While cleaning my office and reorganizing from our move, I came across some old articles from very early in my walk with God. This one by Pastor Jack Hayford struck a note with me as we are trying to find a church, men’s group, etc.
A Transforming Encounter:
Meeting In A Small Group With Jesus At Breakfast (Text: John 21:1-22)
Intro: This is a far more decisive meeting in the life of Simon Peter than is generally supposed. A man whose “decision” and “water baptism” and “Holy Spirit baptism” took place at other times, has an encounter which actually becomes a conclusion of his past and the door-opener to his future.
In this event, I believe there is a picture of (1) the power of small group gatherings of men (at breakfast if you wish) together with Jesus; and (2) the kinds of things which we mend deal with that such encounters can bring us to face, to realize and to overcome. See this as being …
- For a man who’s begun with Jesus but needs to take another step (v. 1)
- For a man who influences other men, whether he realizes it or not (v. 2-3)
- For a man who sometimes forgets he has been irretrievably set apart by the Master (V. 3c-6)
- For a man who would prefer to avoid direct confrontation with this situation (v. 7-8)
- For a man who will be reminded that Jesus could be self-sufficient, but has chosen not to be. (v.9-11)
- For a man who needs repeated encounters, because his humanness needs them to keep him “growing forward”. (v.12-14)
- For a man who has become self-conscious about his own past experiences of “tried and failed.” (v.15)
- For a man who is slow to commit to the belief that Christ’s “highest” could be realized personally. (v. 15-17)
- For a man who needs to hear Jesus clarify the specifics of His purpose for his life (v. 15-17)
- For a man who is willing to follow Jesus completely and without comparison with other men (v. 18-22)
Conclusion:
- There are points on this list that apply to every one of us …
- Some, all the time
- All, some the time
- One, right here right now
- I’m asking you to come to terms with the fact that neither you nor I will ever rise unto or continue in the best and fullest purposes of Jesus Christ for our lives without being in a group, in a pattern of meeting … WITH JESUS HIMSELF AS THE CENTER OF THE GROUP.
- The Holy Spirit is calling men today and central to this call is His wanting us to face our need to be with others as we follow HIM.
