Fishing or Pleasure Boating

My friend, Willis, was a fisherman. He loved the water; he loved the sea. He was delighted when he launched the boat and settled behind the wheel, got his compass reading, and headed out of the harbor.

There was only one problem, really, when going fishing with Willis. He loved going, he loved boating, and he loved being on the sea more than he loved catching fish! So, on good days, we’d be out on the water from 7am to 2pm (yes, seven hours) and maybe, just maybe, have our lines in the water for two hours. Somehow, I never succeeded in persuading him that we might catch more if we just fished more.

Could there be something for us to learn here about being “fishers of men?” I am concerned, brothers, that too many pastors just don’t actually fish more. Believe me; I know fishing is hard work. Pulling yourself out from behind a computer (it’s so much fun to do all you can do at a computer!), or to once again not spend a night at home, or for you to train, equip and encourage your lay people to make evangelism calls, is hard. It’s work. But fishing is work. And though there are stories out there of fish jumping into boats on their own, I’ve never experienced it!

How are you scheduling your time so that you are not pleasure boating, but actually fishing? Are there things others can do, or meetings that can do well without you, that can open up time for you to “get your line in the water?”

I know gated communities cause problems for visitation and canvassing. But even in California only a small portion of people live in gated communities and those members who live in those communities might be pulled together to brainstorm ways to fish inside.

Fishing, actually getting the line in the water, is not a take it or leave it proposition in the Lord’s Kingdom. It is what we are to do. Just like farmers are to farm and pilots are to fly, Christians are to fish. “Come, follow me; I will make you fishers of men.”

Try out an exercise. Look over your calendar for the past two months. Figure out just how many hours you actually had your line in the water (you can count preaching evangelism sermons and teaching people how to fish).

Willis’ ratios weren’t very good for being a fisherman, but if we as fishers of men even come close to his ratio, I suspect a lot more fish will be caught!

Rev. Dr. Norbert C. Oesch

Posted on Jan 12, 09:15 AM by Jane

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