Bulletins - River Church NOLA

- - https://faithlife.com/river-church-nola/bulletins
O Come All Ye Faithful
Rest On Us
Evidence
The Blessing
Today we are continuing our Louisiana Christmas series. Last Wednesday, we learned how to Keep Jesus as the Reason for the Season.
Since Christmas is one of the two best times to talk to people about Jesus, I called this message, Let’s Catch Some Fish this Christmas.
In Louisiana, almost everyone loves to fish. Do we have any fishermen in the house? Y’ll must not be too good since I never get invited to any fish fries.
I had a friend in GA whose wife loved to go fishing with him. I told him that I knew for a fact that he had not lived a godly enough life to deserve that.
Now here’s the point. Jesus wants us to all become fishermen and fisher women. But He wants us to fish for people. Check out what Jesus said in Matthew 4:18-25
Matthew 4:18–25 NLT
18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him. 21 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. 22 They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind. 23 Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 24 News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all. 25 Large crowds followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River.
The first thing we have to do to fish for people is to follow Jesus ourselves.
When Jesus told his disciples that he would make them fishers of men, they were all just ordinary men and women who struggled with sin in their lives and with being too busy with not enough money coming in. They were a lot like many of us today.
For these disciples, following Jesus meant leaving their fishing businesses and their homes to go and follow Jesus. For the next three and 1/2 years the disciples followed Jesus around learning how to fish for people. While we probably won’t have to leave our homes and our businesses, Jesus does want us to follow him.
There are a lot of ways today that we can follow Jesus.
We follow Jesus when we ask him to forgive our sins and be the Lord and Savior of our lives.
We have to be a follower of Jesus if we are going to be a fisherman for Jesus. Over an over Jesus tells people to follow him. He told people to stop sinning and follow him… sell your possessions and follow me… take up your cross and follow me…
Each of these disciples had life transforming experiences with the Lord.
Andrew first met Jesus and went and got his brother Simon whom Jesus renamed Peter.
Jesus told Philip to follow him and Philip went and got Nathaniel. If you remember, Jesus told Nathaniel what he had been doing before they met – Jesus read his mail.
These disciples all had life transforming experiences and shared it with those close to them.
We follow Jesus when we spend time every day in prayer and Bible reading.
Followers spend time reading, meditating and studying the WOG so they can obey it and apply it in their lives.
Getting to know the Lord is like getting to know anyone… you have to spend time with them.
We follow Jesus when we minister to the hurting.
Jesus said that when we do something for the least of these, we are actually doing something for Him.
At River church we help the downtrodden.
Fuel the Future
Christmas Angel
Fall festival
Feeding Outreaches
Grief Share Group
We follow Jesus when we get involved with our church.
We follow Jesus when we gather together to worship the Lord, hear from the Lord and fellowship with His family. If you have read the Purpose Driven Life, we learned that one of the purposes God has for us is fellowship with each other. You cannot grow into a mature Christian that the Lord wants you to be by yourself.
God wants you to be involved in worship, fellowship with other believers, in growing more and more like Jesus, in ministering to others and shairng what the Lord is doing in your life.
We follow Jesus when we support His Work.
Jesus said that where our money is, is where our heart is. When we give our finances towards HIS work, we show that our hearts are with Jesus. Jesus was a giver and when we give, we become more like Him.
We also follow Jesus when we fish for people and that’s what we want to look at today.
Jesus tells us to follow him and he will show us how to fish for people. I believe that the Christmas season is a great time to share the good news of Jesus Christ with people because most seem to be in a receptive and happy mood. And in America, for the most part, Christmas has something to do with Jesus.
Jesus said in John 15:8
John 15:8 NLT
8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
Fruit for a follower of Jesus is another follower. So let’s look at how we can catch some fish this Christmas.
To catch fish this Christmas, we must be purposeful in our fishing.
When fishermen go fishing, they want to catch some fish. Fishing is the way the disciples earned their living… it was their business. When they were fishing, they were dedicated to do whatever it took to catch fish. That was their purpose for that day… to catch fish.
