MATTHEW & MARK

It is Saturday morning.  I have my coffee close at hand and I just finished up reading.  Tomorrow is Sunday, and I'm sure excited about that.  I'm praying for God to do something very special.  Here are a few thoughts I have before I head out to our men's meeting that meets each Saturday morning at 8:00am. 1) THE WEDDING SUPPER- In Matthew 22:2-14, we have the Wedding Supper.  Here a King has a marriage supper for his son.  Now the servants go out and call the guest.  They do not come, and hence are not worthy, so the King has his servants go out and invite as many as they can to the supper.  One gets in without a wedding garment, and is cast out into darkness.  Here is the rough outline of these verses and it's story: a. READY- "the wedding is ready" vs. 8   God has made the wedding supper ready, and Jesus calls you to attend. b. REJECTING- some of the guest reject and thereby are not worthy to attend.  They "made light of it" vs. 5; they "took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them." vs. 6; the king then "destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city."  vs. 7; and "they which were bidden were not worthy."  vs. 8 The KING rejected those who rejected the invitation.  So Christ extends an invitation, but those who reject... get rejected! c. RECEIVING- "Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage."  vs. 9;  "and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests."  vs. 10  All who are willing to come were invited and given the invitation to attend.  We are in the "inviting" business for Jesus Christ! d. RESTRICTIVE- "there was a man which had not on a wedding garment:"  vs. 11; "Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." vs. 13  No one enters the wedding supper of Jesus Christ but what they have the garments provided by the righteousness of Jesus Christ.  Our garments will not do... it is restrictive to only the garments provided by Christ. This little outline came to me while I was reading this morning. 2) LET US MINISTER TO JESUS - In Matthew 25:40, it tells us how to minister to Jesus.  It says: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."  As we serve the least of Christ's brethren, we are serving Jesus Christ!  Wow!  Now, who would be one of the least?  A new Christian?  Yes, certainly they would apply.  They are called babes in Christ.  How about Children?  Yes, again that would fit.  You see, as we serve (work with) new Christians, and children, we are working with the least in the kingdom and we are serving Jesus Christ by doing so.  Let everyone of us look at ministering to others and not to be ministered to.  This is our goal in life. 3) FISHERS OF MEN- In Mark 1:17, Jesus says: "Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men."  Jesus is the master "fisher of men", and He tells us that IF we will follow Him, we too will become fishers of men.  I am not a great fisher of fish, but I know that the best way to catch fish is to go with someone who is a great fisherman!  They know where the fish are, they know what the fish are biting, they know the depth the fish are at, the snags in the bottom that fish nest in.  They know when the fish are moving, when they are staying, when they are nesting, when they will be biting.  The time of day, the weather, the temperature, the season, the rise and fall of the water; great fishermen know these things because to them, fishing is an art.  Well, we are to be fishers of men.  God wants us to catch some big ones for Christ.  I've caught many hundred pounders, and two hundred pounders and I've even caught several that would go over 300 pounds and more for Christ!  I've got the same bait... the gospel, but I have many different presentations of it that may appeal to this age group over that one, this person over that person, this situation over that situation.  I've caught thousands and thousands.  How is your fishing?  It may be you just need to go with some who catches fish and you can see how to do it yourself.  Remember, Jesus did not send them out fishing for men.... He had them follow him and observe and THEN they became fishers of men.  You do the same!  Find someone to go with that will teach you to catch some fish for Jesus. By the way, I led three adults to Christ on Thursday evening soul-winning... I mean "fishing" night. Hope you have a blessed day!   Pastor Mike Mutchler