The Palau team in Europe has done a great job making a video about net fishing in Romania. Apparently, the gospel is taking Romania by storm at the moment. Let’s pray for the salvation of the people of Romania and thank God for the harvest taking place there now.
Apr
16
In our 3rd piece on Evangelism as Fishing, we will look at our board member, Ben Cheek’s next point in his talk from our 2011 banquet: Building Better Boats. [If you missed the other two articles, you can read them here: Bring a Net | Casting Together]
Let’s remember Jesus’ words as we begin:
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. -Matthew 4:18-20 (NIV)
As we consider fishing as a team sport and how we might cast the net together, it is important for us to think about the means we will use to carry the good news. The vehicle for the message is vital to the message being delivered so let’s determine what kind of boat we need to catch the big catch.
Bigger doesn’t always mean better
April 15th marked the 100th anniversary of Titanic’s famous maiden voyage. The makers of the colossal ship boasted that the RSS Titanic was unsinkable. Yet, as she sailed from Southampton, UK to New York City, it struck an iceberg and was sunk within a few hours.
Engineers reckoned that Titanic was unsinkable because they thought they had taken in to account every scenario. However, to their embarrassment and horror, they were not able to foresee the one thing that would expose the ship’s weakness. By the time the iceberg was visible, the navigators were not able to re-direct the ship in time to avoid the collision.
Imagine how much more complicated engineering a process for reaching thousands with the gospel! While event planners spend an entire year or more trying to think through all aspects of outreach and make provisions for possible pitfalls in the process of reaching the masses, oversights are always made. I am not saying that mass evangelism is a disaster waiting to happen, but it is important to recognize that evangelism needs to be more than just a big event. Making something massive doesn’t mean it will be able to catch more fish, nor does it mean that everyone is safe just because they’re on board.
The needs of the few and the one outweigh the needs of the many
Mr. Spock had it backwards in StarTrek II: The Wrath of Khan when he said, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few and the one.” Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15:1-7 contradicts Mr. Spock when he says he is more excited about one truly repentant soul than ninety-nine who just ask him for salvation but never learn how to appreciate him as Lord. This text speaks to the quality of catch that Jesus is looking for. One might reason that we should cast the net often and pull up as much stuff as we can to collect as many fish as possible. Is it possible to have both quantity and quality? This is the challenge of ministry. Jesus doesn’t just want a lot of people, he wants the entire person.
The solution lies in your network
Whether the community is big or small, it is relationships that build bridges in society and ultimately win the lost. The size of the boat to catch fish really does depend on the size of the community you live in. If you live in a city, then a city-wide outreach might be an effective way to make an impact. If you live in the country, a county-wide apple pie festival might be more appropriate. The kind of fish you are trying to catch impacts the kind of boat you need to take fishing. The work of the evangelist is not fishing for sport. We are not looking to catch 500 lb. tunas or marlins here. We are trying to reach regular people in our neighborhoods, in our schools and the leaders of the towns in business, politics and civil service.
Local networks maintain agility in an ever changing spiritual and cultural environment. Here in New England, the church is small. And that’s ok. Each church has the opportunity to maneuver toward a population of fish that their boat is best equipped to catch. Even here in Southeastern Connecticut, we experience great diversity: military, big corporations of scientists and engineers, urban pockets of Haitians, Puerto Ricans and African Americans; poverty and really old money all gathered along the shoreline. There’s a great diversity of people that Jesus is calling us to catch. Local networks are representative of the communities we are fishing for and are better able to keep their eyes on the waters.
Question4You: What people groups in your area do you have a natural affinity to and what kinds of things can you do in your neighborhood to connect people to Jesus?
Categories : Articles, Community, Evangelism, Leadership
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Apr
09
Easter Sunday (April 8, 2012) was marked with many decisions for Christ as Tom cast the net together with Spoken-Word Poet Jason “Propaganda” Petty and Lead Pastor Joe Paskewich. After Joe shared the Easter story from Scripture, Propaganda delivered the GOSPEL in 4 minutes. After an inspiring delivery and worship from Calvary Chapel’s young adult worship team, which included f2fmi Development Coordinator Megan Kellam, it was easy for Tom to make an evangelistic appeal. Tom counted 11 hands from stage, but reports from around the room all agree that Tom missed at least a dozen hands from stage. Praise God that He still is still in the salvation business!
