Deliverance is just a step in discipleship. We don’t live from deliverance to deliverance. It is vital that as a believer, we graduate from thinking about ourselves to how we can raise another person. We call our conference Raised To Deliver because we believe that each believer in Christ is raised up to be a deliverer in their household, workplace and nation. Jesus wants to use us today.

It is important for us to remember that we are called to be the light of this world. Let us come back to the basics of what we were asked for by Jesus. Recall Jesus’ last words to us in the Bible, “Go therefore into all the world making disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We are called to go and make disciples – to be disciple makers. God wants to heal, deliver and save you so that He can use you to reach somebody else.

Go To The Fish

Matthew 4:19, “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “And I will make you fishers of men.”

When I go fishing, the first thing I have to do is put on my boots, take my gear, go to the river, throw my line in the water, and then, I am fishing. It would be foolish of me to throw my line in my bathtub. There are no fish in my bathtub.

I want to illustrate the point which we often forget in church which is if you want to fish, you have to go where the fish are. How many times have you seen it in churches that we come on a Sunday morning, believing that God will win souls and we are in the house of God asking Him to save the souls yet we never see souls saved in our churches or families because we are not stepping outside the four walls. Praying is good and lays the groundwork but you have to put yourself in the vicinity of unbelievers.

Mark 2:15-16, “While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Him and His disciples, for there were many who followed Him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw Him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked His disciples: “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus was a friend of sinners. It is important for us to be surrounded by unbelievers. What tends to happen, especially with those who have been around the church for a long time, they tend to have less and less unbelieving friends and form their own cliques or clubs.

If we want to see a harvest of souls, we have to go where the fish are. Click To Tweet

We have to get out of our comfort zones. My reflective thought for you is do you have unchurched/ unsaved friends? If not, what are you doing to expose yourself around people? We live in this world, we are not of this world but we still are here and we have to be present and active with people. Are you being exposed and if you are not, what are you doing? Make sure that you have exposure so people can reach you.

Use The Right Fishing Gear

Just because I go to the water doesn’t mean that I am catching fish. I have to do something in order to attract the fish to me. There has to be something that I have that they want.

Fishing Lures

I have one particular fishing lure that is shiny and reflects the light hitting the surface of the water. I have caught a lot of fish with it. Each one of us as Christians is reflecting the light of Jesus.

Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.”

What light are you reflecting? Do they even know that you are a Christian or that you love Jesus in your workplace? Does your character reflect the Son of God? Are you reflecting Jesus in the words that you say? When you speak, everything that comes out of your mouth should be of God’s goodness.

People should look at your life and say they want what you have. I am not asking you to be fake and pretend like life is good all the time in the same way that a fishing lure does not produce its own light; it simply reflects the sun. Just let the Son of God reflect off you and through you. Let your light shine so that all can see it. Don’t be afraid. People should be able to see that you are going through the same struggles as them but somehow you are handling it a whole lot better. The peace that passes understanding lures people towards the truth of Jesus Christ and that give you an opportunity to set the hook for a catch.

There are some fish that you cannot catch with shiny objects near the surface of the water. The fish that are down in the depths of the water, at the bottom of the river in the mud, will never be attracted by such a lure. Similarly, there are people in our lives that we can preach the Gospel to, showing our life and light but not matter what we say, they will not receive it.

Not all bait is shiny; some bait feeds the fish. Click To Tweet

There are some people who are so stuck in the mud, so deep in the darkness of their thoughts and demonic attacks that they won’t hear what you have to say. They just don’t care that you have everything going well. Only one thing will get through to them and that is the feeding of their soul.

John 6:35, “Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.”

In John 21:17, Jesus told Peter, if you love Me, feed My sheep. My question to you today is are you feeding the weary souls? Does your life feed the people around you? Who is being fed by your life? Regardless of the response of the fish, don’t stop praying and being available for them.

To check that you are being a good fisher of men, ask yourself these questions:

1. Are you going to the river and exposing yourself where the fish are?
2. Are you showing the light of Christ in your workplace? Do people know it?
3. Are you available for people to come to?

The Right Rod

When fishing, one thing you need to consider is the rod you have. If you show up to the river with a tiny rod, it shows your expectation of the type of catch you will get. We pray big but our preparation for what God is going to do does not match it. Many of us have missed out on the harvest in front of us simply because we were not prepared adequately? Remember, we are all called to fish as Christians.

You might not have as many opportunities as some people but don’t neglect your rod – make sure you are fishing and you are sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Then come alongside new believers and help them consolidate their catches with the net of discipleship. A mature Christian would have his net in one hand and his line in the other. I invite you to graduate from thinking only about yourselves and think about others. We need to repent of thinking too much about ourselves and not enough about the mission and vision of Jesus Christ.

I believe we are about to step into a new season in the church as we come back to a place of discipleship and disciple-making that will be a massive revival of salvations.

Prayer

If you have been sitting back and haven’t caught a fish in a long time, pray for the Holy Spirit to make you sensitive to His voice and promptings. Ask Him to use you again. Tell Him you are ready to be the laborer He has been looking for.

Sermon By Bryson Still; Blog By Edward Gardiner

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