Penned Truth: We must share our personal stories of salvation. We must roll up our sleeves and make this a reality.

Luke 5:1-3 (ESV) 1 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

Luke 5:6–7 (ESV)  6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.

Penned Truth: It takes the church body letting down all of our nets.

Penned Truth: Together, we become the net that works to reach people who need fresh hope.

Acts 20:24 (ESV) 24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Acts 20:24 (CJB) 24 But I consider my own life of no importance to me whatsoever, as long as I can finish the course ahead of me, the task I received from the Lord Yeshua—to declare in depth the Good News of God’s love and kindness.

Acts 1:7–8 (ESV) 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

1.         Jerusalem= The people closest to you

Luke 8:39 (ESV)  39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

2.         Judea & Samaria= People near but different from me

1 Corinthians 9:22 (CJB) 22 With the “weak” I became “weak,” in order to win the “weak.” With all kinds of people I have become all kinds of things, so that in all kinds of circumstances I might save at least some of them.

3.         Ends of The Earth= Everyone Else along our Travels

Luke 14:23 (CJB) 23 The master said to the slave, ‘Go out to the country roads and boundary walls, and insistently persuade people to come in, so that my house will be full.

Final Statement: Sharing your story doesn’t have to be scary or difficult. We don’t have to stand up in our shopping cart at Kroger and start preaching the gospel. It is simply being intentional with sharing the goodness of God with those God places in our lives. A sobering thought is this; how many instances did I have yesterday, opportunities, and I choose not to respond to them? That has to change.