There is a reason you are here.
There's a Reason You Are Here
Author: Pastor Gary Keesee | Posted: Friday, February 24, 2012 - 5:15pm
Drenda and I went to Australia recently for a conference. While we were there, we had this guy named Matt who was driving us around and taking care of us. When we got done with the conference, Matt asked me if I wanted to go crab hunting with him. I didn’t know anything about crab hunting, but I said sure.
Now, Mud Crabs are a big deal in Australia. They’re $48 a piece at the store. And, we needed to feed a good size group of people that night. I was in a second boat with Matt’s brother and he told me he was stretching his faith and believing for six crabs. I thought we needed more than that, so I told him I was believing for 15-20 of them.
We went out and caught 18 crabs.
I didn’t know anything about that so I didn’t think it was big deal. I found out the next day that 18 crabs was a big deal when Matt called his dad on the phone in the car and his dad went nuts on the Bluetooth yelling, “Praise God! God is good! That’s unbelievable!” That’s when I found out that they normally only catch three crabs.
Now, what do you think Matt and his brother are over there talking about in Australia? Do you think he’s talking about some religious rules and regulations? No! He’s talking about the 18 crabs!
See, Mark 16:15 tells us to go into the world and share the good news of the gospel, but we misinterpret the term good news. John 3:16 tells us how much He loves people and how important people are to Him, but in case you haven’t noticed, John 3:16 isn’t good news to the world. It doesn’t mean a thing to them. What kind of good news are they looking for? 18 crabs instead of 3. Bills paid. House paid off.
It is important to God that people hear about the Kingdom. Yes, the Kingdom.
Not the rules and regulations and dos and don’ts of religion. The devil loves that, because no one wants to serve a God like that. He doesn’t need that kind of advertisement.
And that’s where you come in.
Romans 10:14 says, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”
The good news isn’t religious doctrine. The good news is you. You’re supposed to demonstrate what good news looks like.
Peter, James, and John had fished all night and caught nothing. Then Jesus came along and said, “Uh, excuse me. Let me lease your business for awhile for the Kingdom.” And, they took in more fish than their boats could handle. I mean, the boats were sinking!
When Jesus said, “Come follow me,” he didn’t say, “If you love God, you’ll follow me.” Peter, James, and John didn’t follow him and say, “We’re unworthy.” No, they said, “We’ve never seen a catch like this! We’re following YOU!”
That’s how it is. That’s what it’s about.
When John the Baptist heard about Jesus, he sent his guys to find out if Jesus was the one. When they asked Jesus, he didn’t say, “Yes, God sent me to condemn the world.”
No, he said, “Tell John the blind eyes are open, people are healed, lepers are cleansed and good news has been preached to the poor.” He was saying, “Go back and tell John we caught 18 crabs!”
That’s what people want. They want to know how you caught those crabs. They want to know how your marriage is no longer falling apart, or how you got out of debt, or how you aren’t sick anymore. You should be demonstrating results that are different than what the world normally sees.
That is the reason you are here.
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