Day 4

We fishermen, those who are disciples of Jesus Christ, need to be alert, ready and equipped to be His agents in bringing the fish home. 

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”   —MATTHEW 4:19

Note that Jesus did not say, ‘I will make you hunters of men’ but ‘I will make you fishers of men’. Fishing is much gentler and more subtle than hunting. It requires patience and persistence. It needs the right bait for the right fish, and the fishing must take place at the right time.

The church is called to be a fishing boat not a pleasure boat. A fishing boat and a pleasure boat are altogether different in design and different in purpose. A pleasure boat is built around comfort and convenience, whereas a fishing boat is built for action.  

When Jesus called four fishermen to become His disciples; Peter, Andrew, James and John, they were not polishing their boat – they were mending their nets. They were preparing for action. The church of Jesus Christ was not intended to be our social center, but our workplace, where together we mend the nets, prepare the bait and equip the fishermen to work with the Lord Jesus Christ in bringing men, women, boys and girls into a reconciled relationship with God.

There is a time when God draws us to Himself; a time when the Spirit of God works in our hearts, making us restless and aware of a deep need. We realize something is inadequate, something is missing, and we are not complete in ourselves. That is God at work, speaking to us and drawing us, and it is at those times He sends sensitive fishermen to explain to us the way of reconciliation with Him.

There is no limit on the scope of the gospel, and we have no idea in whose lives God may be at work. But there is a limit on the time of the gospel. Scripture tells us there is a time when, ‘now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation’ (2 Corinthians 6:2).  We fishermen, those who are disciples of Jesus Christ, need to be alert, ready and equipped to be His agents in bringing the fish home. 

We can resist and delay our response, but the result is our hearts become harder and eventually hardened, so that we are no longer moved by the gospel. And we say to ourselves, “There is always tomorrow.”  But that is a reckless expectation!