Apr
08
Dave White
It’s been very hard trying to compose this devotional. I am writing this on the eve of the most significant Christian holiday: Easter (Resurrection Day). The Resurrection is what sets us apart. In my previous writings, I have sometimes had difficulty capturing the enormity or great significance of a particular time. Easter is indeed great, and I shall extol Christ’s magnificence and the resurrection’s significance toward the bottom of this devotional. However, my difficulty this time is one that I hate to admit: I’m just not feeling Easter this year.
Wait! Don’t close that browser! Hear me out.
My spirit sings with all of the Church, because Jesus is alive! He is risen! My mind exerts itself in a worthy effort to try to comprehend the glorious truth of the empty tomb and what that means for me, for us. But my emotions are so very low right now. It is difficult for my heart to flutter in the ecstasies of abundant and eternal life. But why? I want to rejoice like I have done in the past, so why don’t I?
The source of my problem, without a doubt, is sin. My sin. Other peoples’ sins against me. Sin.
Sin is a word that seems to be unacceptable in polite conversation, even among some Christians, but it is truly to blame for my present woes. Because I have grace and faith in Jesus Christ, sin no longer owns me. I am free from the wages of sin, and I am an heir of the free gift of eternal life from God. (Romans 6:23) Even so, when I sin, I hurt my relationship with God. God and His love don’t change, but my focus surely does.
Because of Jesus, I’m good with God, but when I sin… well, it’s almost like when you’re speaking with a friend and they get a text message. They check their text and completely check out of the conversation you were just having. How rude! Well, metaphorically speaking, sin texted me. “Hey, it’s sin. You wanna hang out?” And I checked out of my conversation with God in order to stupidly reply, “Sure. What do you want to do?” Ugh. Amazingly, God still loves me. I’m still His servant, son, and saint; but my redirected attention separated me from our friendship. Because of that, I’ve suffered emotionally.
So, my sin has squelched my feelings toward my Savior’s resurrection, but other people’s sins have also hindered my ability to joyfully love. Toward the end of last week, some old wounds were opened up. I was reminded of misplaced trust and broken relationships. I was hurt. I was wounded. Again, following the cell phone analogy, I answered the text and checked out of my communion with God in order to focus on these sins and hurts.
That is the power of sin. For the unregenerate person, sin is master, lord, and boss. For the Christian, the power of sin is limited to whatever authority and attention we give it. In both cases (my sin and others’ sins), I took my focus off of God and put it on the sin… and on myself. It’s an old story that plays like a broken record, and I fall for the same old tricks again and again. I know the pain and apathy that will result from these disappointing distractions, but I still stumble. I’m guessing that you do, too, from time to time.
Thankfully, I am not ruled by my emotions. Nor am I ruled any more by sin. In fact, that’s what this season is all about. Jesus came to free us from sin and all bondage.
Jesus, the Anointed One, foretold from the beginning of Scripture, miraculously born of a virgin, teaching and living in truth and righteousness, showing Himself to be the Messiah, gave Himself up for us. “And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8) “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures… He was buried… He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) “We [Christians] were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4)
This is truth! I am free! C‘mon, my self, rejoice! “Bless the LORD, O my soul!” (Psalm 103)
I can hold on to the truth that Christ Jesus has come, that He died and rose, that I am reconciled to God through Him. I can get up and dust myself off and walk in the newness of life that He promises and provides. Because of this Easter truth, I am justified; I am made right. I am sanctified; I am made holy.
Wow! Thank You, Jesus! You are awesome! You are amazing! You are King and Savior! Thank You, Lord!
So, whether or not my heart happens to be emoting properly or not, I will follow Christ. He is my hope and my salvation, my deliverer and my ransom. Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!
Happy Easter, everyone!
Categories : Devotionals
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Mar
31
“Do not be anxious about anything…” -Phil 4:6
“Do not worry about your life…” -Matthew 6:28
Don’t worry! Stop it! Look at you: you’re worrying again. Why do you worry so much? Stop it!
“Do not fear” is the most stated command in the Bible. Yet I have had plenty of times when I find myself worrying about so many different issues: even worrying itself!
I worry that I’m not doing enough to stop worrying.
I’m not being radical enough.
I’m not selling everything.
I’m not giving to the poor.
