"Personal"
Mark 1:14-20
An old-timer sat on the riverbank, obviously awaiting a nibble, though the fishing season had not officially opened. A uniformed officer walked up and stood behind him quietly for several minutes. When the old-timer finally noticed him, he inquired, “You the game warden?”
“Yup.”
Unruffled, the old man began to move the fishing pole from side to side. Finally, he lifted the line out of the water. Pointing to a minnow wriggling on the end of the line, he said, “Just teaching him how to swim.”
Jesus didn’t hide what He was doing, and He didn’t want those who would be His disciples to hide it either. He was completely upfront as He announced God’s good news. And what is that good news? The first words Mark ever records Jesus as speaking point to the very core of His teaching: that the long-awaited Messiah had come to break the power of sin and begin God’s personal reign on earth. Keep in mind that most of the people who heard this message were oppressed and poor and without hope. Jesus’ words—as well as His life, death, and resurrection—were good news precisely because they offered freedom, justice, and hope. And the personal call of the church is to continue this ministry of offering freedom, justice, and hope.
And so it is that the dominion of God has come near—so near and personal that Mark believes you can actually touch it in Jesus. The future promised by God is no longer just a flickering hope light years away; it’s become available in the present. That’s why Jesus immediately and personally calls a few disciples to begin spreading the news in a big way. For no minister of an earthly sovereign would ever announce, “So and so has become king! If it pleases you, accept him as your king!” Such a blasé, noncommittal declaration certainly did not characterize the news of a Roman emperor’s ascension to the throne. The very announcement that so and so is king contains an implicit demand for submission. Jesus’ announcement that God is king contains the same absolute demand. The divine rule blazed abroad by Jesus, therefore, requires immediate human decision and commitment to repentance, to submission to God’s reign, and to the trust that the incredible has already begun to take place.
“Come with me,” Jesus personally calls out to would-be disciples of every generation. “Come with me, and I’ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.” Yes, Jesus preaches to the crowds; but the call to follow comes to individuals. That’s part of what’s so different here: that Jesus calls them to “follow Me.” Prophets didn’t call people to follow themselves but to follow God. The sages of Jesus’ day never called people to follow them, only to learn Torah from them. Jesus’ call of His disciples is therefore dramatically authoritative and aligns itself with the way God calls on human beings—a command with a promise, which is followed by obedience. Indeed, Jesus’ call so overpowers these disciples that their lives will never be the same again.
Sometimes we assume that Jesus’ disciples were great men of faith from the first time they met up with Jesus. But they had to grow in their faith just as you and I do. It was a growing commitment, and although it took time for Jesus’ message to get through to them, the disciples followed right away. In the same way, we may question and falter and fail, but we must never stop following Jesus.
The call is personal, and so is your decision. To follow Jesus will cost you. Have you ever noticed that when a fisherman hooks a fish, it has fatal consequences for the fish; life simply cannot go on as before. In a way, the same thing happens to us when we decide to follow Jesus. The transforming power of God’s rule brings judgment and death to the old life, and yet it promises a new creation. As disciples, we’re called to be agents who will personally bring a compelling message to others—a message that will change their lives beyond recognition.
To do this, we’ve got to get personal. If you’re going to influence anybody for God, you’re going to have to get personally involved in his or her life. The day may already be here when the only real evangelism is personal evangelism.
Football fans know the name, Jerry Rice. He was a longtime star for the San Francisco 49ers, the MVP of the 1989 Super Bowl, considered one of the greatest receivers to ever play the game. You’d think such a future hall-of-fame player would’ve played college ball at one of the legendary football universities, but he didn’t. He played for Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena, Mississippi. He was once asked, “Why did you attend a small, obscure university like Mississippi Valley State?” Rice responded, “Out of all the big-time schools to recruit me, MVSU was the only school to come to my house and give me a personal visit.” The big-time schools recruited through cards, letters, and advertisements, but only one came to meet him and showed Rice personal attention.
It makes all the difference in the world to meet people eye to eye and invite them to be a part. As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother casting a net into the sea. He approached them and invited them to be a part. A little further on he saw two more brothers: James and John. He extended them the same invitation, and they followed. It’s the personal touch that attracts us, isn’t it? Cards and letters are nice and meaningful, but they only do so much. Advertising is so impersonal! But eye contact and words of encouragement and a shake of the hand and a personal touch—those things really make a difference.
So how are you going to influence people for the Lord? If you’re going to reach them, you’re going to have to do it with a personal touch. You’re going to have to do it by meeting people where they are. People aren’t likely going to come to you, but you can go to them. Get involved in community organizations, talk to your neighbors, lend your support to any association that supports people. Move outside the walls of this church! Go! In fact, if you’re only a Christian within the walls of this church, I dare say you don’t know what it means to be a Christian! We must learn to go where the fish are, to be with people on their own turf. And this church building is generally not their turf. Maybe someday it will become so for a number of them, but right now, it’s not. We must meet people where they are.
