Jan. 21, 2024

“Let's Go Fishing”

Mark 1:14-20

 God has called us to be fishers of men. God wants us to go fishing for basically two reasons: because he has prepared us to go and because he has called us to go fishing. In text for this morning, we see Jesus at the very beginning of his ministry.  He has just spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by the devil.  John the Baptist, who had baptized him only a few weeks earlier had been thrown in jail. Jesus travels up to the land where he grew up, Galilee, and begins to preach, "the good news of God."  The good news of God.  And that’s basically what Jesus did.  But he didn’t stop there.  He told them, “Believe the good news."  It was the good news that God had come to earth, it was the good news that the Savior so long awaited, the Savior that they so desperately needed had come to suffer and die for their sins.  In this way God has prepared us for fishing.  He started this preparation in our baptism, when he called us to faith and he has continued to prepare us through his Word, in catechism classes, Bible Studies, even here every Sunday in our worship services, God prepares us for fishing.  We see the same response from the first disciples.  Mark tells us that they left their boats and nets behind to follow Jesus.  Jesus has invited you to go fishing.  And there are so many opportunities.  We all have neighbors, friends, and family members, all these people who live around the church who don’t know Jesus.  

 Questions:

1. How does Jesus prepare us to go fishing for the kingdom?
2. What was the message that Jesus was giving?
3. Where do we have opportunities to go fishing for Jesus?