Qualities of a “fisher of men”

He was obviously on his break. With his coffee in his hand, he sat down and began to ask me questions. The conversation built up and within minutes he was telling me how the Lord saved him. I was a stranger to him and yet he was bold enough to witness to me no matter who I was or what I could’ve said.

In Mark 1:17, Jesus could’ve said anything to Simon and Andrew, but he chose to say, “fishers of men.” Maybe because he saw that they were fishermen, this was the Lord’s way of encouraging them to use the skills they had and the role they were in for the glory of God. The man that approached me was clearly an expert in fishing for men. He used the role he was in to tell me the gospel and, to be honest,it exposed me for how terrible I am at personal evangelism. 

Could we use the role we are in for the going forth of the gospel?

I’ve been thinking of qualities of fishermen that could help us become greater “fishers of men”:

Patience 

When rod fishing, fishermen often spend more time waiting than catching fish. It can be so discouraging when the unsaved souls that we know and love seem to be unresponsive to the gospel. We try our best to bring up conversations and stir up their hearts to think of God, but they seem oblivious or unconcerned. But let’s remind ourselves what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3: “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase” (v6-7).

Maybe the best thing to do in these situations is to be like the fishermen, waiting patiently, waiting for God to give the increase, waiting on God in prayer.

Observation

Seasoned fishermen are experts at catching specific fish. They’ve spent years observing their tendencies, movements and patterns and know exactly how to catch them. Maybe God wants us to fish for that one specific friend, classmate or colleague. You’re the one that knows them best and knows how to get the gospel to them. Maybe you’re their only source of spiritual advice someone has, and it is your job to give them the gospel. 

God is the captain of our fishing boats and sets us in places to fish.Will we be able to use those opportunities?

Courage

Large scale fishermen spend weeks in the sea fighting through storms and battling dangerous waves. In times like these, courage becomes the most important asset for a fisherman. Courage is probably the most important quality for a “fisher of men” as well.

I love what Paul says about the gospel in the opening chapter of Galatians. “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” Paul was not a people pleaser, he was a God pleaser. He was willing to be ridiculed by others just so he could follow God’s will and not man's.

I was impressed recently by a video of a group of Christians singing “Here is love” in the middle of a street in Oxfordshire, while the awful pride parades were marching through. No surprise, they were shouted at and hated. But in the middle of this  worldly, sinful celebration of love, God had in place a small group of courageous Christians to sing about God's love. “Grace and love, like mighty rivers.”

Do we care what people think so much that it hinders us from reaching others with the gospel? Do we let the storms and waves affect us so much that we can’t be fishers of men?