I’m not loving my neighbor enough.
I’m not being fully pure in my mind.
I skipped tithing this week.
I was really angry at my co-worker yesterday, is God mad at me for that?
I wasn’t loving enough to that student I met with yesterday. If only I said this, then he’d be properly built up in Christ.
I skipped Small Group at church this week. Everyone there must think I’ve backslidden.
Oh no, I’m worrying again. God must be mad at me now. I’m such a bad Christian.
REALLY?!
Yes, the statement made by Jesus, “Do not worry” is in fact a command, but it’s also a comfort.
A sigh……
of relief.
So breathe easy.
Seek God first.
And rest in His sovereign, powerful, loving, never-letting-go arms.
Categories : Devotionals
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Mar
26
Our esteemed board member, Ben Cheek will join us at Team Meeting on 4/25. Ben is the founder of Muddy Hudson and is an entrepreneur and a consultant amongst other things creative. Ben will continue our ongoing discussion on Evangelism as Fishing: Bring a Net, Not a Rod!
Tom and Ben attended Bible college together at Ohio Valley College. In those early days, Ben was an early supporter of f2fmi and built the ministry’s first website 10 years ago! Tom and Ben have been in the trenches together: co-leading campus ministry efforts, studying the Word and even doing some street busking evangelism together.
Ben will travel in from his home in New York City to be with us for team meeting. Team meetings are now open to our constituency so that we can equip you in our shared cause of reaching students for Christ. Would you join us on April 25th at 7pm? The meeting will take place at Calvary Chapel of Southeastern CT in the annex on the 2nd floor. Megan Kellam will lead us in worship and light refreshment will be served.
Categories : Announcements, eNews, Events
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Mar
21
Our guest post this week is from Michelle Burnore. Leave us a comment and let us know what you think of her work! We are thinking of adding her to our blogging team!
Over the past few weeks I have been studying the book of Acts. Using the internet, I have found a brilliant Bible teacher in Dr. Woodrow Kroll, from Back to the Bible. Listening to his preaching as I read the Word, I have gained new insights into passages that we sometimes overlook.
The study I completed today was on the preaching and stoning of Stephen. We are all familiar with this part of Scripture; yet, I found my eyes opened to a small portion that I had previously not seen the significance of. I sat contemplating it, and this is what has come to my mind.
If you read the following Scripture passages, you will see a unity and common theme:
- Psalm 110:1
- Luke 22:69
- Ephesians 1:20
- Hebrews 1:3
- Hebrews 8:1
All of these passages speak of the Lord Jesus seated at the right hand of God. My understanding is that He is seated at the right hand of the Father, for several reasons. First, this is the highest position. As the Messiah, this is His rightful place. Jesus certainly is deserving of that position, as no other whether beast, human or angel, can be. Second, He is seated, because His work was completed, by dying for our sins. He suffered excruciating physical pain, mental rejection, and finally the most hard to handle, separation from the God-head. When Jesus cried “Eloi Eloi, Lama Sabachthani?” (My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me?”) He was experiencing the most unspeakable void. The full absence of God. That, more than the physical death, was what tortured Him the most, and what allowed us to be saved from our sins.
Seated at the right hand of the Father, to rest from His work, and be in a position to receive the Glory and Honor that is His due. This is how I read the five verses listed above.
In the Acts account of Stephen, we get a different witness: “But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” -Acts 7:55
Do you see it?
Over the millennium, there have been many who have been oppressed, persecuted, and killed, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was a fate prophesied by Christ Himself, with the promise that all who suffer in His name shall earn reward (Mark 10:29-31). Does this mean we must die for Him? I don’t think so, nor do I think that is what He wants. Persecution can be both large (jailed for being a Christian in Indonesia, or killed in a Muslim country for the same reason), or small (losing a job because your convictions conflict with work policy, or because you have a Bible on your desk). What it does say however, is that the Lord sees and knows His followers, and knows and suffers with them.
It is important to note, that it isn’t suffering the Lord asks for. Acknowledging Him before men without shame, and head held high, regardless of consequences, is pleasing to Him. “Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32) He didn’t remain seated, but STOOD for Stephen, because of this promise. Acknowledgement of the sacrifice being made, and the courage and lack of shame that went with it.
Lord Jesus came here as a frail human, lived, preached, died and rose again, all for us. Stephen was not the only, but the FIRST to die for the Lord Jesus.
