Articles
Evangelism is Like Fishing
Four of Jesus’ apostles were fishermen—Simon, Andrew, James, and John. To them, fishing wasn’t merely a hobby but their very livelihood, so they knew fishing better than many people then and most people today. But when Jesus miraculously helped them catch a huge mess after a long night of unsuccessful fishing, they were amazed to the point of dropping everything (including their nets) and following Him (Luke 5:4-11).
Jesus, a carpenter, took four fishermen and made “fishers of men” out of them. Using principles from their own trade Jesus taught them how to capture men’s hearts, not by a deceptive bait-and-hook method but by the clear, uncompromising preaching of the good news of the kingdom. Jesus made evangelists out of them. Evangelism is like fishing in at least three ways…
Evangelism is like fishing—some people will respond, but most will not. Last week I went fishing with some of the men of our congregation; there were six of us. Between all of us, we only caught four fish. And those four were caught by only two men (I can’t tell who they were…). That’s not because there weren’t a lot of fish in the lake; they were just not biting on that particular day.
Preaching the gospel is very similar. Most in the world will not accept its truth, but that doesn’t mean we stop fishing altogether. Some people are eagerly searching for the truth; some people may not know what they’re looking for but are hungry for something; with some perseverance we may find them. Just like fishing, evangelism is very much a chance sport: you just have to cast your line as best you can then hope that someone is hungry enough to bite. If we don’t have a good day, go back another and try again. If you don’t cast, you don’t catch.
Evangelism is like fishing—you have to know people. I don’t mean merely being acquainted with people, but understanding people. Every fisherman knows what kind of bait to use for specific fish. Throwing squid or shrimp out in the middle of a lake for bream will probably not do much good (though I have never tried it); the fish would take one look at it and say, “What is that?”
To teach people the gospel, we have to start on their level. You wouldn’t talk to an atheist about the Lord’s design for the church; that conversation wouldn’t get very far. Likewise, it is not wise to begin talking about instrumental music with someone who has never even heard the pure gospel of Christ. Jesus was a great teacher because He knew people’s thoughts and hearts. Granted, we do not have the benefit of omniscience. The best way for us to figure out where people are is to listen to them first, rather than jumping into a full-blown presentation without having first laid a foundation. We want people to understand what they are obeying, so we first have to understand the people we are talking to.
Evangelism is like fishing—it takes patience. Sometimes you can fish for three or four hours without a single nibble, and just as you’re ready to pack up and go home you start catching some whoppers. If you had given up an hour earlier, you would have left empty-handed.
Sometimes it takes people a while to commit to serving Jesus. We cannot expect someone to understand everything after a single hour-long Bible study. Though there are exceptions to this (some are ready to be baptized as soon as they can, like the eunuch is Acts 8), this type of response is atypical. Most people will have more questions, need further instruction, or just ask for more time to think it over. Sometimes it is because they understand the magnitude of a life-long, whole-hearted commitment to living as a Christian. If we are serious about evangelism we must be devoted to the long haul, which sometimes involves waiting for the powerful word to sink in and transform the heart. The best things we can do in the meantime are continue to teach, encourage, and pray. Who knows—perhaps that time is what is needed for someone to become a dedicated disciple of Christ.
Jesus was the best evangelist there ever was, and He spent three years with His disciples teaching them the ropes (nets?). Who would have thought we could learn so much about fishing from a carpenter?
Four fish. Out of six people. Will we be going fishing again? You bet.
