What comes to mind when you see this sign? Pleasure, relaxation or laziness? Whatever your perception is, this sign is important for the body of Christ. Let's look at the following verse below---
"He saith unto them,Follow me and I will make you fishers of men."
(Mat 4:19)
As you study the above verse, we see how Jesus captured the attention of his disciples comparing something (Fishing) in the natural into the spiritual (souls of men) As I study this one but very important verse, there is a wealth of knowledge in the area of soul-winning. As I researched some translations, we see some interesting patterns. The Amplified and Amplified Classic Edition (paraphrased) says to let (Jesus) be your guide and teacher in the fishing of men. The common English Version says---I will show you how to fish for people.
Soul-winning is the most important thing in the church. It is known as the great commission but few churches do not have a strong evangelistic program much less a vision for their community. Jesus is making a promise to us in Matt 4:19--If we follow him, he will make us a fisher of men. God has a vision for the world. He wants to see souls saved!
Contrary to tradition, Jesus did not, just, have 12 disciples. There were seventy who were with him. (Luke 10:1). He, also, ministered to thousands of people. That to me is a successful ministry but how do we get to that level of ministering to thousands of people? Taking time to sit at the feet of the master and learn how to fish for the souls of men! The first rule of thumb is to know what we have in Christ Jesus.
We have an inheritance.
"Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance.... (Ps 2:8)
Did you know that you can ask the Lord for souls? That is your inheritance! As you study Psalms 2, you will find that the Father made this promise to Jesus, when he arose from the dead. We are joint-heirs with Christ, so this promise relates to us as well. We can ask the Father for souls---Our enemies, our families, co-workers, etc. Have you been asking God for souls? It's time to win souls for the kingdom!
Next, ask God for wisdom. Why? The word says that he who wins souls is wise (Prov 11:30) In order to win souls, we must have the right bait. When you go out to fish, you need a bait that will attract the fishes so is the same with soul winning. My wife and I spent some time in the children's ministry and we went out into the streets doing shows for the kids. Some would dress up as clowns and distribute candy. Soon, we had an audience around us and we would invite them to church.
The youth Pastor had a program called Superchurch and he would spend 5 hours praying in tongues to come up with a show that would arrest their attention. Many children got saved and soon their parents would come to our church. That church had made such an impact on people in the neighborhood that it grew to about 500 in a short time. You want to win souls? Pray for the right bait.
It's time to clean the fishes.
After we set the bait and souls starts to come to Christ, it's time for cleaning. Just as you clean the fish before you eat them, so is the same for souls. They need to be cleansed.
Too many Christians are quick to condemn a fellow believer instead of allowing them to sit down and learn the word so that they, too, can experience victory in their lives. (John 15:3) As they learn who they are in Christ and what belongs to them, we can see an increase of disciples and make a difference in our generation.
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