Categories : Devotionals
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Mar
20
In continuation of our series on, Evangelism as Fishing, this month we will examine what it would look like to cast a net together. In last month’s eNews, f2fmi Board Member, Ben Cheek reminded us that fishing the way the disciples understood it was not an individual sport when he said, “think nets, not rod and reel.” Ben explained that it took no less than 3 fisherman to cast a net and this process involved studying the surface of the waters below. He also pointed out that there are no superstars in the fishing business. It takes a team to pull the net up, especially if you are able to fish in bulk. In other words, the message and community work together hand-in-hand to share Jesus’ plan with the world. He entrusted people with the work and therefore we have work to do.
So what does it look like when a community fishes together in the context of evangelism? Here are a few things that we are learning from you on the field as we experiment in the community with events like Overtime:
1. Evangelism is Expensive!
The average cost for an f2fmi event for students ranges from $5,000-$30,000. The costs of these events do not even really account for the administrative overhead that is incurred. Our team aims to collet 20% for each event we execute, but rarely are we able to take the full percentage. Often, we end up taking between 10-15%. Many of the costs associated with putting together an evangelistic outreach are spent on promotion and getting the right line up together for the event. This means finding the right draw to encourage people to come and includes, but is not limited to, finding the right combination of speaker, musician or other performer and the marketing materials that will promote the event. From there, distributing that information becomes imperative and having the right partners to get the word out is essential.
Ruth Graham stood up for her husband Billy once when he was criticized for using contemporary Christian music at his evangelistic events. When asked what she thought about it, she reflected that in order for Billy to fish properly, the pond needed to be stocked. In other words, the methods can change as long as the message doesn’t. That’s why one of f2fmi’s core values is the value of a soul is priceless. You can’t put a dollar sign on what the salvation of one life is worth. It is definitely cheaper to do evangelism in the third world. Things there don’t cost as much! But here in the west, we live expensive lives and therefore, we have to pay big bucks if we want to reach the people who live where we live. Don’t you agree?
2. Many Hands Make the Work Light[er]
Whether writing a check or serving at an evangelistic outreach, the more hands on deck, the quicker and better the job gets done. Granted, good training is an important factor in coordinating many people to do the work of evangelism in a meaningful way. It minimizes chaos and creates clear pathways to the local church so that new believers can be discipled. Evangelism is not easy. No one is saying that it is. However, working together we will get more done than if we continue to work on our own.
One of the benefits of working with the same churches year after year is that our local leaders are getting smarter. I am not suggesting they were stupid before! What I am saying is that every time we do an event, each leader assumes a function on the team and every year, when we debrief, our leaders learn from their mistakes and highlight the things that worked well. In years that follow, changes are always being made while things that are working are encouraged and repeated. There is a great chemistry and camaraderie that has developed over the years, which makes working together enjoyable and the working conditions sustainable.
Finally, volunteers like you give of their time and money to make the events flow smoothly. We have found that the more people we can get involved, the more lives we are able to impact. Bigger nets for a bigger catch, right? Every staff member and independent contractor that helps us coordinate an event is told that their job is not to do all the work, but to find a team of volunteers to train to do the work. That way, we are always scouting emerging leaders and raising them up as well as involving the community in the work of evangelism.
3. Students Are as Capable as Adults!
There are some jobs that are better fitted for adults. However, in our ministry to students, we are finding that students serving students is a powerful testimony as well. This past fall, we mobilized several dozen students to help us promote Overtime on their high school campuses. The results were exciting: student involvement and awareness increased, they gave of their creativity to help us find new ways to talk about the event with other students and there was an endless supply of passion and energy to move the project forward!
Furthermore, we are not embarrassed by ticketing our events. While we recognize that the money probably originates with the parents, it is a fact that students have the most expendable income within the family. As a result, by ticketing the events for Christian students and raising funds for students who are not believers, we are teaching students to invest in the work of evangelism not only with their attendance and service, but with their financial contribution to the event as well.
