Fishing

This one might be a little long, sorry...

But it hit me today. I was reading Luke 5 and this verse stuck out at me. In verse 10, "Jesus said to Simon (that's Peter), 'Don't be afraid. From now on you will fish for people.' "

This is something I've been thinking about lately, how to get the student ministry and the church as a whole to grow, what can we do, what's holding us back, etc. and this verse just jumped at me.

It's like fishing.

I don't know if you've been fishing before, but growing up on Lake Huron, we did it all the time. We even host one of the largest freshwater salmon derbies in the world (I'm not kidding, we have people from all over come and they win prizes like brand new boats and trips to fish in Russia. What's funny is when I was in high school, one middle schooler won it two years in a row!) Fishing is not the most mind encompassing sports, it's not really that hard to do, but there are a few keys.

First, you have to go where the fish are. You won't catch anything in a pond devoid of fish. When I was younger my sister and I went fishing on a vacation up north. We sat at one spot and caught one fish all day. The next day, we tried another spot about twenty feet away (yes, only 20 feet). We caught 10 fish in 15 minutes. If we aren't willing to go to where the people are that need to hear about Jesus, who are we talking to? How will they hear?

Second, you need a lure. You need something that the fish will go, "Hey, I want to eat that." So do we need a lure to the church? You bet! Why do Christians think if we set up a brick building on the side of the road with a cross on the roof people will just start flocking to our doors? They won't. They need the lure of Jesus. If you show people Jesus' love, they'll want more. If you actually invite them to come and let them know they are wanted, they'll want more. The church as a whole has so much to offer this world, but many people don't know it. They have to see why being a part of the Body of Christ will be good for them. They need to see the lure.

Third, you need patience. It is very, very rare that you catch 10 fish in 15 minutes. It's more like one an hour, one a day, sometimes worse (all depends on what you're fishing for). It's so deceiving to watch those fishing shows, catching a fish every two minutes. A friend I worked with in Louisiana used to video one guys fishing show. Jerry would go to Mexico with the guy for a week and tape hours and hours of footage. Only after Jerry did his magic did you get some guy catching a fish every two minutes. It's the same with people. Growth and change can sometimes take time. God may be working on their heart, but they may not be ready to go to church with you or get down on their knees and pray with you after a ten minute conversation. Persistence. That's what is needed. When you fish, just because you don't get a bite the first time you throw out your line doesn't mean you go home. You may have to throw it out a hundred times before a fish bites. Patience. Keep at it. God may be doing things in that person's heart that you know nothing about, but if you're gone when they get to the point of asking questions, who else are they going to turn to?

So that's my thinking for today. Fishing for people. Jesus told the disciples to do it, and they were trained fishermen. They knew what it involved. Maybe a few more of us need to take a day off and go fishing so we can remember what it's like...

T