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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s Word on Bibleline, everywhere, every time. Here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Thanks for being here today. Got a few things I want to talk to you about. You know, I’ve had people ask me if there’s a pet heaven. You know, a heaven for, you know, their little animals. You know, they got dogs and cats and birds and things like that, and they want to know if they’re going to go to heaven. Well, I guess I can tell you the truth now. There’s a pet heaven. This little boy, he had five gerbils.

They all died and they went to pet heaven. Got up there and St. Pete opened the gate for them and they went in there and the men, they were just having a ball. You know, all that gold floor to run around on, had a good time. They came to St. Pete and says, this place is so huge. And it’s just we’re not our feet. Can you do something for us? So he gave them roller skates. And so they were in hog heaven now.

Anyway, this little girl, she had a cat and the cat died. The cat goes up there and Saint Pete, come on in. After about six months, Saint Pete walked up to the cat and says, well, how do you enjoy this place up here? Oh, I am having a blast. This is wonderful up here. Well, what do you like the best? He says, what I like the best is those meals on wheels. You’ve got to have a little humor along the way.

Look there in the book of Luke. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, the book of Luke chapter 19. Luke chapter 19, I preached this a couple of Sunday nights ago about the purpose of Christ coming into the world. Why did He do any of it? Well because it says here in verse 10, Luke chapter 19 and verse 10, for the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. It means he came to go fishing. I had Mr.

Zizmore come up here and he just handed me this, fishing. It’s time to head out for speckle trout. I’m speaking on fishing today and this is the first time he’s giving me one like this on fishing. So now’s the time to go fishing. It really is time to go fishing. I believe every time I get a chance to preach, I’m fishing. My weddings that I’ve done are, I’m fishing. Funerals, oh, I love to go fishing in a funeral. That’s a nice fishing hole.

Sometimes God gives you opportunities you know, one-on-one here and one-on-one there. But sometimes it’s good to get a whole bunch at one time. the most I ever had at one time was about four or five hundred at one time. And I really love that. But that’s rare, it don’t always happen. Most times it’s just one here, one there. In the ranch meetings that we used to have when we used to run four or five, six hundred kids, we’d have 25 to 50, trust the Lord every Thursday night.

And that went on for several years. That was a lot of fish. But now a lot of people never go fishing at all, just don’t really know how to fish. Some people just just don’t care to fish. Now I believe that God loves fishing. God is a fisherman. He only had one son and caught him out of fish.

He only had one son and he was a missionary. When Jesus came into the world, he went fishing. That’s what he was doing. You and I see, or we’re just the, oh, I guess, a fishing pole. We have some special bait that God’s given us. See, the fishing pole is to be in the hands of the Lord, and God wants to just use us as fishing poles and place us wherever he wants, but you have to use the right bait.

The bait that goes on the hook is the word of God. God, because God knows what will catch what fish. He’s a good fisherman. All he wants is a few people that will yield themselves to him so that he can use you. And he’s got a lot of fish in rods and he’s got a lot of bait. He’s got a lot of lands in the water. Jesus is a fisherman. Take your Bible and turn to the book of Matthew chapter 4.

Just turn to you to laugh. Matthew chapter 4, now the message today is not going to be a root and tutens, super-duper high-profile, exciting message because I just feel like just talking to you if you don’t mind that. So I just want to talk to you. And here in Matthew in chapter 4, you’ll notice there in verse 18, and Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon, Paul, Peter, and Andrew, his brother, cast in a net into the sea, but they were fishers.

He said unto them, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Now it seems like that if you follow Christ, you should become a fisher of men. You say, well I’ve been following Christ for 20 years. Well, have you been fishing for 20 years? My whole life is about fishing. Every time I preach, I’m fishing. And the reason we always give the gospel, and if you remember Dr.

Hank Linson would always probably give the gospel and weave the gospel through the message and always explain the difference between salvation and service, quite because he’s fishing. And if a person’s sitting there and they’re lost, they’re not sure of going to heaven when they die. By the time he gets through, he wants to be sure they understand how to go to heaven when they die. Why? Because he’s fishing. When he was on his radio broadcast, chances are he would present the gospel and he could take any question.

It didn’t matter what question you ever asked a preacher that knows this and you can turn it and get right back to the gospel. I don’t get what the question is. Ask me any question on anything that you want and I can find a way to get to the gospel. Well, that’s what we do. Why? Because we’re fishing. Christ sent us into the world to be fishermen. So we try to figure out ways in order to win people to Christ.