Conclusion: The Net and the Fisherman Must Function as One
We started this article by reflecting on Ben’s thoughts about fishing with nets. We close the article by returning to his thought about evangelism being a community experience and not one super-Christian’s responsibility. Ben’s call to work in community to reach the world for Jesus reminds us that it is going to take lots of energy, spiritual gifting’s, and innovation to make a real difference. Let’s reflect on the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 as the final word on the matter:
19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
Categories : Articles, Community, Creative Ministry, Evangelism, Leadership
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Mar
20
This month, we held a lunch for all of the Southeastern CT youth leaders. Though we normally meet for breakfast once a month, we wanted to open it up to leaders who are bi-vocational and cannot meet during the week. It was a very successful meeting time with around 15 youth leaders coming together, several of them for the first time. We had a wonderful lunch and a great time in fellowship with our new friends.
I’d like the thank all of you who spent time in prayer for this event. It was truly a blessing to spend time with theses leaders and make some new friendships. I would ask that you would continue to be in prayer with me as we work to grow theses friendships so that we can together reach our youth for Christ.
Mar
10
Earlier today, I went for a hike –something I love to do but don’t usually have time for. This particular hike returned me to a place that I hadn’t seen for more than two years. When I was last there, it was in a moment of great turmoil of soul. I was in distress and crying out to God for help. Looking back, it was a wonderful and beautiful thing. As the snow fell around me that night, I was baring my soul before God and submitting my life to His will. At the time, of course, it was a hard experience. Today, though, the Lord led my feet back to that place, a rocky outcropping far away from any well-trodden trail. I sat, stood, and meandered there for some time, reflecting on where God had led me and softly crying out to Him again. That place is a rock of remembrance to me. God led me through that trial. He has walked with me all the way. By looking back at that, by seeing how faithful God has been (in spite of all my failings), I can face today with all its challenges. As the Israelites were being established in their land, their leaders would often set up stone monuments to remind the people of what God had done at an important place. It is good for us to have our own places where we can go to remember what God has done. It is good to give ourselves reminders of all that He has brought us through. My rock of remembrance is not far from the old homestead, and whenever I’m at my parents’ house, I can look up at that hill and be reminded that God is with me. God is with us. In the book of 1 Samuel, we hear of how the Israelites had rejected God and were being oppressed by the Philistines because of it. They sent their army out to fight their enemies, but Israel was defeated. Later, the Israelites fasted and prayed and repented of their wickedness and idolatry, and God delivered them from the oppression of the Philistines. Samuel, their leader at the time, then set up a large stone of remembrance and called it Ebenezer, which means “stone of help”, to remind the Israelites how God had helped them. Hence, the old hymn says: Here I raise my Ebenezer; hither by Thine help I’ve come And I hope by Thy good pleasure safely to arrive at home Jesus sought me when a stranger wand’ring from the fold of God He to rescue me from danger interposed His precious blood Perhaps we can adopt this whole idea of intentional remembering. Maybe a stone is not the best way to remind you, but is there some way you can bring your thoughts to what God has done in your life? Perhaps a photograph or poem or memento of some kind could be used to direct your memory to Him. Or maybe you do not yet have an experience with God that you can remember with fondness. Maybe you’ve treated Him as an enemy up to this point. If that’s the case, then today is a great day for a great experience. Investigate who God is and what He has done. Look at the claims of Jesus. Cry out to Him. Turn from your selfish life, and give control of it to God. Jesus Christ has paid the price for your sin and rebellion. If you trust in Him, then God will take all of His own righteousness and credit it to your account, and Jesus will take all of your sin and carry its burden on His own shoulders. Trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. I’m interested to see what you all think about this. Please leave your comments below. How can we foster a lifestyle of remembering what God has done for us? Do you have any “rocks of remembrance”? What works well for you?
Categories : Devotionals
Comments (3)
TWELVE24: RT @cweeves: Tonight reminded me that it's not mind over matter-it's PRAISE over matter. Sickness is not going to hold me back in my worship. Ever again.14 hours ago from web
trmbomb: I would love to celebrate Amy's birthday but I can't think of anything to do but work. LOL #fb16 hours ago from Echofon
TWELVE24: RT @the29thchapter: @han_hocking @crossfya_uk @TWELVE24 @GenetikCourse hope to see you at our finale gig next Sat: http://t.co/szis4cqb1 day ago from web
MaLoKaiRock: RT @GenetikCourse: @tomyom23 & Andy from @MaLoKaiRock in school in Wales. http://t.co/dkXuOSBx1 day ago from Photos on iOS
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