Scripture
– NLT
Luke
5:1-11 –
“One
day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds
pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. He noticed two empty boats at
the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.
Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out
into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.
When
he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and
let down your nets to catch some fish.”
“Master,”
Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if
you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” And this time their nets were so
full of fish they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the
other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of
sinking.
When
Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and
said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” For he was awestruck
by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. His
partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.
Jesus
replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”
And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.”
2
Corinthians 3:2-3 –
The
only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a
letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work
among you. Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our
ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the
Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human
hearts.
Bob’s
thoughts:
It
has been a while since we last visited but I don’t remember needing earplugs
then or if there was a cross. I do think I would have remembered if there was
music louder than the prayers. I noticed some members writing during the
message…I hope they were taking notes.
I
missed some of the early greeting, but people were friendly.
Some
points from the message: “We see problems, Christ sees possibilities.” A good
question for the congregation: “Who needs the Good News in your sphere of
influence?” Another I liked: “Obedience is a turning point.”
The
pastor told a story of a parishioner who stopped to invite a couple to church; after
many invitations, they came, and soon family came with them.
There
was a woman who came to worship at my first long-term church. Every Sunday I
tried to engage her in conversation and got nowhere…I had all but given up. One
Sunday the pastor asked me if I had said hello and when I relayed her lack of
past response, he urged me again. This time I was met with a joyous greeting.
The pastor hadn’t mentioned that she had accepted Christ that Saturday in his
office and he knew how frustrated I was from trying over the months to engage
her in conversation.
Of
late God has given me a joyous ministry of prayer with salespeople: I’ve gotten
to seek those who seem less than cheerful. I would like to say it brings joy to
their face, but more often it is tears. A simple touch or prayer is
overwhelming to them, and me too. When you minister to someone, it is never
only one way.
Jan’s
thoughts:
Two
new pastors have come on staff here since our last visit just over two years
ago. It’s encouraging to see the excitement and energy here.
We
arrived a couple of minutes into the service, so it was already dark. We were greeted
at the door and welcomed with handshakes and hugs. We found our seats in the
far back and were invited to help ourselves to coffee.
The
music was well done, led by a drummer and two women vocalists, one of whom also
played the keyboard. Once we were in the room, the volume was good.
I
loved the wall decorations behind the platform: I only got to see them from a
distance but they looked like metal tubs on the wall and each tub was lined
with lights that changed color to coordinate with the background color on the
screens. It sounds plain, but they were striking!
Allison
Park Church and its satellites (including this one) are arranging to collect
donations to help victims of Hurricane Harvey, of course. We were also treated
to a preview of Senior Pastor Jeff Leake’s upcoming sermon series which will be
tied in to their Life Group meetings as well.
The
message was presented by Campus Pastor John Holt and was called “Let’s Go
Fishing!” As he outlined the Scripture detailing Jesus’ encounter with Peter
and the other fishermen, he emphasized Jesus’ ability to see the possibilities
instead of their failure and His encouragement of His soon-to-be followers.
My
two favorite parts: the statement that obedience is a turning point in our life
story and obeying brings blessing, and that catching fish, you make them die…catching
people, you make them live.
At
this point, they outlined some of their innovative plans for community outreach
over the next month or two, reminding the worshipers that Jesus knows where the
fish are.
We
appreciated the time both pastors took following worship for conversation.
Our
prayer for this church:
Lord,
we pray this, Your church, will be empty, that they be the church out in the
neighborhood winning souls for You. Amen.
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