And that’s why by all means be creative. Try to think of something that might work. Ways that you might be able to train somebody else how to be fishermen. This is what God wants us to do. And look in verse 20. And they straight way or immediately after 20 years left their nets and followed him. When you take a match and strike it and it lights and then you’re going to light a candle, when do you expect that candle to start giving light?

Immediately. When you light it, it should give light. How How long do you think God wants you to be saved before you witness to anyone? Forever? And ever? Twenty years? Thirty years? Did you know that I started witnessing immediately, right after I trusted Christ as my Savior? Man, I couldn’t wait to let people know I trusted the Lord. And yes, I thought that the whole world was waiting on me. And I find out the world wasn’t waiting on me.

I really was kind of rude at times. I didn’t know how to explain the gospel very clearly. I was reading in the paper this morning how that there was some preacher that was in this gas-barillo, whatever you call that thing. I’ve never been to it, but telling people and holding up the signs, and repent and talking about all their sins and things like that. That might be part of the message that you need to give, but you don’t want to forget the part about that God loves sinners.

And that warning people that about their sin, yeah, but you need to tell them the good news of how to have eternal life and that God so loved the world. And I believe a lot of people. We’ll judge the majority of preachers by the way some people try to present the gospel and try to knock them over their head like with a 2×4 and tell them how bad they are, wicked they are. Now, they may know that, but did you also tell them how God loves them and they can have eternal life and go to heaven?

Or is it just about trying to get people to change the way they live and never get saved? I think it’s very important. We’re supposed to go fishing, but some people take the pole and they go fishing and then just splash the water. And wonder why the fish don’t get on the hook? Well, you’re not supposed to do that. I’m not a very good fish. But but I know that you’re not supposed to take your pole and splash the water.

If I was a fish, I’d get away. And that’s what I think a lot of people are. We’re supposed to win them, win them. So I believe there’s a lot to it. Look there in John chapter 1, the gospel of John in chapter 1. When would you think a good time it is to go so winning? I’ll bet you if I was to ask those in here, people in here, are saved on different days, in different ways, different times, but it seems like now is the accepted time.

The whole now is the day of salvation. You can get saved anytime, anywhere. If that’s true, then that means you can be saved and preach the gospel anytime, anywhere. You never know because you’re so inseeds and you want people to hear it, to understand. Hearing the book of John in chapter one, I want you to look at verse 40. In verse 40, in verse 40, he says, one of the two which heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

He first findeth his own brother, Simon, instead of him. We have found the Messiah, which is being interpreted to Christ. And in verse 42, and he brought him to Christ. He brought him to Christ. You know what we call so many is bringing people to Christ. You see, you and I, we’re not the Savior’s. We’ve never saved anybody. But all we’re seeking to do is bring people to Christ. The other part that I like about this is he first findeth his own brother.

When I trusted Christ as my Savior, I became concerned about my family. I wanted my brother and I wanted my sisters, and I had four of them. But I had six kids in our family. There were six of us. And I wanted everyone in my family to go, now it didn’t matter how many fights we had had. And buddy did we have fights. We hardly ever got along. And we’d fight like cats and dogs. And that was okay.

But don’t somebody else pick a fight with my brother or one of my sisters? Because then we’ll fight you. It’s just that you didn’t do that. We stuck together, but it was okay for us to fight. But when I trust the crisis by Savior, I didn’t want my brother and sisters to go to hell. I didn’t want my mom to go to hell. So of course I wanted to talk to them and witness to them. And I believe that that’s a good thing.

Did you know if everybody only reached their family, only reached their family, with when the world? You’d win the world if everybody just reached their family. Because you reached this family and that family reaches this one and that buddy, there’s no end to it. You could win the world just by reaching your own family. But it says here in verse 42, and he brought him to Jesus. How many have you brought to Christ? You’ve known Christ as your Savior.

You know you’re going to heaven. Have you ever brought anybody to the Lord? Now remember, you can’t save them, we understand that. But have you let God use you to bring somebody to Christ where they trust it, Christ that they’re Savior? One of the good ways to do it is this, you ask them, do you know where you’re going when you die? Or have you ever had anybody take the Bible and show you how to have eternal life? And they say no.

And then when you talk to them and when you get through and then you ask them the question, If you died right now, where would you go? And they say, I’m going to heaven. You brought somebody to Christ. Because if the first answer was no, in the next thing, you know, they say yes. . . . . . . You’d be surprised what that does to them, but what it does for you also is kind of like those lays potato chips that you used to talk about, but you can’t eat just one.

