“Being Fishers of Men”
Mark 1:17
Today’s message is about Jesus’ invitation to become fishers of men.I love to fish! Anyone who has fished with me will tell you I am not a very good fisherman, but I still love to fish. I also love fish stories. One of my favorite is about two fishermen who are out in their boat one Sunday morning when they heard the church bells ring in the distance. One of the men said to the other, “You know we really ought to be in church.” The second man replied, “Yes, but I couldn’t have gone anyway, the wife is sick in bed.” Some people are really dedicated to fishing.
In our last message in the book of Mark we looked at “The Call to Ministry” and examined 1:16-20 and today I want to return to this passage (1:17) and further examine what it means to be fishers of men.
You will remember that it stated in verse sixteen, “And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. (17) Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
This morning we are going to concentrate on where Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” But what does that mean? What we see in this text by examining a bit deeper is that there is one command, one promise and a lifelong process.
So notice three things with me this morning –
First, The Command - “follow me”
The command in this verse “follow me” is simple, (in the Greek it is an adverb of place expressing a command) - literally it is “your place is following after me.” Joseph Stowell (pastor of the Moody Church) identified our problem as the modern church well when he said, “We have become quite happy to call ourselves Christians with little or no thought of following.” Following is not something that is difficult - the act of following is something I can do. I can get behind someone else and walk in their footsteps. I can follow Christ. But as far as being a fisher of men on my own, I don’t know about that. That intimidates me.
But the command comes with ….
Secondly, The Promise – “I will make you to become fishers of men”
It is important to note that when Jesus called these men, they were not at that time what Jesus wanted them to become. He promised to “make” them (poieo) to “become” fishers of men. Notice again with me who Christ chose. The Gospels will reveal who these men were:
•They were common laborers
•They were poor
•They were uneducated
•They had little spiritual perception
•They were self-centered
•They were often harsh
•They were proud
•They were weak
•They were cowardly
•They were selfish
But God is not bound by who we are! Jesus looked beyond what they were to what they would become. The important principle at work here is that those whom Christ has called He enables and empowers to perform the task to which they have been assigned. Jesus did not simply command His disciples to become fishers of men but he promised to make them fisherman after men’s souls.
But to fulfill the Command involves….
Third, The Process – “to become fishers of men”
So as Christians it is urgent that we carry out the command to bring people to Christ. I think most of us understand that but the question is, “How can we influence others to Christ?” I want to mention three ways that we influence people to come to Christ.
• We May Influence Others To Christ by Our Attitude. (1 Pet. 3:15)
First Peter 3:15 says, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is within you.” In other words, there should be such a reflection of joy and hope to our lives that others will ask about it, thus opening the door for us to share the Gospel.
The common image of a fisherman in our day is of a man with a fishing rod casting a lure into the waters of a stream or a lake. However, such was not the case when Jesus called his disciples. They caught fish with nets and by experience they found that their best fishing took place at night. We know that this is true by looking at Luke 5:5, when Jesus told Peter to cast his nets on the other side of the boat he said, “Master we have toiled all night and caught nothing nevertheless at your word I will let down the net.” How did they fish at night? They used a very powerful and effective method, light. Fish were attracted to light.
Jesus uses this same effective method to draw people to Himself. John tells us that Jesus said (8:12), “I am the light of the world, He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.” Just as fish are attracted to the fisherman’s light, God wants people to be drawn to His light shining through His people. The light of every believer is the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives. Paul stated in his second letter to the Corinthians (2 Cor. 4:6-7), “For it is God who command-ed light to shine out of darkness who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, (7) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power of God may be of God and not of us.” We are not the light we merely reflect the light of Jesus.
• We May Influence Others To Christ By Our Actions. (Matt. 5:16)
Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Christianity is defined in the eyes of the world by the good works that we do. After the last national election, syndicated columnist Cal Thomas wrote about the need for Christians to get back to the things they are known for. He said that we needed to get back to the basics of being good neigh-bors and serving the world in order to get a hearing for the gospel.
The sad truth is that the reputation of Christians as a whole is suffering and many in the mainstream of society are turned off by what they see and hear. We seem to be known by what we hate. We hate abortionist and we hate homosexuals. And to many, because of the scandals among televangelist and others, we are seen as hypocrites.
