As we prepare our hearts for Easter, people in the church are reading the Gospels.  Yesterday we read Matthew 12.  Questions about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit have come up.  Has anyone else wondered about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? In a little over 300 words, let me help you out. First, always look for context.  Note verses 18-21.  Matthew is reminding the reader that the coming Messiah would be endowed from on high with the Holy Spirit.  Next, notice too that this passage is dealing with evil and good. It is dealing with things of God and things of Satan.  He talks about a good tree and an evil tree. He talks about an evil generation and unclean and evil spirits.  This entire chapter is a picture of the work of Satan and the work of the Holy Spirit. Consider verse 24.  “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” Do you notice anything there?  The Pharisees are speaking to Jesus with such contempt calling Jesus simply “this fellow” or “this man.” You can see and hear their hard hearts (See 12:34).  They had seen the work of the Holy Spirit, but instead of embracing Jesus as the proven Messiah, they credit the miracles of God to Beelzebub.  It’s not that God is unwilling to forgive, but the person is rejecting God. Therefore, anyone who has willfully and blatantly opposed the work of the Holy Spirit, and misidentifies His work as that of Satan, this person has rejected, not only the Holy Spirit, but he has rejected God’s Messiah. Jesus is the only way to heaven.  Reject Him, and only eternal condemnation remains. Henry Alfred is helpful: “It is not a particular species of sin which is here condemned but a definite act showing a state of sin, and that state a willful, determined opposition to the present power of the Holy Spirit; and this as shown by its fruit, blasphemy. The declaration, in substance, often occurs in the New Testament” (The New Testament for English Readers, from Desiring God).

My wife, Heidi, and I have enjoyed this season of life as much as any we have lived.  The empty-nest years are not bad at all, especially when your granddaughter comes to town.  Last weekend, our oldest son and his family visited our home. We love it when they come and when they bring our granddaughter, Kennady, it’s even more special.  We decided to take the family fishing to a family friends’ pond. We had such a great time but also witnessed the worst case of fishing we have ever seen.

We baited Kennady’s hook with a juicy and luscious worm.  She was a little disgusted as I pulled the worm up out of the dirt it came in. She closed her eyes as I carefully ran the hook through the slimy body of the worm.  Once it was securely attached to the hook, Kennady opened her eyes and screamed with excitement. “Throw it in the water, Pops,” she said. I took her “Snoopy-Type” little pole and tossed her line gently out into the water.  I gave her the pole, and she began to violently raise her pole up and down. The bobber would come flying up out of the water each time with only the worm in the water. “Kennady,” I tenderly said. “you can’t keep bringing your line out of the water.  Let Pops put it back in the water. Now be patient. Let it sit there and watch.” I think she would have rather watch paint dry than to see if the bobber would sink. Once again, she grabbed her pole and began to raise it up and down like a seasoned fly fisher.  She was officially the worst fisherman I had ever seen. There was zero chance she would catch a fish; until she did. In fact, with the worst technique I had ever seen, our dear Kennady caught three fish. I think it may have been a miracle of God, but it was three fish, nonetheless. She was so bad, her initial response when the bobber sank, was to drop her pole on the ground.

I’ve thought about Kennady’s fishing exploits and quickly realized that there are some good lessons for you and me on evangelism.

1.       You can’t catch fish if you never go fishing.  She may be the worst fisherman in the world, but you know what, she caught three fish on Saturday. How many fish did you catch this week? 
2.       Even bad fishermen will catch fish every now and then.  If a bad fisherman will cast a line enough, or fish in a well-stocked private pond, even they will catch fish every now and then.
3.       Catching fish is sure fun.  It’s hard to explain the joy Kennady had on Saturday.  She smiled, laughed, giggled, and slept very well on her way home to Topeka.  It was a very good day.

God has given the task of catching people (Luke 5:10) to you and me.  Often, we feel very inadequate for this task. My challenge to you, throw your line in the water.  You will never lead someone to Christ if you never try. With the help of the Holy Spirit, you will be able to see the transformation occur before your eyes.  Leading someone to Christ is fun! Most of us never get to enjoy the thrill of leading someone to the Lord because we never throw our line into the lake. God has stocked our “pond” with a lot of people. Go fish!

We have encouraged our church to participate in “Who’s Your One?” campaign of the North American Mission Board. This Saturday, September 21, we are going to have specialized training to help you build bridges to reach your “one” with the gospel.  Make plans today to join us Saturday at 8:30 am. Also, on Sunday, Chicken Missionary, Jim Adkins will be with us to preach a very evangelistic message. It would be the perfect time to invite your “one.” Get to fishing. You’ll never catch a fish if you never fish and you will never have the joy of leading someone to faith in you never throw your line in the water.