“Son, you can’t catch fish unless your line is in the water.” The words of my father still echo in my ears. As a young fisherman it was sometimes hard to stay on point (Two of my young children/fisherman are above). It is easy to get sidetracked on the shore with shiny tackle, frogs, and turtles. This was especially true when the fishing was slow. Dad was right, no one ever caught a fish without their line in the water and the fisherman who catches the biggest and most fish are the ones who consistently and persistently keep their line in the water. It takes persistence to catch fish.
“And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17)
“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” (Psalm 126:5-6)
“The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.” (Proverbs 20:24)
I love to hear great soulwinning testimonies, but I have come to understand that every “catching the big one” story represents hundreds of hours of fishing for men! A trophy on the fisherman’s wall represents thousands of casts and the soulwinners “success” represents the gospel given out again and again. For the most part, winning someone to Christ comes only after diligently witnessing to friends and neighbors, faithfully distributing tracts, and showing up at church outreach events. Good fisherman and good soulwinners have one thing in common, they are persistent! They just go fishing! “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not“ (Gal. 6:9).
BE PERSISTENT THROUGH HARDSHIP
“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 11:23-28)
Many are the difficulties of fishing. Fishermen get up long before daylight, travel long distances, and sometimes stay out all night. They carry equipment over rough trails, put up with inclement weather, get bitten by bugs, get wet, get hot, get cold, get discouraged, and get dirty. In fishing you have to put up with tangled lines, lost tackle, lost fish, hooks stuck in various places (sometimes in your body), leaky boats, broken equipment, and many times fish do not bite! In Christ’s day the men who worked all night fishing often got caught in storms. Many lost their lives trying to feed their family. Fishing for them was sometimes a deadly occupation.
The work of the gospel is similar to fishing. We meet rejection, indifference, and even persecution. To catch men, we must “endure hardness as a good soldier.”
Be Persistent To Seek The Lost
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)
“Launch out into the deep, and let down our nets” (Luke 5:4).
When Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street go fishing, they holler over the side of the boat, “Hear fishy, fishy, fishy!” and fish just start jumping in the boat! However, in real life it does not quite work that way. Fish have to be sought after. Fishermen must “launch out into the deep.” Fish do not live where it is convenient to catch them. Fish do not come to you. You have to go to them. God’s Word tells us that unsaved men and women are similar. Lost souls must be sought after because they do not seek after God. They do not want to be caught! “There is none that seeketh after God” (Rom. 3:11). The world does not realize their desperate need for salvation and because of their lost condition they generally show no interest in the gospel. We must do more than put a welcome mat in front of the church door. We must go after the lost. The soulwinners job is to be with Christ seeking after men.
Be Persistent To See Joy
This might sound crazy to non-fisherman but there is great joy in catching fish. When you land a prize catch and hold it in your hands the hours of toil and suffering are quickly forgotten.
Leading a person to Christ is the greatest prize catch there is! A single soul is of more value than the whole world put together (Matt. 16:26; Mark 8:36; Luke 9:25). One person being saved from our effort makes all the time, toil, and difficulties worthwhile. “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance” (Lk. 15:7). When someone receives Christ there is joy! Joy in heaven! Joy on earth! And joy in eternity future!
Let us be persistent in sharing the gospel everywhere and with everyone. Let’s give out gospel tracts, be a witness, and attend church outreach programs.
For following Christ and fishing for men Lesson 1 Learning From Others CLICK HERE