But it is when the Church reaches out in servant evangelism that it gains a hearing for the Gospel. I have been reading a book entitled “The Externally Focused Church” (Rick Rusaw & Eric Swanson). It has help me to see that we have to get back to being intentional in reaching out to our world.
•We May Influence Others To Christ By Our Words.
While it’s essential that we witness by our attitudes and by our actions, sooner or later it will be necessary for us to use our words. In the Scripture that we used earlier 1 Peter 3:15 stated, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is within you.” When it says “be ready to give a defense” it is a verbal defense that is being spoken of.
Now this isn’t very popular in our culture today to speak out about your Christian beliefs. It is no longer politically correct to share our faith with unbelievers. They say, “How dare you try to shove your religion on someone else? How dare you think you’re the one who is right? You can’t do that! ” But I have news for you. It’s always been that way. In the book of Acts, the Jewish Sanhedrin commanded those first apostles to shut up and to preach no more in the name of Christ (Acts 4:18). They were commanded to never speak again in the name of Jesus but they replied, “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20) How can we do less??
When Jesus called them to follow Him it was a call that required complete and immediate detachment from every else. Peter and Andrew “left their nets” (v. 20) suggesting that they left their present occupation. James and John “left their father” (v. 22) suggesting that following Christ takes precedence over even maintaining close proximity to our family. The require-ments for following Jesus are not the same for everyone. For some it means leaving their present occupations to follow him. For others it means a willing to leave family connections and being close to family. But for everyone it is a willingness to exchange their affections, goals and priorities for his.
Listen careful to the statement I am about to make because I do not want you to misunderstand me. The worse thing in life may not be that we fail. The worse thing in life is not failing but succeeding in a worldly pursuit having left Christ out of our lives.
When we learn that someone is dying what is the single most important topic on our minds. “Are they saved?” What this should remind us of is that what really matters in life is what we are most concerned about at death – whether or not people know Jesus Christ, when someone is dying nothing else really matters does it?
There have been times in the life of every Christ-ian when he or she recognized that the greatest thing he could do with his life was to get someone else to Christ. It may be this morning that Christ wants you to recommit yourself to reaching someone for Christ. Perhaps it is someone that you have given up on? Have you ever really stopped to realize that Jesus wants you to be someone whose heart is moved to reach out to the lost people around you? In order to accomplish this goal in life would you be willing to
•Lay aside your personal ambition and plans in order to fully follow Christ.
•Purpose in your life to better reflect the light of Christ to those around you.
•Look for and take opportunities to share with others what Jesus has done for you.
Jesus said “Follow me and I will make you Fishers of Men.”
In a book entitled “Jungle Harvest,” written by a missionary named Ruby Scott, she describes some of her experiences in reaching a people group known as the Tila Indians who lived in a remote village in the jungles of south Mexico, just north of the Guatemalan border. As Ruby and her colleague learned the Tila language, they translated the message of the Bible in order to give the people the Scriptures in their own tongue; and they arranged to have the Gospel recorded and duplicated on records that could be played on little record players that worked by turning a crank. The Tilas were astonished at this.
One of the men who heard the message was a witch doctor named Domingo. He was in his mid-fifties and illiterate... When he learned about Christ, he turned from his old way of life and was wonderfully converted. He instantly became burdened for his old friends, the other witch doctors in his former village. One day he decided to take the message to them. He borrowed one of the portable record players and the records and off he went.
His former friends were happy to see him, and they talked, laughed, and reminisced about the good old days. When Domingo opened up the record player, they watched him with great curiosity and begin listening. After playing some of the Scriptures, Domingo told them that God had turned his heart around. He shared his own testimony with them and preached the Gospel to them as well as he could.
They were angry and skeptical, and they replied, “How can you, who have experienced the power and authority of a witch doctor, turn your back on the very gods who have chosen you?” They argued with him and threatened him. Domingo remained calm and kept preaching Jesus to them. Finally, his friends grabbed their machetes and ordered him to leave.
Domingo hastily closed the phonograph and slipped the records into his carrying bag. Swinging the machine onto his back, he turned sadly and started down the trail. But he was so burdened and so upset that he felt he had to make just one more try. Turning back, he began to say another word for Christ.
In great anger, one of the men raised machete and aimed it at Domingo’s phonograph. Instinctively, Domingo’s hand touched the machine to steady it, and the machete sliced off three fingers. Domingo hurried away, and when he was out of sight he stopped and tore a sleeve from his shirt to bandage his bleeding hand. Then he trudged wearily home.
