FISHING FOR MEN

This morning, we are going to look closer at a text we have all read many times before.

Mark 1:16-17.

When I was young my Mom & Dad would rent a cabin on a lake in southern Arkansas for a couple of weeks in the summer. We wouldn’t water ski or go swimming but we would fish from early morning to the evening. We would come in just long enough at noon to get a bite to eat. We loved to fish. It was a passion with my family. As a result of the numerous fishing excursions with my family, I have come to better understand why Jesus said that if we follow Him, He will make us fishers of men. Here are a few similarities I have noticed between fishing & soul winning.

· Fishing can be an addiction.

In Arkansas you can go fishing anytime of the year & I did too. As a teenager a couple of buddies & myself would go fishing at the drop of a hat. Sometimes my love life would suffer because I selected fishing instead of doing something with my girlfriend. Even after I was married, just a day before Karrie was born I was out running a trot line. It seemed that I lived to go fishing.

Whenever I made some money as a teenager most of it would go to getting the most latest & greatest fishing gear. It seemed I worked to support my fishing habit. Every Christian should be a fish-a-holic. Whatever our earthly career, it should only be to support us during our soul winning endeavors. Paul was a good example of this principle. He made tents so he would have funds to save more souls.

Also, because fishing is an addiction, a real fisherman does not easily give up. If we were unsuccessful in one place, we went to another. Sometimes the catch was bigger than others, but we refused to return empty. We would continue trying until we caught something. If we were all addicted to fishing for men, we would not be easily discouraged.

“When they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another.” Matt. 10:23

· A real fishing boat is a tool, not an ornament.

The boat I fished out of would never win a beauty contest. It was a 12’ flat bottom boat, between the scrapes & scuff marks the color was dark green. There was a trolling motor on the front & it was powered by a 20 HP outboard motor.

The whole vessel was designed with one purpose in mind-to catch fish! Though I like to keep it simple, I’m not too proud to make the most of modern technology. I would use a fish radar, the most sophisticated lures, & the newest rod & reel.

I believe this should be the pattern for our churches. Jesus would be pleased if all the programs & churches’ plans revolved around one paramount goal-to save people! We should be willing to use everything from satellite to video in order to reach people. Too many churches are nothing more than luxury liners built for the comfort, convenience, & entertainment of fruitless fishermen. As Paul Harvey once said, “We have been called to be fishers of men, not keepers of the aquarium.”

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” Proverbs 11:30.

· To catch fish, you must go where the fish are.

Many times I would travel for hours to get to a spot where the fish were biting. It would have been much safer & cleaner to leave the boat & trailer up on dry land, but the fish were in the water! There is a delicate balance between being in the world without the world being in us. We must guard against allowing our churches to become exclusive clubs that shut out the needy world in order to insulate ourselves from contamination.

Remember that rich man who feasted while the poor beggar lay starving at his gate? The beggar was full of sores & longed to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. The world is also hungering for truth, & to feed the people we must go where they are.

Sometimes turtles would show up after the fish were caught & put on a stringer. And sometimes the turtles would start eating our prizes while still on the stringer before we could pull the stringer back on board. Likewise, the devil always comes around just when people are about to join the church.

“I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil (one). They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” John 17:15, 16.

· Fish are attracted to light.

For some reason, my buddies & I caught the most fish at night. I know how Peter felt when he said, “We fished all night.” However, we always caught plenty.

After sundown, we would drop a water proof light over the side to the boat. The lights would attract the insects & in the clear water below, we could see minnows & small fish swarming around out light. And from that swarming bigger fish showed up. One night we accidentally unplugged the light. By the time we discovered the problem & plugged the cord back in, all the fish had gone to a neighboring boat where the light was still burning. If our light is shining, we will attract souls.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matt. 5:16.

· Different methods catch different fish.

Another lesson I learned on my many fishing trips was that each fish is caught with different techniques and in different places. For bass, I used an artificial crank bait, casting to a likely good looking spot close to the shoreline. For crappie, I used a jig & tight lined off the side of the boat in the tops of submerged trees. For catfish, I used the stinkest bait & fished on the bottom. One rule that seemed to apply to all fish was that you can’t force them to the boat. You must wait until they stop fighting to reel them in, or you will break the line. Likewise, when catching souls you need a tender touch and patience or you’ll break the line and the “fish” will get away.

One of the best ways to catch a fish is with another fresh fish. Many times I would take a fish I had just caught, put a hook in it, and throw it back out in order to catch a bigger one.

New converts electrified by their first love are often the most enthusiastic to tell their friends and family about Jesus. When reaching men, God uses all kinds of different people with different gifts to reach a diverse spectrum of souls. Everybody can be used of God to reach someone.

“Go ye therefore, & teach all nations.” Matt. 28:19.

· If fishermen work together, they catch more fish.

This was evident when I used a trot line. Let me explain what a trot line is. A trot line is a nylon line about 20’ to 30’ with hooks every 12” apart. We would find a inlet & would tie one end to a tree. Then roll out the line & tie the other end to another tree or to a jug that was anchored to the bottom. It takes at least two people to bait & run the trot line. It really takes two people when there are a bunch of fish on the line. One would hold the line close to the boat, while the other would take the fish off & re-bait the hooks.

We all know that fishermen are notorious for telling colorful (and often exaggerated) stories of their adventures and exploits. If they do finally catch a trophy fish, there’s a good chance that it will be stuffed and mounted on a prominent wall somewhere for all to see. Then that “ humble” fisherman will quiver with excitement to tell the story to any warm body that passes by.

How much better will it be for the fishers of men when, through the ceaseless ages, they with beaming faces can behold their living trophies walking on golden streets.

“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”

Daniel 12:3

God wants every church to be a fishing machine, with each member using his or her distinct gifts working together to catch souls for Christ’s kingdom.