I love to fish! My mind is full of memories of fishing when I was child with my
Dad, then as a
teenager going and checking out all
the local farm ponds in East Knox County. Later as an adult taking one of my children
or grandchildren
fishing and watching them catch their first fish. But do you and I remember that Jesus told us
to be ‘fishers of men’ (Matthew 4:19)?
There are a lot of
similarities to fishing for fish and fishing for men. The principles that make someone a good fisherman and a great
soulwinner are the same. Let me recount
four things I have learned in fishing that are true to fishing for men.
1.
To catch fish you have to go fishing.
It’s simple, but you’re not going to catch a mess
of fish sitting in your living room discussing the joy of catching fish. You can talk about it all you want, but you
will not catch fish just talking about them. We can dream
about going and catching the biggest bass in the county, but he’s not going to
come to your house. Let’s face it, we are not going to catch
fish staying in our homes or churches and hanging an ‘Everyone Welcome’ sign over the door.
We have to go fishing to catch fish.
2.
We need to go
where the fish are.
Last time I checked fish live in lakes and
streams. You have to go there to catch
them. Putting it in modern day terms we have to go fishing at work, at school, at
Walmart, in our neighborhoods, and as the great commission alludes to ‘as you
go’. That is wherever we go we are to
fish for men. As a pastor said in a sermon I heard, “they’re
everywhere, go catch you some”!
3.
We need to use the right bait
if you want to catch fish.
Fish don’t bite what they’re not hungry for. You’ve got to find what they are looking for
and put that bait in front of them.
Mankind is looking
for hope, peace, purpose, and joy. Those
things are only found in Christ. The
world may not realize it, but they are looking and hungry for Jesus! Sadly we tend to try to use the world’s marketing schemes to catch men. We want to talk
with them about our
programs, music, worship, and what great
fellowships we have. Those things are well and good, but only the
gospel is what catches men. You may draw
a crowd with those things, but only Jesus will change their lives.
4.
We will need persistence to catch fish.
I’ve fished many a day and caught very few, if any fish. Sadly, many people give up
after the first trip and never fish again because they didn’t catch anything. I know if I keep going I will catch some fish
and what a joy it is to catch some really good ones! But you know, that’s not really my main motivation to catch fish for Jesus. My main reason is that He told me to go
fishing for Him! And if I do, I know I will catch some. And they’re not going to be just some fish,
they are going to be men, women, and children who will get to spend eternity
with Him and us. You see, when you catch
a fish for Jesus you have made a friend for eternity! It doesn’t get any better than that!