God has assigned us the work of telling others about the Good News of Jesus and we must live in such a way that others will want to follow Jesus.
In this passage, people were attracted to Jesus and His message. The news about Jesus is good news because Jesus not only forgives our sins so we can live forever in heaven; He makes our lives rich and satisfying. If we live like we did when we were lost, we will not attract anyone to the Lord.
1 Corinthians 10:33 NLT
33 I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.
Acts 20:24 NLT
24 But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
Paul was focused on his purpose. His purpose was to live in such a way that he could lead people to faith in Christ. Paul lived his life so that others would see him and want what he had.
Just like Paul, we need to live our lives in a way that people will see the way we live and be attracted by the bait if our lives and want what we have… a relationship with Jesus.
See someone Hurting - help someone going through hurts.
Loss of a loved one… help someone who has lost a loved one.
Job difficulties… help someone going through job difficulties.
Telling others about Jesus was the most important thing for Paul and it should be the same for us as well.
To catch fish this Christmas, we must be passionate in our fishing.
Most people I know who fish, are passionate about fishing. They love to fish and they look forward to going to fishing. I have met guys who had financial problems would not sell their boat. They were a little too passionate about fishing.
Paul said in Romans 10:1
Romans 10:1 NLT
1 Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.
We will develop a longing in our hearts (a passion) for our FRAN to be saved because we know that no matter how good of a person they are if they don’t have Jesus in their lives they are missing out on the “rich and satisfying life” the Lord wants them to life her on earth and on eternity in heaven.
Paul had a longing in his heart. He was passionate bout telling others about Jesus. That passion drove him to tell others even when he encountered great opposition.
Before Paul was saved, he was filled with hatred and anger and was actively pursuing Christians and throwing them into prison.
Paul knew what God had delivered him from and he knew that God would do it for others as well. Think about where the Lord has brought you from. He will do it for you… and he will do it for others.
1 Thessalonians 2:2 NLT
2 You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition.
God gave Paul the courage to share the Good News even at the threat of death. We probably won’t face death, at least not hear in the US, but God will give us the courage to share the Gospel as well when people make fun of us, try to make us look foolish, etc.
To catch fish this Christmas, we must be proactive in our fishing.
Christian fishermen pray, plan and strategize on how to catch people for Jesus.
If we were going on a fishing trip next week, we would be planning our trip right now. We would decide what we were fishing for and where the fish would be, gather the right equipment and bait, get the boat ready, etc. Just like fishermen plan, prepare and strategize to catch fish, we must do the same when to catch people during the Christmas season.
We need to be like Paul and do everything we can to find common ground with people so we can effectively share the good news of Jesus Christ with them.
We have to put aside anything that will keep us from sharing the Good News of Jesus with people this Christmas season. We can’t let anything become something that keeps us from sharing the Gospel. (Sunday School teacher was blasting Pres. Clinton… a class member left the class and the church … said, I thought we were to pray for our leaders not bash them)
1 Corinthians 9:22–23 NLT
22 When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. 23 I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.
We will be able to catch people for the Lord as we:
1. Pray for them. (Rom 10:1)
Romans 10:1 “Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.”
2. Live godly lives. (1 Peter 3:15-16)
1 Peter 3:15–16 “Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.”
3. Encourage them. (Acts 16:25-34)
Acts 16:25–34 “Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! 27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!” 29 The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” 32 And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. 33 Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. 34 He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.”
4. Minister to them. (Acts 3:1-10)
Acts 3:1–10 “Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. 2 As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. 4 Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. 6 But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” 7 Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. 8 He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them. 9 “9 All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. 10 When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded!”
