Day Twenty-Four "Fishers of Men"

“Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me and I will make you become fishers of men.” [Mark 1:17]

Sitting on the coffee table in this prayer cabin is a stuffed and mounted large mouth bass that must have weighed well over ten pounds when it was caught. Not more than seventy-five yards off the back porch of this cabin is a ninety-acre private lake stocked with large fish. There have been fish up to twelve pounds caught in this lake. The largest fish I have ever caught was right here.

I am not an avid fisherman but I have enjoyed some times out on this lake with my friend Jimmy who manages this place. Those have been good days. None of those fishing expeditions could come close to comparing to any of the times I have been used of the Lord to introduce people to my Savior and best friend, Jesus Christ. Becoming a fisher of men is a thrill beyond explanation. Few know this thrill for statistics say that over 90% of Christians have never shared their faith one time.

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ means being active in evangelism. Jesus said that He would make us become fishers of men. I want to be part of that thrilling adventure of watching Jesus transform people from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of light. Those experiences fill me up. Let me just tell you about one that happened a couple of years ago.

I met a man who was a lawyer. This man had a brilliant mind. Though most of his brothers and sisters knew Jesus Christ he did not and was not interested. When I first met him the Lord gave me a vision. I know it sounds strange but I saw the day he would follow in baptism at the church where I served as pastor. I began praying for this man that very hour.

I sought him out at ball games. His wife attended church faithfully but with a broken heart. Eventually he began to show up on Wednesday nights. This was fine for me because at the time I taught through the book of Acts for nearly two years. I would teach forty-five minutes to an hour and many times the gospel was presented. I went to visit him at home and witnessed to him formally. He was interested but not ready to commit.

One day I saw his wife at a local restaurant. Her husband appeared to be like a large mouth bass on the end of a fishing line. They are hooked but they fight and dance around in the water before being landed. I consoled her by assuring her that her husband was hooked. It would just be a matter of time.

Not long after that he called me one afternoon to see if he could come by and talk. I nearly leapt out of my seat when he told me he had trusted Christ to save him while driving to work in his truck. True to my vision I had the privilege of baptizing him and his wife (she was saved but had never been baptized) on their wedding anniversary. I could not contain my exuberance on that occasion! That is only one story out of hundreds.

It is time to step up to be the fishers of men Jesus has made us to be. No longer can we allow fear to paralyze us into silence. [II Tim 1:7] No fear. Courageous obedience is the need of the hour. Your challenge is to share your faith. Trust God to orchestrate the circumstances. You be ready and obey. The results are up to God.

Steps to Revival

1. Are there people you have been consistently praying for their salvation? If so list them now by name. Ask and believe Jesus for the opportunity to witness to them about Jesus Christ. Do not wimp out on this. Trust God and obey Him by faith.

2. Enlist the help of prayer warriors to pray for you and the one you are going to witness to.

3. Make plans to have this person over for dinner or take them out to lunch. Do not let Satan use fear to immobilize you.

4. Invite this person to the revival services.

5. Believe you are not alone. God is at work and the Holy Spirit will bring conviction and draw people to Christ. Trust Him.

6. When this person is saved, testify about God’s faithfulness in saving the lost. Testify about how the Lord uses ordinary people like you do be fishers of men.