One Hundred Fifty Three

By Pastor Chad

I’ve never been an avid fisherman–or a good one. I enjoy fishing, but it isn’t something I spend a lot of time doing. Today’s kind of fishing is different from the fishing that took place in Jesus’ time. Today, we use bait to lure fish into biting our hook. In Jesus’ day, men would cast nets. I think this distinction is important when understanding the analogy of being “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). 

Let me explain it like this: we are called to be active in evangelism, but that doesn’t mean we entice people to Christ with fake or artificial means. Evangelism should be done as an outflow of worship that is empowered and directed by Christ. Furthermore, evangelism cannot water down the call of Christ to try and entice someone to give his or her life to Jesus. Granted, we shouldn’t berate someone with the gospel truth, but we cannot twist it to make it sound more pleasing to uninterested or skeptical ears. Here’s the bottom line: we cannot convert someone at the tip of a sword and we cannot deceive someone to follow Christ. True repentance and belief must be done with a volitional and intentional heart. One does not accidentally follow Christ. One cannot be forced to follow Jesus. It is a personal decision every believer must make. I know, that sounds like a platitude, but it is very much true. So, we cannot win someone to Christ by fake or artificial means. 

But fish caught in a net did not volitionally or willingly get caught. So how does this analogy apply? I think the best way to understand this analogy is to see the net as the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We declare it for all to hear; that is, we cast the net. Those who are called by the Holy Spirit then are drawn to Christ. I know, there is a lot with that claim that goes unanswered. Where is the willful decision? What about one’s freedom to reject the gospel? Didn’t you just say, we can’t force someone to be saved, Chad? I did, but I think the net analogy is meant to show us the power of the Holy Spirit to woo people to Himself. It is intended to highlight the spiritual working of God on the individual. Thus, we need not try to entice people with artificial or man-made means, we are meant to be vessels of God that cast the net–and let God do the work. 

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God to transform lives. It is a message with a punch. We may need to give arguments and reasons why we believe, but we understand that it is ultimately God that changes the human heart. Thus, our evangelism should be God directed and God empowered. Truly, there is no other way to evangelize.