Chapter One
We Were All
Fish Once
When Jesus called His first followers, He had very clear intentions:
"I will make you fishers of men." He didn't mention
refining their characters, making them better people, or even saving
them from their sins-although He did those things too. But of all the
things He could have emphasized, Jesus announced that His primary
agenda for those who follow Him is to use them to introduce others
to their loving heavenly Father. It was true in Jesus' time. And it's still
true today.
But that can be intimidating . How do you do it? What do you
say? And what if they don't want to hear it? In this session, we'll reveal
an important perspective that cuts through all the obstacles that keep
Christians from fishing for men. From this refreshing point of view,
you will experience a natural motivation to get in on this part of
God's agenda for the world. And along the way, we'll see how God has
placed each of us in the perfect place to follow Him and become fishers
of men.
PRAY WHAT?!
God's desire is to take our lives on this earth and leverage
them for eternal value by using us to introduce His children
to everlasting life. Nevertheless, most of our prayers center
around the things of this temporary world. In the space
below, list some of the subjects that are most predominant
in your prayer life.
Based on the subjects you listed, approximately what
percentage of your prayer time is devoted to eternal things
like fishing for men?
VIDEO NOTES
From the video message, fill in the blanks:
1. Most people become Christians for purely
__________ motives.
2. The first disciples followed Jesus because of
what He did for __________.
3. God wants to lead us to become fishers of
__________.
NOTES
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Take a few moments to discuss your answers to these questions
with the group.
1. What are the agendas of most people who
become Christians?
2. Why do you think the disciples first wanted to
follow Jesus?
3. According to Jesus, what is His agenda for His
followers?
4. What obstacles keep you from being a fisher of
men?
5. Talk about the person who was key in you
becoming a Christian.
6. Who is someone that God has perfectly
positioned you to influence?
MILEPOSTS
* Often, people's initial motives for following Christ
are selfish ones.
* Jesus promised to make His followers into fishers
of men.
* Every follower is a prime candidate to fish for men.
WHAT WILL YOU DO?
This week, write a brief thank-you letter to the person or
people who took the time to make sure you understood the
gospel message of salvation and the invitation to enter into
a relationship with God through Christ. You do not have to
send the letter in order to complete this assignment.
THINK ABOUT IT
Thinking about the person who introduced you to Christ,
what unique platform did that person occupy in your life
that enabled him or her to be heard by you?
What unique platform(s) do you occupy that God
might want to use to make Himself known to the nonbelievers
in your world?
CHANGING YOUR MIND
As you meditate on God's Word, it becomes easier to envision
His agenda of making us fishers of men.
"'Come, follow me,' Jesus said,
'and I will make you fishers of men.'"
Mark 1:17
Last week .
In the last session we saw that Jesus had one clear goal in
mind for His followers. It wasn't just to make them more holy
or more disciplined or more loving. He promised to make
them "fishers of men." And as we saw, He has the same
agenda for us today when we decide to follow Him.
(Continues.)