The beggar was healed and he went off praising the Lord.
5. Share our testimonies with them. (Acts 22:1-26)
6. Instruct them in how to receive Jesus into their lives. (Acts 8:26-40)
Philip instructed the Ethiopian on how to receive Jesus.
7. Mentor them following their conversion experience. (Matt 28:19-20)
Matthew 28:19–20 “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””
To catch fish this Christmas, we must be persistent in our fishing.
Have you ever been fishing when you didn't catch any fish? It will make you want to stop fishing. Where I grew up, you might run into another fisherman somewhere and the common greeting was, “are they biting?” It’s not fun… it’s discouraging to fish when you are not catching anything. But then the next time you go out, you fill the Boat up.
(my dad was fishing for Dolphin fish one day and they hit a school and caught more than they chests for… they tore up the inside of the boat but they kept fishing because the fish were biting..) My dad would always say, “a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work
Persistence is one of the keys to catching fish and we need to be persistent in living for the Lord in front of our FRAN and sharing the good news so that at the right time, they will come to faith in Christ.
Acts 20:26–27 NLT
26 I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault, 27 for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.
Galatians 6:9 NLT
9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
Some of you have been praying for a loved on for years … don’t give up. Keep praying… maybe you have been witnessing to a neighbor… don’t give up.
To catch fish this Christmas, we must partner with others in our fishing.
We need to partner with the Lord and our church to catch and clean the people that the Lord has entrusted to us.
1 Corinthians 3:6 NLT
6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.
We just partnered together with the JOY Fellowship where many who may not come to church with you went and ate a good meal and heard an awesome testimony.
We partner together with the Fall Festival.
So the question is…
What needs to happen in my life so I can catch fish this Christmas?
Boudreaux and Thibodeaux went fishing. While they were fishing, Thibodeaux fell out of the boat and drowned. Boudreaux went to tell Mrs. Thibodeaux. He said the bad news is that Thibodeaux fell out of the boat and died. The good news was that the fish were biting because when we pulled Thibodeaux out of the water, he had plenty fish on him. Then he asked her, “Can Thibodeaux come fishing with us tomorrow?
Here’s the bad news – there are a lot of people in our area who do not know Jesus as their personal Savior and they will live miserable lives here on earth and an eternity in hell if we don’t reach them.
The good news is that especially during the Christmas Season, they are open and even hungry for something – the Lord.
Here’s the question, Are we willing to live our lives in a way that we will model the Christian life for others and draw them into a relationship with Jesus this Christmas season?
Matthew 4:19 NKJV
19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
John 20:21 NIV
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
Acts 1:8 NLT
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Mark 8:35 LBP
35 If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live.
When we are following Jesus, we are fishing. We just have to follow and He will give us the power to be his witness.
On your outlines, write FRAN down the margin. Put the name of a Friend, relative, Associate, and Neighbor who needs to know Jesus. Pray for them; pray for God to give you opportunities to share with them.
Invite them to our Christmas Services on Dec 22nd.
Let’s Pray -
Salvation -
Commit to becoming a fisherperson…
- - Matthew 4:18–25NIV2011
- - John 15:8NIV2011
- - 1 Corinthians 10:33NIV2011
- - Acts 20:24NIV2011
- - Romans 10:1NIV2011
- - 1 Thessalonians 2:2NIV2011
- - 1 Corinthians 9:22–23NIV2011
- - Romans 10:1NIV2011
- - Romans 10:1NIV2011
  - 1 Peter 3:15–16NIV2011
- - Romans 10:1NIV2011
  - 1 Peter 3:15–16NIV2011
  - Acts 16:25–34NIV2011
- - Romans 10:1NIV2011
  - 1 Peter 3:15–16NIV2011
  - Acts 16:25–34NIV2011
  - Acts 3:1–10NIV2011
- - Romans 10:1NIV2011
  - 1 Peter 3:15–16NIV2011
  - Acts 16:25–34NIV2011
  - Acts 3:1–10NIV2011
  - Acts 22:1–26NIV2011
- - Romans 10:1NIV2011
  - 1 Peter 3:15–16NIV2011
  - Acts 16:25–34NIV2011
  - Acts 3:1–10NIV2011
  - Acts 22:1–26NIV2011
  - Acts 8:26–40NIV2011
- - Romans 10:1NIV2011
  - 1 Peter 3:15–16NIV2011
  - Acts 16:25–34NIV2011
  - Acts 3:1–10NIV2011
  - Acts 22:1–26NIV2011
  - Acts 8:26–40NIV2011
  - Matthew 28:19–20NIV2011
- - Acts 20:26–27NIV2011
- - Galatians 6:9NIV2011
- - 1 Corinthians 3:6NIV2011
- - Matthew 4:19NIV2011
- - John 20:21NIV2011
- - Acts 1:8NIV2011
- - Mark 8:35NIV2011

