Installment##1//Fisher’s of men//the Great commission
A few days ago we were fishing off a wharf with a rod and reel in a well known fishing village in our province. It is a beautiful setting located on a harbour where at one time a thriving fishing industry existed. There is still an industry but it is through fish farming these days, not the traditional wild fish that once were so plentiful in the bay. Fishing of all different species and plentiful, however times have changed and with so many species on the endangered list, etc. the industry had to come up with new ways of raising fish, hence fish farms which are mostly salmon. And mostly controlled by one or two companies..oh well, some things never change.
We were using a rod and reel standing on the wharf as I said hoping to catch something, anything if possible and this we did.
It just so happened that I was first to catch a fish but it was a sculpen…no good for consumption, but it was a fish. It just got thrown away. Garbage you might say and you would be correct. As we were fishing my mind went to the scriptures and of course I thought about Jesus and Peter also. I felt as though I imagined myself as Peter and Jesus coming along and saying to me, “follow me , and I will make you fishers of men(there were three others with me, my wife and our two friends, coffee and c.m. Only I thought of us as Peter and Andrew, James and John (just for illustration purposes). In my minds eye, I envisioned the scene around me, Peter and Andrew, James and John ,only they were all young men, we are two married couples, 44 years and 39 years married, youth has forsaken us, but Jesus is still calling us to be fishers of men. God loves people. He probably loves fish too, but He loved people so much that He became a man so that He could die for us.
So He has designed a plan to fish for people. We used a rod and reel; we probably could have used a net of some kind. There are many methods to catch fish, whether it is within the confines of a fish farm or in the wild. It may be that you will be within the confines of a church building that you catch men(it’s a method that has been so successful in the past), or you may have to go to the wilds to catch men. Either way our one supreme goal in life should be just that. To be fisher’s of men. …to be continued
A few days ago we were fishing off a wharf with a rod and reel in a well known fishing village in our province. It is a beautiful setting located on a harbour where at one time a thriving fishing industry existed. There is still an industry but it is through fish farming these days, not the traditional wild fish that once were so plentiful in the bay. Fishing of all different species and plentiful, however times have changed and with so many species on the endangered list, etc. the industry had to come up with new ways of raising fish, hence fish farms which are mostly salmon. And mostly controlled by one or two companies..oh well, some things never change.
We were using a rod and reel standing on the wharf as I said hoping to catch something, anything if possible and this we did.
It just so happened that I was first to catch a fish but it was a sculpen…no good for consumption, but it was a fish. It just got thrown away. Garbage you might say and you would be correct. As we were fishing my mind went to the scriptures and of course I thought about Jesus and Peter also. I felt as though I imagined myself as Peter and Jesus coming along and saying to me, “follow me , and I will make you fishers of men(there were three others with me, my wife and our two friends, coffee and c.m. Only I thought of us as Peter and Andrew, James and John (just for illustration purposes). In my minds eye, I envisioned the scene around me, Peter and Andrew, James and John ,only they were all young men, we are two married couples, 44 years and 39 years married, youth has forsaken us, but Jesus is still calling us to be fishers of men. God loves people. He probably loves fish too, but He loved people so much that He became a man so that He could die for us.
So He has designed a plan to fish for people. We used a rod and reel; we probably could have used a net of some kind. There are many methods to catch fish, whether it is within the confines of a fish farm or in the wild. It may be that you will be within the confines of a church building that you catch men(it’s a method that has been so successful in the past), or you may have to go to the wilds to catch men. Either way our one supreme goal in life should be just that. To be fisher’s of men. …to be continued
posted by Randall | 7:01 a.m.
4 Comments:
Hi Randall,
I hope that I will be a better fisher of man than I am at fishing
for fish.As I was thinking about this I got thinking about us being sheep. How do we go from sheep following the one ahead of us to going out looking for men. As sheep we now know that we are leaders to the one that comes after
us,but to make the choise to go looking to be a leader WOW! How do
we do it? Here are afew ways that I come up with.
Frist remember that God gave us all
THE GREAT COMMISSION,Matt28:20 go out and preach the good news.
1PETER3: tells us to always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who ask us to give the reason for the hope that you have.
2Corinthians5:20 wE ARE Christ's ambassodors.
I know that there many more but I
will have to think on these for
now.Thanks for always giving me
something more to ponder.
C.M.
To be fishers of men,easy to say maybe not that easy to do.
We were back down shore [Blacks harbour]again today fishing,it was a bit different though,it was overcast and cold,not many bites and when we did catch fish,just garbage fish [sculpens],know what we found out today,even though sculpens,are garbage to us,there are other people that do eat them,and enjoy it very much,when I learned this,I thought,this is another example,of how quick we are to judge,and usually wrong.
You know when people only fish once in awhile,it dosen't take very long for them to get bored when they don't catch fish,and not very long to lose interest,at this point ,all they want to do is go home,but being considerate,would never say a word,just sit and get more bored.The fisherman,who really wants them all to enjoy fishing because he doesn't really care if he catches fish or not,he just likes fishing and wants the others to enjoy it as much as him,thinks,how do I get their interest back to fishing!I got it ,hook one of them a fish,let them bring it in,thats what counts,getting the fish,so he reels in his fish.
Imagine,if you will,all the water over all the bottom,a little hook,with bait ,drops somewhere on the bottom,and we expect a fish to find it,even when it does,it may swim around along time before it takes the bait,but when it does,we must be ready,or it will take the bait and swim away,we don't lose the fish,we never had it to start with,because when the fish bites,the hook must be set.
Sort alot like what the bible tells us,fish for men,throw out the gospel,let someone else do the fishing,let the holy spirit,set the hook,and Jesus,reel him in,to the father.
Fishing for fish or fishing for men,we don't want them to get away.
Coffee
Its funny to hear you use the words 'fishers of men' because it reminds me of when i went to sunday school many years ago. I think we used to sing a song with those words in it. It was way back then when I first thought of missions. I dont ever remember saying anything to any of my friends because that would not have been cool back then. It wasnt until a couple years ago that I had mentioned it to someone at church that I wanted to be involved and since then, have gone on 2 mission trips. I was so excited to actually tell someone that I wanted to be involved in missions. I know you dont even have to leave our own city to be fishers of men. I have always felt some sort of call into that sort of ministry. It was kind of strange because the last couple of months have been very trying for me and I have asked lots of questions to God about what He wants to use me for and I walked into Full Gospel a couple weeks ago and in the foyer was a table with different books about different courses that they offer through satalite and the internet. Of course the first one I picked up to read was on Missions. I read a bit of it and its a lot of the same things I have already experienced in the mission field. I took it as a sign that God wants to use me in the mission field somewhere.....if its here or somewhere else is fine with me. I just want to do His will and be a 'fisher of men' for Jesus!
Thanks for reminding us again about being fishers of men. Like the fish, usually men do not come looking for the fishers but the fishers have to go seeking them. Therefore, we, the church, have to go out to find the "fish" - sometimes it is as easy as just being friends and showing them the love of Jesus, in a way that they cannot resist.
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