#24 - why should we all go fishing?

Matthew 4:19

“Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fish for people!”

First impressions carry a lot of weight in our culture.  When we meet someone for the first time, thoughts flood our mind.  We wonder what they are about.  We wonder why they wear what they wear and why they smell like they do.  I’m not sure about Jesus’ scent, but He made quite the first impression on a few fisherman.  He said, “Follow Me... and I will make you fish for people!”  Game changer. Shocker. I wonder if Peter asked Andrew how they were going to find nets big enough to haul in humans! 

 

You want us to fish for people...What!? 

If you and I follow Jesus, we have a new job and a new identity - fish for people.  It’s what Jesus came to earth to do.  Luke 19:10 says, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

If we follow Jesus, we go after lost people.  We seek them.  We go where they go and get in places where they get.  Are you and I intentionally pulling our “boats” into contexts where wayward fish are?  Do we have relationships with people that don’t know Christ?  Following Jesus means doing what He did.  He certainly went after lost people with the message and hope of the gospel.  Let’s follow Him.

Jesus, thanks for sending fishermen after me.  Thank you for the fleet of people that told me about You, were patient with me, and showed me genuine love.  Help me be that for others today.  Give me places to fish in and maybe even a whole new spot I hadn’t thought about yet.  Please empower Candeo Church to be a mighty fleet that fish for people in the Cedar Valley.  And may many people come to faith in You, mature, and start fishing! Amen.

#32 - why are these two so great?

Matthew 28:18-20

18 Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 22:36-40

36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”

37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

Love God. Love People. Make Disciples. 

You will hear that a lot around Candeo because it is our mission as a church. We copy and pasted it from Jesus.  He has given us laser focus by boiling down all of the Father’s commandments into just two - love God and love people.  That’s what we want to do at Candeo.  In every context, we want our hearts, minds, and souls to love God.  God loves people; so if we love Him, we love people (1 John 4:7-11).

Not only has Jesus boiled down the commandments, Jesus has, with all authority in heaven and earth, given us a great charge as a church.  He has charged us to go and make disciples of all nations.  Disciples are ones who trust in Jesus by faith and identify with Him in baptism.  They constantly learn about Him and pass it on to others.  And if His disciples obey, more disciples get made and nations become glad for they too were designed to love God, love people, and make disciples.

Jesus I want to be about what You say to be about - loving You, loving people, and making disciples.  Too often, I focus on things that don’t matter and get lost in the busyness of life.  Help my heart be Yours.  We don’t want a mission statement just to have one.  We want to be the real deal.  We need Your help for that.  Thank You for Your promise. You will always be with us.  Amen.

#38 - why 3 C's?

Acts 2:42-47

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers

43 Then fear came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. 44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. 45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need. 46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with a joyful and humble attitude, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved.

In Acts, we see a church that celebrated, connected, and contributed... a lot!

 

They celebrated by devoting themselves to the teaching of God’s Word through the apostles. Joy was genuine. Passion was real. Excitement was contagious. They connected with each other through meals, communion, prayer, and time. They were a community of people that radically cared for each other because they were constantly being taught the way of Jesus. Jesus said in John 15:8 “By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” This love for one another was attractive to people that weren’t following Christ yet... “Everyday people” were hearing about Jesus and were getting pulled into the community of Christ followers. And their intimacy with God and each other led them to contribute all they had and all they were to the church and people around them.

At Candeo, we focus on these three C’s (celebrate, connect, contribute) we see in Acts. We celebrate God corporately on Sunday with relevant Bible teaching and genuine worship. We connect with Him and others throughout the week in connection groups. We contribute our time, talents, and money to the church, to the community, and throughout the world. We focus on these three C’s because we see it modeled for us in Scripture, and we believe it is the most effective way to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

The light of Jesus shined so brightly through the early church because they actually did what they were empowered to do. So much so, that people all over world - even people in the middle of cornfields of Iowa - heard the great news of Jesus Christ.

Father, when I see what these disciples did in Acts, my heart burns to be more like them. It’s easy for me to feel guilty. I’m not as bold as they were. I don’t love as much as they did, and I feel less committed to your cause than they were. I need your grace. God help me change. Move me to action. Guide me. Guide your church. Oh, that celebration, connection, and contribution would ring out from the Cedar Valley to the ends of the earth! Amen.