Let's Go Fishing

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” – Matthew 4:19

Three Things We Really Need to Know About Fishing

1)      You don’t determine if a fish is good enough when you throw in the line.  You just want to catch something. 
-     On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” – Mark 2:17
-          I think of the popular phrase “preaching to the choir”.  How often do we minister to the people just like us?  We are more comfortable approaching people at church or similar to us but we are called to try to win ALL souls to God and make a difference everywhere, not just in our own little comfort zone.  It's called OUTreach...not inreach for a reason.

2)      You don’t have to be a professional to be able to fish.
-          As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. – Isaiah 55:10-11
-          A few years back, Nike coined the popular slogan Just do it.  It doesn’t say ‘plan’ to do it, ‘think’ about doing it, or ‘prepare’ to do it; it says to just do it! 
-          We always use the excuse that we have to have the perfect thing to say or try to make sure we have it just right before we share the gospel with someone but the truth is we really hold ourselves back because we are afraid.  We’re afraid that we may offend someone, sound uneducated, or look silly.
-          Too often we wait for something to happen or a miraculous sign from above on when we should do something, but God is simply waiting for us to act.  He only asks us to plant the seed and he will take care of the rest. 
-     You don't have to know every verse in the Bible to witness to someone, you know your testimony, your story of what God has done for you and that's all you have to share to be a witness.

3)      Fishermen use bait to attract the fish to them.  Goodness and Kindness are our bait.
-          You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:14-16
-          We are called to be lights and reflections of Jesus’ love.  Our good deeds and acts of compassion for others are our lights to the world.  How bright are you right now?  Are you that hurt your eyes neon yellow color that a lot of runners wear?  I want to be that bright...not that I want people to see me, but rather that they will see my life, my works for the Lord and the blessings he has given me.
-          Pray that nothing clouds Jesus’ light in your life.  We've got clouds and rain coming in but we can still see the sun's light.  When trials and difficulties are going on in our lives, can people still see the Son's light in our lives?  Others need to see that light, we may be the only person that someone knows who reflects Jesus Christ in their life.  Don’t be a nightlight or even a 40W bulb, we all can eventually grow in Christ and in brightness to become tanning bed bulbs and leave everyone we come in contact with brighter with the word of God.

So let's go fishing.  We don't know what we'll catch, or exactly what we're doing but we sure do have some good bait, the glorious gift of salvation!