“Come follow
Me, and I will make you fishers of men,” (Matthew 4:19).
I have fond
memories of my dad taking me to a farm in rural Kentucky which had several farm
ponds that were rarely fished. In one hand I had a small tackle box of my own
with cheap lures and hooks, and in the other hand I had a styrofoam container
of nightcrawlers we purchased at a small roadside store with a handmade sign
which read, “Live Bait.” In my boyhood
mind, I imagined myself to be some professional fisherman as the crappie, bass,
and catfish from these ponds would take my hook, even without bait!
We’d like to
think that evangelism would be easy like this. “If I just tell people to come
to church with me and a short sentence about Jesus, thousands will just come to
church services!” Man fishing is far more challenging. Our passions are right,
but to fish for men we need more. Man fishing reveals our need for Jesus.
We need
Jesus because Jesus alone makes us into fishers of men. “I will make you
fishers of men.” Jesus teaches us and His work in us makes us into evangelists.
His Spirit gifts us, His Word equips us, His saints encourage us and build us
up, and His gospel upon our lips is God’s power to save.
We need
Jesus because Jesus alone catches fish. Sinful people are like fish in the
water in that their home is sin just like water to a fish. They have to be
caught out of their sinful waters. No amount of moral reasoning, church
invitation, church statistics, or charisma from preachers will save them. Jesus
alone saves, as the Word declares, “Salvation belongs to the Lord” (Psalm 3:8).
We speak
about what we love. When we are so overwhelmed with the display of Jesus’ love
in His dying our death, we are compelled by His love to follow Him and
evangelize (II Corinthians 5:14). To evangelize is to speak about Who we love,
His gospel work, persuading people to believe in Jesus and follow Him.
Jesus says,
“follow Me.” We must be followers of Jesus, and He will make us people fishers
with His gospel and witness Christ’s work of making new people fishers who
follow Him.
O Father, overwhelm us by Your steadfast
love to compel us to speak of Who we love to a dying world drowning in sin.
Make us people fishers, Lord. Teach us, equip us, and send us. May we witness
the powerful gospel work in the fish we catch. Amen.
