The Parable of the Dragnet (Mt. 13:47-50) (Part 1)

Introduction:  

• How many of you have heard of the author Anne Rice?
• Years before her conversion to Christ, Anne Rice authored a successful series of books called “The Vampire Chronicles."
• Later, Anne described her conversion to Christ in a book titled Called Out of Darkness.
• She went on to write several books on the life of Christ.
• More than five years ago, on her Facebook page, Anne wrote:  “Today I quit being a Christian!"
• She didn’t say she quit following Christ.
• She said she quit being a Christian.
• Evidently, her experience was that some Christians acted like Christ but too many did not.
• The Christians who did not act like Christ she labeled as “quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious and a deservedly infamous group."
• In her mind Anne separated “Christians” from Christ-followers.

• Gandhi had said something similar:  “I do not like your Christians.  Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
• Gandhi realized, as Anne Rice did, that there is a separation between the term “Christian” and the term “Christ-follower."
• One is a title, the other is a lifestyle.
• One is cultural, the other is spiritual.

• In our Bible verses for this week, Jesus Himself spoke about separation.
• In His story, Jesus used the imagery of bad fish and good fish.