August 15, 2004: Kimber Kauffman, Senior Pastor
of College Park Church, preached a message on Matthew 4:12-25 which describes
when and where Jesus began his ministry, his calling of fisherman to follow him
into full-time service, and what he did as he began his ministry.
1.
Spiritual Discipline of the Week – This
week, Pastor Anderson talked about Evangelism.
Perhaps his week you could give special emphasis to the Outreach
dimension of the flock group ministry and focus on…
a. What can
we do to encourage one another in sharing our faith?
b. What kinds
of outreach activities might we pursue in our group?
2.
Pastor Kimber described in v12-17 that
Jesus began his ministry in Galilee…near the gentiles, in accordance with God’s
timing “when his hour had come” (John 2: 1-4)
…near the end of the ministry of John the Baptist, and he preached the same
message …”Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 3:2 and 4:17)
a.
As Jesus carefully selected when and
where to begin his ministry, have you intentionally chosen, your Galilee…your
sphere of influence in which you would like to reach out to others?
b.
What do you feel called to do?
c.
What can we do to encourage you in
this area?
3.
Pastor Kimber noted in v18-22 that
Peter & Andrew and James & John, after hearing the preaching of the
word of Christ, followed him when he asked them to do so.
a.
What did Jesus say he would do with
them?
b.
What did Jesus ask of the fishermen?
c.
What does Jesus ask of us today?
4.
Pastor Kimber pointed out in v23-25
that Jesus’ ministry consisted of teaching (in the synagogues to the Jewish
people), preaching the good news of the kingdom, healing every disease and
sickness among the people…throughout Galilee.
And word spread throughout the region and large crowds of people began
to follow him?
a.
For what purpose did the fishermen who
were called, and the people who heard the news, follow Jesus?
b.
Why do people come to College Park
Church, and whom do they follow?
c.
What can we do to encourage one
another in following Jesus?
5.
Pastor Kimber asked why did Jesus
choose fishermen to follow him? In
answering that question, he pointed out their qualities.
a.
What are the qualities of a good
“fisherman?”
b.
How do these compare to the qualities
of a good “fisher of men?”
c.
Assuming you would like to be a better
“fisher of men,” identify three qualities in which you would like to work on in
the weeks ahead?
|
Fisherman |
Fisher of Men |
|
Known to be hard working people (Matthew 4:18, 21 and
Luke 5:5)…who toil (work hard to point of exhaustion) |
Hard workers [1] Up early, and out late. |
|
Courageous.
Fight the seas |
Courageous.
Willing to do battle with the powers of darkness. |
|
Be Patient…you don’t always catch fish |
Patiently awaits God’s leading and opening doors of
opportunity |
|
Faith |
Faith in Christ to do all things |
|
Have Skill |
Have Skill |
|
Successfully
catch fish |
Is
prepared to share Christ with others and has successfully done so. |
|
Good sense
of timing |
Good sense
of timing |
|
Learns from
mistakes |
Learns from
mistakes |
|
Reads the
weather |
Reads verbal
and non-verbal ques |
|
Cooperate with other fishermen…particularly in casting
nets |
Cooperates with others…particularly when engaged in
similar outreach activities. |
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Resources:
Pastor Kimber Kauffman: Description of a fisherman from sermon
Sunday August 15, 2004 on Matthew 4:12-25.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. fish'-er
fish'-er-man (Hebrew [dayyagh], Hebrew [dawwagh]; Greek [halieus];
Westcott and Hort, The New Testament in Greek [haleeus]): Although but few
references to fishermen are made in the Bible, these men and their calling are
brought into prominence by Jesus' call to certain Galilee fishermen to become
His disciples (Mt 4:18, 19; Mk 1:16, 17). Fishermen, then as now, formed a
distinct class. The strenuousness of the work (Lk 5:2) ruled out the weak and
indolent. They were crude in manner, rough in speech and in their treatment of
others (Lk 9:49, 54; Jn 18:10). James and John before they became tempered by
Jesus' influence were nicknamed the "sons of thunder" (Mk 3:17). The
fishermen's exposure to all kinds of weather made them hardy and fearless. They
were accustomed to bear with patience many trying circumstances. They often
toiled for hours without success, and yet were always ready to try once more
(Lk 5:5; Jn 21:3). Such men, when impelled by the same spirit as filled their
Master, became indeed "fishers of men" (Mt 4:19; Mk 1:17).
Web Resource on Following Christ: http://www.bertsgoodstuff.com/follow.htm