SERIES: Moving Forward (4 of 5)
TITLE: Opportunities to Take
TEXT: Mark 1:16-18
INTRODUCTION:
The future belongs to those who see possibilities before they become obvious.
Opportunities Missed
There was a very
cautious man
Who never laughed or played
He never risked, he
never tried
He never sang or prayed
And when he one day passed
away
His insurance was denied
For since he never really lived
They claimed he never died.
What are the opportunities before us?
Key to Success
Mark 1:16-18 – become fishers of men
Mark 6:2-3 – carpenter's son teaching and doing great things
Mark 10:46-48 – blind man saw the opportunity to see
John 4:35 – see the harvest, ready
Principles Involved
Ability to see the possibilities
Ability to eliminate the negative thinking and attitudes
Ability to risk failure
Ability to make the effort with zeal and determination
Ability to sacrifice for something better
See the Opportunities
"An article in the Harvard Business Review called 'Market Myopia' talked about how some people didn't understand what business they were in. For example, the railroad people didn't realize they were in the transportation business; they thought they were in the railroad business. Had they realized they were in the transportation business they would have invested in the airplane. The telegraph people thought they were in the telegraph business instead of the communications business. In 1886 or so, they could have bought all the telephone patents for $40,000. So obviously these people didn't know what business they were in." "I used to think these guys were really dumb because they didn't know what business they were in. Then I asked myself, 'What business am I in?'
What about the church? What is our business?
We need to focus on what God intended for the church
Building the kingdom involves:
Evangelism – reaching and teaching the lost
Edification – building stronger faith in believers
Teaching the Bible – Classes, one-on-one, VBS
Training – teaching godly character in our children
Application – making the Bible relevant to everyday life
Opportunities before Us
Communication
Computer – email, websites, online Bible course
Radio / TV
Print – newspaper, books, flyers
Public Interest in Spiritual Life
Many are not interested in “church”
But they have questions about life, where from, where headed
News – Terry Shivo, abortion, mercy killing,
Failure of others that we depended on
Government and social programs
Science has not / will not find all the answers
Benevolence – Help for children – Help for elderly
People
We often think in “mass” - reach millions
Every individual has needs, questions, issues
Location, location, location
3 keys to starting a business
We have – building, property, room to grow
Conclusion
Movie – Dead Poet's Society – Robin Williams takes his poetry class into the hallway to see photos of past, dead poets.
He said, "We are food for worms, Lads! Believe it or not each and every one of us in this room one day will stop breathing, turn cold, and die. Step forward and see these faces from the past. They were just like you are now. They believe they're destined for great things. Their eyes are full of hope. But, you see, gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. If you listen real close, you will hear them whisper their legacy to you. Lean in. What do you hear?"
“Seize the day boys! Make your lives extraordinary!”
We need to dream bigger dreams, see great opportunities