Fishing for People

Matthew 4:18-20 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.

Evangelism used to be very hard for me. Personally telling someone about the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was something that I had to learn,develop and practice. Maybe it was hard for me because Jesus spoke about it by comparing it to fishing. He said "I will make you fishers of men". But he said this to "real" fisherman!

I have never been a big fan of fishing. It seems a bit boring to me especially if you are by yourself. Perhaps it was the all-night fishing trips I took with my dad as a child. Or those times someone wanted to go out at 6am because thats when the fish bite! There's not a great deal of "good" in any of that for me. But perhaps the simplicity of why I don't like fishing is because I don't usually catch any fish!

Jesus was telling these accomplished fisherman that it was now time for them to get excited about "reeling in" some people to follow Him. They knew how to catch fish and for them it was fun and exciting. They were ready. Now they would fish for people.

I've gotten over most of my fear of sharing and talking to others about Jesus. I continue to learn better how to use the nets the Lord gave me to catch people. And I must say, fishing for people is more exciting than I could ever have realized!

And just in case you are wondering, I still can't catch a fish:(