We often refer to what Jesus said in the other gospels: follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Luke uses different terminology. It’s one thing to go fishing and another to catch fish.
When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.
Fisher of men? Yes, but also men catchers!
Peter and Andrew and James and John were fishermen by trade. They knew all about fishing. They told Jesus they had fished all night and caught nothing. To them, it was a waste of time to try again. The devil would have us believe no one really cares about our Christian testimony or cares about his own soul. There may not be a lot of fish biting, but don’t get discouraged. These men had a bad night and had no reason to think the morning would be different. To let your light shine for God is never a waste of time. Living right is never a waste of time. There were fish in the sea; the disciples couldn’t quit. There are still people in the sea. We have not come to the point in time that people are not savable. The age of grace is still here. The power of God unto salvation still works. Just because someone doesn’t bite one time doesn’t mean he won’t bite forever. Jesus told them not to think about the night before and go out and launch their nets. In other words, keep fishing and you’ll catch. Anyone who fishes knows that you do more fishing than catching. Waiting pays off.
The Lord told the disciples to follow him and he’d show them how to fish for AND catch men. He said it direct to Peter. Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. Not only would they try, they would succeed at fishing for the souls of men. There is such a blessing in winning someone to the Lord. Even if we don’t directly lead someone to the Lord, if we’ve been fishing, i.e. letting our light shine, we have a part in catching them. We never know when someone is watching us fish. We may feel we’re getting nowhere, but one day—who knows! Sharing the Lord has never been done in vain. You’ll have part in reaching souls when you follow Jesus.
The key ingredient is not eloquence or skill. You catch fish with bait—the right bait. The lost are looking for something they haven’t found in sin. Proper bait in the life of a Christian hooks their hearts. The Holy Spirit goes after them. Shared happiness and joy that can only be found in the Lord makes someone want to bite. People try everything in the world to get released from guilt and feel settled and enjoy life with a sense of purpose. When a lost person sees a Christian at peace and rest, he’ll bite. Just be the right kind of witness day in and day out. Be consistent in living for the Lord. Don’t be in and out or haphazard about how you live for God. If you are, they will pass you by. They won’t bite.
The way we catch people is to first be “caught up” in Jesus ourselves. If we want others to be hooked by Jesus, we must show them that we ourselves are “caught” and serving the Lord and only him. Be fully won over, fully surrendered. Jesus said follow me. He will make us fishers. Stick close to him. The bait is our salvation and everything that makes it up. What we have is what the lost are looking for. The closer we are to the Lord, the closer others will be to finding him.
How closely are you following the Lord? Commit to him more. You will be a fisher of men AND you will become a catcher!
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 