Lesson 1 Learning how to fish from others.
“And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17)
The fishing illustration that Jesus used for evangelism would have been crystal clear in the minds of his disciples. At least seven of the twelve were fisherman by occupation and the others with the exception of Judas were from the fishing region of Galilee.
AS WITH FISHING, SUCCESS IN SOULWINNING REQUIRES KNOWLEDGE AND ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO LEARN IS FROM THOSE WHO ARE EXPERIENCED.
“And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17)
When I was just starting out in the ministry in the state of Michigan a fellow church member and I would often fish on his boat at several small lakes north of Detroit. Dave, my fishing guru, knew what color bait to use, how to work the lure, and exactly what angle to hold the rod tip. I remember asking him if he thought that some of these city lakes were fished out. His reply was, “nah, most people do not know how to fish like we do.”
In fishing there are many, many things to learn: water structure, wind, tides, weather, barometric pressure, seasons, depths, bait, lure action, spawning habits, etc… And if fishing for fish is complicated how much more involved is fishing for men?
Jesus’ fisherman disciples, Peter, James, John, Andrew, and Philip were taught the trade of fishing under the tutelage of their fathers and other mentors. Most often, you can learn more by spending one day with an experienced fisherman than you can by spending months or years trying to learn all by yourself, and If you have a great mentor, you will be a lifetime ahead of the competition!
In regards to fishing for men, the disciples spent not just one day with the Master of fishing, but three years! Jesus the Master soulwinner said, “Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men”. The invaluable fishing lessons the Apostles would learn from Jesus would be implemented and also committed and taught to “faithful men” who would “teach others also…” (II Tim. 2:22). In short order these trained fishers of men would, “turned the world upside down.” (Acts 17:6)
Churches are to be training grounds for fishing. Christ’s church is, “The pillar and ground of the truth” (I Tim. 3:15) as the church, we are commanded to be teaching the “all things” of the great commission (Matt. 28:18-20). Personally, as a “fisher of men,” I should have people I am learning from, and people that I am training in the business of winning souls.
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” (Proverbs 11:30)
The end goal of soulwinning is not just leading someone to Christ, but instead leading someone to Christ who leads others to Christ. This is what Proverbs 11:30 means when it says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life.” A righteous person’s fruit is a “a tree of life”; they produce another fruit bearing believer! Let us follow Christ and fish for men and encourage others to do the same.