If you’re going to reach people, you’re going to have to do it by personalizing your approach. You’re not going to reach someone by pretending to be something you’re not. You’re not going to reach someone by overusing churchy words that even you don’t know the meaning of. You’re not going to reach someone by pounding your beliefs down their throats. You’ll reach them by being real, by being vulnerable, by being honest, by being who you really are. But you’ll also reach them by being creative, by not doing everything the same old way, by being truly spiritual, by being patient, by being willing to step outside of your comfort zone. So be ready for surprises; be on the lookout for where God is at work; and be praying. Be personal and get personal by personalizing your approach.
If you’re going to reach people, you’re going to have to do it by finding your calling. What is it that God is calling you to do? There was an interesting article in National Geographic about the Mbuti men of central Africa (also known as Pygmies). These small people have a unique way of making music and reinforcing social bonds. The men whittle musical pipes out of soft wood, but each pipe is only able to play a single note. One man may whittle a pipe that can play an A-flat, another a pipe that plays a D, another a pipe that plays an F-sharp, and so on. Because each man can only play one note, all the men must work together to create music. If one man is missing from the group, the music is noticeably different, totally lacking in the harmony and richness that results when all the men are playing together.
What a magnificent metaphor for the church! Imagine that every member of our fellowship had a flute that played one note. The only way we can produce a symphony would be if every member shows up and does his or her part.
Do you have a job in this church and throughout this community—or do you have a ministry? There is a huge difference! If you’re doing it because no one else will, it’s a job. But if you’re doing it to serve the Lord, it’s personal—and it’s a ministry. If you’re doing it just well enough to get by, it’s a job. But if you’re doing it to the best of your ability, it’s personal—and it’s a ministry. If you’re doing it because it’s just what’s expected of you, it’s a job. But if you’re going beyond the call of duty, it’s personal—and it’s a ministry. If you are doing it because you want the credit and the respect of others, it’s a job. But if you’re doing it because you genuinely love people, it’s personal—and it’s a ministry.
Warren Buffett, the nation’s most successful financial investor and the second-richest man in America, says, “Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you!” If you were hiring someone to work for you, where would you begin? Wouldn’t you begin with someone you could personally trust? Jesus saw something in His disciples that helped Him know He could depend on them. Does He see something in you—personally—that He would call upon you? He does, and so He calls. But will you follow?
Let us pray: Lord, help us to follow You in a very personal way, and thereby personally show others the way to You. For Your glory and for your sake, we pray.
Mark 1:14-20
An old-timer sat on the riverbank, obviously awaiting a nibble, though the fishing season had not officially opened. A uniformed officer walked up and stood behind him quietly for several minutes. When the old-timer finally noticed him, he inquired, “You the game warden?”
“Yup.”
Unruffled, the old man began to move the fishing pole from side to side. Finally, he lifted the line out of the water. Pointing to a minnow wriggling on the end of the line, he said, “Just teaching him how to swim.”
Jesus didn’t hide what He was doing, and He didn’t want those who would be His disciples to hide it either. He was completely upfront as He announced God’s good news. And what is that good news? The first words Mark ever records Jesus as speaking point to the very core of His teaching: that the long-awaited Messiah had come to break the power of sin and begin God’s personal reign on earth. Keep in mind that most of the people who heard this message were oppressed and poor and without hope. Jesus’ words—as well as His life, death, and resurrection—were good news precisely because they offered freedom, justice, and hope. And the personal call of the church is to continue this ministry of offering freedom, justice, and hope.
And so it is that the dominion of God has come near—so near and personal that Mark believes you can actually touch it in Jesus. The future promised by God is no longer just a flickering hope light years away; it’s become available in the present. That’s why Jesus immediately and personally calls a few disciples to begin spreading the news in a big way. For no minister of an earthly sovereign would ever announce, “So and so has become king! If it pleases you, accept him as your king!” Such a blasé, noncommittal declaration certainly did not characterize the news of a Roman emperor’s ascension to the throne. The very announcement that so and so is king contains an implicit demand for submission. Jesus’ announcement that God is king contains the same absolute demand. The divine rule blazed abroad by Jesus, therefore, requires immediate human decision and commitment to repentance, to submission to God’s reign, and to the trust that the incredible has already begun to take place.
“Come with me,” Jesus personally calls out to would-be disciples of every generation. “Come with me, and I’ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.” Yes, Jesus preaches to the crowds; but the call to follow comes to individuals. That’s part of what’s so different here: that Jesus calls them to “follow Me.” Prophets didn’t call people to follow themselves but to follow God. The sages of Jesus’ day never called people to follow them, only to learn Torah from them. Jesus’ call of His disciples is therefore dramatically authoritative and aligns itself with the way God calls on human beings—a command with a promise, which is followed by obedience. Indeed, Jesus’ call so overpowers these disciples that their lives will never be the same again.