Two days later, as Ruby Scott was dressing the stumps of his fingers, she coaxed him to tell her exactly what had happened. He told the story, then after a long pause, he looked at her and said these words: “Those poor men! God’s message just didn’t grab their hearts. I’ll go back and tell them again.”
In her book, Ruby Scott wrote that she stayed awake a long time that night, staring into the dark and thinking of Domingo’s crippled hand and of his quiet words: “I’ll go back and tell them again.”
She thought of the times she had failed to witness to her friends, the times she had grown discouraged with her witnessing, and the times she had failed to go back and tell them again. Then she wrote, “I turned over, struggled to my knees in the cramped confines under my mosquito net, and rededicated my life to the Lord. I asked him to make me as faithful a missionary as this humble, illiterate former witch doctor.” [Ruby Scott, Jungle Harvest, privately published by Ruby Scott and the Conservative Baptist Home Mission Society, 1988), pp. 45-48.]
Conclusion
We may not be like Peter who preached one day and three thousand were added to the church. We can however, all be like Andrew who after he had been brought to the Savior, found his brother, Peter, and brought him to the Lord Jesus. Peter fished with a net, so to speak, and caught large numbers. Andrew fished with a pole and line, catching one fish at a time. We may not be called upon to preach to great multitudes or even to groups, yet we can witness effectively to individuals one by one—the pole and line method. What a privilege that can be! We, like Andrew, might lead someone to the Lord, and that one, in turn, might lead thousands. [ Lorne Sanny, The Art of Personal Witnessing (Chicago: Moody Press, 1957), pp. 8-9.]
To be effective at personal evangelism, you must have:
1. Go to where the fish are
Not too many fish are going to jump into your boat. You may have heard about a lady who went to see a psychiatrist. She said, “Doctor, my husband fishes everyday in our bathtub!” The psychiatrist said, “Well, just tell him to stop.” She replied, “I’d like to – but we really need the fish!” You can’t catch fish in a bathtub or a swimming pool. You have to go to where the fish are. You will never catch fish until you are willing to leave your comfort zone and go to where the fish are.
2. Understand how a fish acts
In order to be effective in personal evangelism, you have to know something about how people without Christ live. One of our biggest challenges for “fishing for men” is that the longer we are Christians, the less time we spend with non-believers. So what does that mean?? You must be willing to build a bridge of friendship with a person without Christ, but then you must walk across that bridge and tell them about the good news of Jesus. Give them a chance to trust Christ In our day, we need to build relationships of trust with them before we lead them for Jesus.
3. Be willing to use different of strategies.
A good fisherman isn’t afraid to try new appro-aches, they don’t quit after one cast or even a dozen casts; they just tries a different bait –a different strat-egy. That’s a great lesson for us. No two people are alike so there is no single approach to person evang-elism that will work. Different people need different approaches.
4. Learn to wait – exercise patience.
George Mueller was a great man of faith who lived in England in the last Century. He had a friend with whom he shared Christ many times. His friend resisted and refused to turn from his sins to Christ. Mueller prayed for him and witnessed to him for 52 years! He never gave up. And on the day of George Mueller’s funeral, his friend finally accepted Christ. That’s patience!
List five people you know who need to know Jesus:
1.______________________________________
2.______________________________________
3.______________________________________
4.______________________________________
5.______________________________________
Commit yourself to pray.
Be willing to be used by the Lord.
“Being Fishers of Men”
Mark 1:17
First, The _________________- “follow me”
Second, The ________________ – “I will make you to become fishers of men”
Jesus looked beyond what they were to what they would ______________
Third, The Process – “to become fishers of men”
• We May Influence Others To Christ by Our _____________ (1 Pet. 3:15)
Fish were attracted to light. (John 8:12, 2 Cor. 4:6-7)
• We May Influence Others To Christ By Our _____________ (Matt. 5:16)
• We May Influence Others To Christ By Our _____________
Conclusion
To be effective at personal evangelism, you must have:
1. ___________ to where the Fish are
2. Understand how a fish ___________
3. Be willing to use different of ______________________
4. Learn to _____________ – exercise patience.
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List five people you know who need to know Jesus:
1.______________________________________
2.______________________________________
3.______________________________________
4.______________________________________
5.______________________________________