Because when you catch one of those fish, you want to catch another fish and another fish. That’s the way God has designed it. Look in John chapter 3, John chapter 3, and you’ll notice sometimes, sometimes you can go fishing at night. Jesus went fishing at night time. Sometimes God will bring people to you. Sometimes He’ll bring people across your path and you see it as an open door, the great opportunity. And so there was a man named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews who came to Jesus by night and said to him Rabbi, we know that thou art a master from Israel because of what you’re able to do and all that.

And Jesus was very impressed with what? Thank you. you. No, he says, you must be born again. You must be born again. I’ve talked to a lot of people, but I don’t chase rabbits, and you have to be careful of all the compliments and praises you get sometime because it could cause you to be tied up into that instead of what your job is. Get back on the trail. And he says, you must be born again. He’s well, how can a man be born when he’s old?

Could he even his mother’s womb and be born again like that? No, that’s not what he’s talking about. He said, that’s what you’re born of the flesh, just flesh. That’s what you’re born of the spirit of spirit. Behold, I said, you must, you must be born again. So he was letting, Nickodemus know, you have to be born again. Now this was a religious bench. So sometimes you’ll win people to Christ at night, sometimes they’ll come to you and sometimes they’ll be intelligent people.

they might in the world eyes be somebody.” Well, that’s good. That’s good. But now, when he asked the question, then he deserves an answer. So if you look down there where he’s supposed to know and understand, he gave him an illustration in verse 14. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up. Well, he ought know about that story in the wilderness because he was a rabbi. He was a Pharisee.

He should have known this. And the Bible says that when the people murmured, God sent the snakes, the serpents, and they were biting the people, and they were dying. So he said, make a brass and a serpent, and put it upon a pole, and who’s to have it, but just look would live. I mean, it’s all I got, just look and it lived. No work should it all. Just look and you’d live. I imagine there was something that would not do it.

But it’s that simple and that easy to be saved. Just look and live. When I explained the gospel and I said, look, Christ paid for all of your sins. All you have to do is believe He did it for you. Will you believe that? Yes or no? So simple. You see, most people try to get somebody what you got to change your life. You got to promise how you’re going to live. You have to commit yourself to give money and to go to church and you got to do the, well look at all that you got to do.

Take forever to convince a person of that. I know Christians who are not convinced they ought to go to church or to give or to live holy lives. Why no, where would you want to try to get a lost man to do it? There’s Christians that don’t even do it. So don’t hang that yoke of iron upon their neck.

So all you gotta do is just look and live. So John 3, 16 is the answer to the man that came to Jesus by. See, Jesus could catch fish at night and they could be somebody. It did matter. Nobody else around. That’s okay. He didn’t have to tune his own horn. If I go someplace with you and there’s There’s an opportunity to witness. Chances are I will just stay back and let you win them. I want you to catch fish.

I do not want to rob the honor or the glory. You see, because you don’t know how to do it. Yeah, that’s the way it is. I don’t know how to do it. But I want people to learn how to catch fish. Now look what he says. In verse 16, this is the answer on how to catch a fish. Tell him this story. This story catches a lot of fish. It’s one of the most used pieces of bait in the Word of God to tell a lost man, God so loved the world.

That’s you. That he gave his only begotten son. That’s Jesus Christ. That who so ever, anybody, you or me or anybody, believe it in him. That’s all you got to believe it. Should not perish means you won’t go to hell, but have everlasting life. Would you believe it? Hear that believe it? Have everlasting life. He that does not believe the wrath of God abided upon him. Now look there in chapter four. Chapter four, well, you see chapter three, you had this religious man, the Up-a-D-Up.

And he led him to the Lord because he came to him. Well lo and behold, Jesus says, I must needs go to Samaria. Now why did he have to go through Samaria? Because there was a woman that was going to be at the well at a certain time and he knew it. So he sent his disciples away into the city because he knew you don’t need a whole bunch of people to jump on and attack this woman. A lot of time when I go so in and I’d rather nobody be with me.

I just want to do it by myself. Sometimes I’m afraid I might get some help that I don’t want. Have you ever seen somebody start witnessing somebody and then somebody else jump in and try to steal the honor and the glory after you got him ready to fall and a person who starts to let him finish you sometime. You may say a little bit here and there but you want them to catch the fish. Don’t rob it from them.

And also you want to pray and keep in everything else quiet and so forth so that nobody interrupts. Be wise. But Jesus went to a woman who had five husbands. She had had five husbands and was living with a man that wasn’t her husband. And this was in the middle of the day. So can you catch fish at night? Yeah. Can you catch fish in the daytime? Sure. Well, nobody else is around. It doesn’t matter. Did you know that you and I are not supposed to be a respecter of persons?

