https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/WhatDoYouHopeToCatch.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Mark 6:31-44<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. What you hope to catch determines the type of bait you use<\/p>\n
A. A worm may land you a fish, but it probably won’t lure a mouse into a trap<\/p>\n
B. Even in fishing, there are different baits to be used for different fish<\/p>\n
C. I’ve known young women who want a godly husband, so how do they go about it?<\/p>\n
1. They dress provocatively because that gets a guy’s attention, right?<\/p>\n
2. But what kind of guys chase after sexy looking girls?<\/p>\n
3. The bait determines what you catch<\/p>\n
D. Then there are the guys. They have dreams, but they complain there are no girls.<\/p>\n
1. When you ask, "How many girls have you talked to?" – talk?! <\/p>\n 2. Ah, if you want to catch a fish, you do need to put a worm on the hook.\nAnd it does help to put the hook in the water.\n
II. When congregations aren’t growing, we need to ask similar questions<\/p>\n
A. I remember talking to one congregation. Their preacher had gotten ill and died. <\/p>\n 1. It wasn’t a huge group, but it wasn’t small. But the youngest members\nwere in their sixties.\n 2. I asked when was their last baptism and they talked a bit and decided it\nwas about five years ago, a few years before the preacher took ill.\n
3. Here was a group that expected the preacher to do all the work.<\/p>\n
a. The hook, if you will, wasn’t being put in the water.<\/p>\n
B. Light is useless if it isn’t seen – Matthew 5:14-16<\/p>\n
III. Do you remember when Jesus fed the five thousand? – Mark 6:31-37ff<\/p>\n
A. What drew the people to Jesus?<\/p>\n
1. Certainly the miracles Jesus did was a part of it<\/p>\n 2. But what Mark pointed out was that the people wanted guidance. Jesus\nwas someone who could explain what they longed to know.\n
3. The food was Jesus’ idea as a chance to demonstrate God’s power<\/p>\n
B. John tells us, that people began following Jesus for the food – John 6:25-27<\/p>\n
1. Jesus refused to feed them again.<\/p>\n
2. Why? Because this wasn’t the type of follower Jesus was after<\/p>\n C. There are churches that make the offer of food the incentive to come to a meeting\nor worship.\n 1. I saw a denomination’s building not long ago that had a full size coffee bar\nin its entrance area\n 2. Their auditorium had a stage set up for a full concert, lights, speakers, the\nworks\n 3. But who were they attracting? I’m positive most were there because they\nenjoyed the entertainment\n 4. But the problem is eventually such a group gets bored, so these groups are\nconstantly looking for new entertainments to draw people in.\n
D. People will teach anything to draw a crowd – II Timothy 4:3-4<\/p>\n
1. If we aren’t careful, we can be pulled along too – Acts 20:30<\/p>\nIV. On the Sea of Galilee, the traditional method of fishing involved going out at night – Luke\n5:3-10\n A. The fishermen would lay out nets in the water and then hang a lantern over the\nwater. Fish would naturally swim to the light. Then the nets were drawn in,\ntrapping the fish.\n B. This is why the disciples were shocked. In the full light of day, the fish would be\nscattered all over. Even to catch a few fish, this close to shore, would be near\nhopeless.\n C. But what they caught was beyond the wildest dream of a fisherman, and Jesus\nbasically said, “That’s nothing, I’m going to make you fishers of men.”\n
D. Consider for a moment: What was bait to these fishermen? It was the light!<\/p>\n 1. Philippians 2:14-16 – We are the lights in a dark world. That means we are\nthe “bait,” if you will allow.\n 2. That is why Paul said not to complain and fight. Why? Because such sins\ndim our light.\n 3. We are to be blameless and harmless – the type of people others would\nlike to become.\n 4. And what are we holding up? The word of life! To see the teachings of\nGod living and working in us draws people to Christ.\n
E. That word then produces faith – Romans 10:17<\/p>\n
V. What kind of people is Jesus looking to draw?<\/p>\n
A. People who hunger and thirst for righteousness – Matthew 5:6<\/p>\n
B. The Father draws with His teachings – John 6:44-45<\/p>\n C. People who long for eternal life and salvation from the misery of their sins – John\n12:32\n
1. The death of Jesus was the ultimate proof of God’s truth – John 8:28<\/p>\n
D. Yet, I’ve heard people say, “Let’s get them in first, then we will teach them.”<\/p>\n 1. But they don’t draw people who want to learn, they attract people who\nwant to be entertained or long for an emotional “experience.”\n
E. Are there people who long for the milk of the word? – I Peter 2:1-3<\/p>\n
1. Jesus said the fields are ready for harvest – John 4:35<\/p>\n F. Look at our own experience. We get over a hundred emails each week from\npeople wanting to know what God says on a matter.\n 1. We regularly get notes from people wanting to know where they can find a\nchurch like this in their area\n
2. And these are just the ones that write. Those that read are far greater.<\/p>\n 3. For example, in the last month 790 people in the Omaha region visited our\nweb site. 8,280 in the last year.\n
4. Someone is looking for the truth.<\/p>\n G. Our Lord wants us to be fishers of men. The bait is our own lives as we hold up\nthe Word of Truth in a dark world. \n 1. Like Peter trusting Jesus to put out the net, let us trust that Jesus knows\nand will draw men to him with that word\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Mark 6:31-44 I. What you hope to catch determines the type of bait you use A. A worm may land you a fish, but it probably won’t lure a mouse into a trap B. Even in fishing, there are different baits to be used for different fish C. I’ve known young women who…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[536,451],"class_list":["post-47064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-preaching","tag-teaching"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":36237,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-useless-to-pray-for-a-wife\/","url_meta":{"origin":47064,"position":0},"title":"Is it useless to pray for a wife?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 24, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: When it comes to marriage, I know that we are the ones who chose who we are with. I know that God did not make nor designed a special person for you and there are millions of people on the planet with which we can possibly be happy. So\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36443,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/god-created\/","url_meta":{"origin":47064,"position":1},"title":"God Created","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 8, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Download Audio by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 45:9-13 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The ancient language of Hebrew contains two words for making something: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The word 'asah refers to what we do with our talents. We make things from what already exists. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But there is another word, bara, that is used in connection\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41106,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-swallow-anything\/","url_meta":{"origin":47064,"position":2},"title":"Do You Swallow Anything?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 3, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Jeremiah 14:10-16 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sharks are notorious for swallowing just about anything. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0People have found books, bottles, tablecloths, and nails inside sharks \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Clearly sharks have large appetites and indiscriminate tastes \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There is a small fish known as the Sea Hedgehog or Urchin Fish. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0This small fish\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":54455,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-did-peter-follow-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":47064,"position":3},"title":"Why did Peter follow Jesus?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Why did Peter follow Jesus? Answer: Peter followed Jesus first because his brother, Andrew, told him that he and John, Peter's fellow fisherman, had found the Messiah (John 1:41-42), so initially, he went out of curiosity. When he met Jesus, he was given a nickname, which indicated what kind\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21016,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/restoration\/","url_meta":{"origin":47064,"position":4},"title":"Restoration","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Wayne Fancher I. Restoration of Purpose, Zeal, and Love John 21:1-9 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself:2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in, Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28190,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-meaning-of-life-where-did-you-come-from\/","url_meta":{"origin":47064,"position":5},"title":"The Meaning of Life: Where Did You Come From?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 4, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 11:25-36 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The age-old question: Why are we here? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0To answer the question well, we first need to consider how did we get to \u201chere.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0To do so begins to answer why we are \u201chere.\u201d II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The prevalent answer today is to claim that it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47064"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47064\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}