The first thing we have to do to fish for people is to follow Jesus ourselves.

There are a lot of ways today that we can follow Jesus.

We follow Jesus when we ask him to forgive our sins and be the Lord and Savior of our lives.

We follow Jesus when we spend time every day in prayer and Bible reading.

We follow Jesus when we minister to the hurting.

We follow Jesus when we get involved with our church.

We follow Jesus when we support His Work.

We also follow Jesus when we fish for people and that’s what we want to look at today.

To catch fish this Christmas, we must be purposeful in our fishing.

God has assigned us the work of telling others about the Good News of Jesus and we must live in such a way that others will want to follow Jesus.

To catch fish this Christmas, we must be passionate in our fishing.

To catch fish this Christmas, we must be proactive in our fishing.

We need to be like Paul and do everything we can to find common ground with people so we can effectively share the good news of Jesus Christ with them.

We will be able to catch people for the Lord as we:

1. Pray for them. (Rom 10:1)

2. Live godly lives. (1 Peter 3:15-16)

3. Encourage them. (Acts 16:25-34)

4. Minister to them. (Acts 3:1-10)

5. Share our testimonies with them. (Acts 22:1-26)

6. Instruct them in how to receive Jesus into their lives. (Acts 8:26-40)

7. Mentor them following their conversion experience. (Matt 28:19-20)

To catch fish this Christmas, we must be persistent in our fishing.

To catch fish this Christmas, we must partner with others in our fishing.

What needs to happen in my life so I can catch fish this Christmas?

Matthew 4:18–25NIV2011

John 15:8NIV2011

1 Corinthians 10:33NIV2011

Acts 20:24NIV2011

Romans 10:1NIV2011

1 Thessalonians 2:2NIV2011

1 Corinthians 9:22–23NIV2011

Romans 10:1NIV2011

Romans 10:1NIV2011

1 Peter 3:15–16NIV2011

Romans 10:1NIV2011

1 Peter 3:15–16NIV2011

Acts 16:25–34NIV2011

Romans 10:1NIV2011

1 Peter 3:15–16NIV2011

Acts 16:25–34NIV2011

Acts 3:1–10NIV2011

Romans 10:1NIV2011

1 Peter 3:15–16NIV2011

Acts 16:25–34NIV2011

Acts 3:1–10NIV2011

Acts 22:1–26NIV2011

Romans 10:1NIV2011

1 Peter 3:15–16NIV2011

Acts 16:25–34NIV2011

Acts 3:1–10NIV2011

Acts 22:1–26NIV2011

Acts 8:26–40NIV2011

Romans 10:1NIV2011

1 Peter 3:15–16NIV2011

Acts 16:25–34NIV2011

Acts 3:1–10NIV2011

Acts 22:1–26NIV2011

Acts 8:26–40NIV2011

Matthew 28:19–20NIV2011

Acts 20:26–27NIV2011

Galatians 6:9NIV2011

1 Corinthians 3:6NIV2011

Matthew 4:19NIV2011

John 20:21NIV2011

Acts 1:8NIV2011

Mark 8:35NIV2011