That it doesn’t matter. They’re status in life. They’re a soul. God loves them. God loves all those people that are standing on all these street corners asking for a handout. The sometime when you drive by is how much they wouldn’t do that. Look what they do to this city. Do you realize that in Israel’s time, there were beggars everywhere? Most countries you go to, you’ll find a lot of beggars. Well, one of the reasons we don’t have as many beggars we use most countries have is because we’ve got a welfare program that they don’t have to beg.

They just get it from the government. But what if that none of that existed? You’d be surprised how many people would be out there and begging. When I took my kid down in the old Mexico, 25, 30 years ago, I gave each one of them some money to buy a few things. We didn’t get two blocks until all their money was gone because there was people asking for it and they just gave everything to hand. I was thankful for their compassion, but I had to inform them that Daddy didn’t have an unlimited money tree.

I gave them a little bit more money and says, you can’t give to everybody. You remember when Peter and John was going down the road there and went get ready to go into the temple It’s called beautiful. It says, this year, a guy asked him, arms, arms for the poor. He said, silver and gold have I. Now this was the first pope. Silver and gold have I? None. None. He didn’t have a fancy robe on, didn’t have a pointed thing on his head.

And he didn’t have any silver and gold. Well, I could go somewhere with this. And neither did he tell him, you’ll be all right, just kiss my ring or my toe.” You say, you make me mad, I don’t care. Doesn’t matter. But it says, if thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that saith unto thee, give me to drink, thou would have have asked of him and he would have given thee living water. So did Jesus go fishing?

You see, one came to him at night and he went to one in the daytime. You’d never know where you’re gonna catch fish, but remember Jesus was a fisherman. And you and I, he says, follow me. And the words he wants us to do what he does. And that’s why you find in the Bible about us taking the gospel to the world. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Means go fishing, go fishing. Go fishing.

Look in Acts chapter two, the book of Acts in chapter two. Acts chapter 2, and look there in verse 41. Verse 41 says, then they that gladly received his word were baptized. And the same day they were added into them about 3,000 souls. Jesus went fishing and he had his disciples and he gave them the ability to speak in a language that everybody could understand. Why? into the Gospels. Well, I can’t say what you’re doing. And there’s no one here that thinks.

I love that. As you say, I have been fighting for a little bit, but I’m happy to see. I’m happy to see what the Gospels are like. So I’m going to talk a little bit about that. I’m sorry. But I’m going to talk a little bit about that. I’m going to talk about that as I’m going to talk, saved one day. You say, well, I’m not interested in numbers. God is. He even wrote a book in the Bible called Numbers, didn’t he?

And who’s the one that wrote these numbers in the Bible? The Holy Spirit of God? Why do you think this is in here? To give us examples. When you read the book of Acts, it is is the continuation of the book of Luke. And it’s a beginning of what Jesus began to do. It’s like a continuation. It’s a history. And in the book of Acts, it tells you what happened. It is an evangelistic book about some evangelist who was fulfilling the Great Commission.

Now going into the world, and that’s why you find all these soul-winning stories in the book of Acts. Acts. Acts. Even the word itself seems like it means I’m supposed to do something. Doesn’t it sound like action to you? Maybe it is. Because you see, if the Holy Spirit is involved, there should be action. You and I have been blessed by God to be given the indwelling Holy Spirit to call us to action, to do something. Now, I like the various ministries that we have, but the greatest ministry in this church is individual soul-winning.

Nobody knows about it. In other words, you don’t have to always toot your own horn. But there’s nothing wrong in letting people know that, yes, you had somebody trust Christ of Savior, but you know, you know that you’re giving the glory and the honor to the Lord. You’re just thankful God is able to use you. I think it’s a great thing. Some of you will give out CDs, some of you will give out tracks, some of you talk to people, some of you give money to make things possible so you can get on the radio and so on.

But the reason that I want you to do it is because I want you to do it for the Lord. You’re doing it for the Lord. This is what the Lord wants you to do. You have been called under this. You that are missing Sunday school on Sunday morning, you’re missing some good teaching. It will help you tremendously. Remember, when you’re limited in knowledge, you’re limited in ministry. So the more you know, the more you can do, the more you can explain to help people to see.

God wants you to do this. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. Part two of this teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast. If you have enjoyed our commitment To the Clear Gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bibleline and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll-free, 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. To listen to today’sFINEST again or to obtain a free download of any of our Bibleline programs, just go to our homepage at BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the Radio Broadcast link.

If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 10-30 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by clicking on the Calvary Community Church link at BibleLineMinistries.org. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold.

Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon, and just keep looking up.