Sometimes we assume that Jesus’ disciples were great men of faith from the first time they met up with Jesus. But they had to grow in their faith just as you and I do. It was a growing commitment, and although it took time for Jesus’ message to get through to them, the disciples followed right away. In the same way, we may question and falter and fail, but we must never stop following Jesus.
The call is personal, and so is your decision. To follow Jesus will cost you. Have you ever noticed that when a fisherman hooks a fish, it has fatal consequences for the fish; life simply cannot go on as before. In a way, the same thing happens to us when we decide to follow Jesus. The transforming power of God’s rule brings judgment and death to the old life, and yet it promises a new creation. As disciples, we’re called to be agents who will personally bring a compelling message to others—a message that will change their lives beyond recognition.
To do this, we’ve got to get personal. If you’re going to influence anybody for God, you’re going to have to get personally involved in his or her life. The day may already be here when the only real evangelism is personal evangelism.
Football fans know the name, Jerry Rice. He was a longtime star for the San Francisco 49ers, the MVP of the 1989 Super Bowl, considered one of the greatest receivers to ever play the game. You’d think such a future hall-of-fame player would’ve played college ball at one of the legendary football universities, but he didn’t. He played for Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena, Mississippi. He was once asked, “Why did you attend a small, obscure university like Mississippi Valley State?” Rice responded, “Out of all the big-time schools to recruit me, MVSU was the only school to come to my house and give me a personal visit.” The big-time schools recruited through cards, letters, and advertisements, but only one came to meet him and showed Rice personal attention.
It makes all the difference in the world to meet people eye to eye and invite them to be a part. As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother casting a net into the sea. He approached them and invited them to be a part. A little further on he saw two more brothers: James and John. He extended them the same invitation, and they followed. It’s the personal touch that attracts us, isn’t it? Cards and letters are nice and meaningful, but they only do so much. Advertising is so impersonal! But eye contact and words of encouragement and a shake of the hand and a personal touch—those things really make a difference.
So how are you going to influence people for the Lord? If you’re going to reach them, you’re going to have to do it with a personal touch. You’re going to have to do it by meeting people where they are. People aren’t likely going to come to you, but you can go to them. Get involved in community organizations, talk to your neighbors, lend your support to any association that supports people. Move outside the walls of this church! Go! In fact, if you’re only a Christian within the walls of this church, I dare say you don’t know what it means to be a Christian! We must learn to go where the fish are, to be with people on their own turf. And this church building is generally not their turf. Maybe someday it will become so for a number of them, but right now, it’s not. We must meet people where they are.
If you’re going to reach people, you’re going to have to do it by personalizing your approach. You’re not going to reach someone by pretending to be something you’re not. You’re not going to reach someone by overusing churchy words that even you don’t know the meaning of. You’re not going to reach someone by pounding your beliefs down their throats. You’ll reach them by being real, by being vulnerable, by being honest, by being who you really are. But you’ll also reach them by being creative, by not doing everything the same old way, by being truly spiritual, by being patient, by being willing to step outside of your comfort zone. So be ready for surprises; be on the lookout for where God is at work; and be praying. Be personal and get personal by personalizing your approach.
If you’re going to reach people, you’re going to have to do it by finding your calling. What is it that God is calling you to do? There was an interesting article in National Geographic about the Mbuti men of central Africa (also known as Pygmies). These small people have a unique way of making music and reinforcing social bonds. The men whittle musical pipes out of soft wood, but each pipe is only able to play a single note. One man may whittle a pipe that can play an A-flat, another a pipe that plays a D, another a pipe that plays an F-sharp, and so on. Because each man can only play one note, all the men must work together to create music. If one man is missing from the group, the music is noticeably different, totally lacking in the harmony and richness that results when all the men are playing together.
What a magnificent metaphor for the church! Imagine that every member of our fellowship had a flute that played one note. The only way we can produce a symphony would be if every member shows up and does his or her part.
Do you have a job in this church and throughout this community—or do you have a ministry? There is a huge difference! If you’re doing it because no one else will, it’s a job. But if you’re doing it to serve the Lord, it’s personal—and it’s a ministry. If you’re doing it just well enough to get by, it’s a job. But if you’re doing it to the best of your ability, it’s personal—and it’s a ministry. If you’re doing it because it’s just what’s expected of you, it’s a job. But if you’re going beyond the call of duty, it’s personal—and it’s a ministry. If you are doing it because you want the credit and the respect of others, it’s a job. But if you’re doing it because you genuinely love people, it’s personal—and it’s a ministry.
Warren Buffett, the nation’s most successful financial investor and the second-richest man in America, says, “Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you!” If you were hiring someone to work for you, where would you begin? Wouldn’t you begin with someone you could personally trust? Jesus saw something in His disciples that helped Him know He could depend on them. Does He see something in you—personally—that He would call upon you? He does, and so He calls. But will you follow?
Let us pray: Lord, help us to follow You in a very personal way, and thereby personally show others the way to You. For Your glory and for your sake, we pray.
