And Mom in her rocker with baby on her lap

            Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.

When out of the East there arose such a clatter,

            I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash

            Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!

When what to my wondering eyes should appear

            But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.

With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray

            I knew in a moment this must be The Day!

The light of His face made me cover my head

            It was Jesus! Returning just like He had said.

And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,

            I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.

In the Book of Life which He held in His hand

            Was written the name of every saved man.

He spoke not a word as He searched for my name;

            When He said “It’s not here” my head hung in shame.

The people whose names had been written with love

            He gathered to take to His Father above.

With those who were ready He rose without a sound

            While all the rest were left standing around.

I fell to my knees, but it was too late;

            I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate.

I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight;

            Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.

In the words of this poem the meaning is clear;

            The coming of Jesus is drawing near.

There’s only one life and when comes the last call

            We’ll find that the Bible was true after all!
 

LOVE COVERS SINS
24th Feb 08 

In 1 Peter 4:8, we read, "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins." The word "charity" as used in the KJV is the translation of the Greek word AGAPE, love. This passage, then, is urging brethren to love each other and indeed to be "fervent" in that love. Peter also tells us that this love "shall cover a multitude of sins." How does love cover sins? The meaning of the word "cover" as used in the passage does not mean "whitewash" or "overlook." This passage is not teaching that brethren should ignore the sins that their brothers and sisters commit and to let them pass off without any effort to correct one another when sin is committed. 

Rebuking a brother for his sins is not the same as disowning him. The way in which we should seek to correct is for the purpose of restoring the erring brother (Galatians 6:1),  “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” not to seek to dismiss him from our company or to merely expose his sin. We need to realize that the steps that are taken to bring about correction might sometimes have to be severe, but even in this we should never forget that we are to confirm our love toward him (2 Corinthians 2:8). 

There is no one who could love us more than our heavenly Father loves us. However, one sure sign of that love is his chastening of his own (Hebrews 12:6). The apostle Paul had had to write very severely to the brethren in the church at Corinth, but he did it out of the anguish of his heart that they might know the abundant love that he had for them (2 Corinthians 2:4). When we read the Old Testament Scriptures, we see that may times the punishment which God sent upon the children of Israel for their sins was very severe. On occasion, he spoke of Israel and Judah as being adulterous wives and brought down on them severe punishment, yet he confirmed his love toward them over and over again. One place where this is clearly seen is in Hosea the prophet. (One would do well to read that short book). 

The goodness and severity of God were brought to bear upon man in bringing about mankind's redemption. Redemption is not simply the forgiveness of sins but it also involves the cleansing from sins. The love of God reforms men's lives as well as remitting their sins. These two effects go hand in hand; you cannot have one without the other. It is in this manner that the love of God covers sins through and by the blood of his Son, Jesus the Christ. 

The mutual help that we can give one to another in overcoming the practice of sin in our lives together with the marvelous and immeasurable grace of God is the means whereby "charity (love) covers a multitude of sins." We are to "bear one another's burdens" in fulfilling the law of Christ. 

Brethren, let us truly love one another and with that love truly "cover" one another's sins that we might be blessed by God and be a blessing to each other.

A Caring Cowboy 

A family, all nine of them, loaded all their earthly possessions into a covered wagon pulled by a four-horse hitch and set out to join fourteen other families leaving Arkansas headed for Texas and the promise of a new land. Rolling through rainstorms, blistering hot days, fighting off insects at night, the wagons rolled across the plains of what is today Oklahoma. 

One afternoon a cloud of dust appeared on the horizon behind the group, and the wagon master halted the column and drew them close together into a circle. The men reached for rifles while the women gathered the children together into the center of the wagons.  In a few minutes it became apparent that the dust was coming from a LONE rider, carrying a parcel across his saddle. Slowing his horse to walking gait, the man called out that he meant no harm. The horse stopped, the man got down, reached for the bundle and unwrapped a small child no more than two years old. 

A cry of recognition tore from the throat of the baby’s mother when she saw her seventh child standing beside the strange man. The child had not been missed, but he had fallen from the wagon and the cowboy had found him sitting in the dirt and sifting it through his fingers…waiting for someone to come back for him. 

How many of us are on life’s “wagon train” headed for the promised land, and so intent on our own journey that we do not miss those of God’s children who fall off along the way? 

“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” 

Galatians 6:1