Fishermen of Men

By

Shelby G. Floyd

August 18, 2009

Jesus called disciples from among the different walks of life—tax collectors, politicians, farmers and fishermen:

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him (Matthew 4:18-20).

Sometimes these fishermen were successful and sometimes they were not. For example Peter and company had fished all night on one occasion and caught nothing. But when Jesus bid them to recast their net they caught so many fish the boat was about to sink (Luke 5:1-7). It was at this point that Jesus said, “"Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men" (Luke 5:11).

The art of fishing for men is to present the simple gospel of Christ. On any other basis the person will not be a faithful member of the church for long. The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. He died so we could be forgiven by his precious blood (Matthew 26:28). Baptism is for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38). This how we catch men and the Lord adds them to his church (Acts 2:47; Acts 20: 28; 1 Corinthians 12:13). Let us go forth and be fishermen of men. Copyright © 2009 Shelby Floyd, All Rights Reserved