February 28, 2010 - Go Fish #5:

The One that Almost Got Away! (2 Kings 7:1-16)

Kernel Emphasis:

• The One that Almost Got Away - We can get so caught up in the good things of being a part of church that we forget to go back for the folks who are left behind or those who are on the outside. But Jesus came back for us, so we follow Him and remember those left behind.

Practical Go Do of the Message:

• Go do is to share our God Story with someone this week -- this can be practice to get ready to share it with an unbeliever or friend we are trying to influence, or it can be to share it with a brother or sister in Christ for the his or her encouragement, or it can be sharing it with someone we are hoping to INVITE to know Jesus!

Core Ideas:

• Jesus called his followers to come follow him and he would make them something they weren't ... something they had never really wanted to be ... something that they had never thought of becoming ... something that would change their lives and the lives of many others. That's why Jesus said, "Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people." (Luke 5:10)
• The message of God's love for us in Jesus is not intuitive: it is a life lived in history, so people are not going to discover it on their own so we have to tell that story, we have to share Jesus in word and deed for people to really know Jesus.
• Whether we want to admit it or not, we often don't share Jesus because of our fear - so we must pray for boldness and also a sense of timing!
• Part of the thing that makes us hard to share Jesus, and also a key reason we fear sharing Jesus, is that we try to do it by ourself! But God gave us our church, our community, our friends, to help us share Jesus with others!
• But have to admit that sometimes we've made fishing for people too complicated. but the Gospel isn't complicated. No matter where someone comes from ... everybody gets in the same way ... they enter through Jesus Christ.
• Sometimes, however, no matter how respectfully we share God's truth and how much we love folks, some folks become the "one that got away!" Even worse, often because we don't realize the gift we have in Jesus, we don't share the story and someone we love becomes the "one that got away."

[Begin Guy came in to be baptized that had broken up with his girlfriend because she didn't want to become a Christian with him. The church thing wasn't her deal.]

How important is it that we begin fishing for people?

• This is a day of good news and how can we not share it with others?
• It's so obvious what they should do ... and isn't it that obvious to us?
• There is always a temptation to bask in the awesome reality of God's grace and blessings, but pretty soon, church stuff blinds us to the folks back in the city under siege with no hope.
  • The longer we are a Christian, the more likely we are to not go back into the city.
  • I can spend all of my time staying away from the city doing church stuff that I never plan any intentional time to reach out to people still stuck in the city.
• Let the lepers teach us something very very important!

  With their great discovery Came a great responsibility

  So with us, our great discovery of Jesus, our great gift of salvation, our incredible blessing of community ...
  ... comes with a great opportunity!
  

This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves.

• When it comes to discretionary time, my mind naturally goes to the people I love to be with, not the people I left behind -- I forget the folks left in the city ... after all, most of them never did anything for me ... and they probably wouldn't come back and get me if our roles were reversed ... but this is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves.

[Every fisherman has a story about the one that got away. I want to come back and finish my story I started earlier. Guy came in to be baptized that had broken up with his girlfriend because she didn't want to become a Christian with him. But he realized that this was a day of good news and that he needed to go back!]

And our example in this is ... Jesus! Created the world, we screwed it up, He came back.

• 1 John 4:9-10

And he asked us to go back to the city and let those folks know, too!

• 1 John 3:16-18

If we are going to be like Jesus, if we are really going to follow him, we're going to go back into the city!

Bottom Line: Followers Fish!

Key Focus:

• So what's the point?
• Glad you asked!
  1. Keep praying for boldness
  2. Realize that God has placed you where you are on purpose: You have the Message of grace that touched your heart at the right Moment and so you are his perfectly placed Messenger!
  3. Treat people with respect asking for God to show you that moment to share the message of Jesus in word and always live before them with deeds that show the love Jesus
  4. Don't forget to go back and share with those left behind!

• 1 John 4:9-10
• 1 John 3:16-18

Drama, Media, & Connecting Pieces:

• Pre-video:
• Key Video: (Let's see what folks think about this short video for use!)
  • Worthless
• Testimony:
  • Get an elder to share his testimony?

• Scripture Reading:

• Romans 5:6-11 as the focus of the Lord's Supper
  

Daybreak Planning Team: Marisue Meyers

Refresh Planning Team: Not Assigned

Sundown: From Max Lucado's Traveling Light

1. Theme: I Will Lead You Home:  The Burden of the Grave – Psalm 23:4 - “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort. Me.” 
2. Speaker: Phil Ware
3. Worship Leader: Luke Baty