“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19
This command by Jesus to His disciples is well known to most of us. These men who were highly skilled in the fishing business of their day, were now told a new occupation must be their focus. Jesus uses their fishing experience to make a word play on their job title. He introduces and trains these men to a spiritual work of proclaiming, reaching, convincing and catching men and women with the ‘net’ of the gospel - “I will make you fishers of men.”
This is also our obligation - our ‘under sealed orders’ job description. We are commissioned to “make disciples” (Mtt. 28:19) - to confront, catch, proclaim and to teach men and women the gospel - the good news ‘net’ of the gospel. This is how the Lord saves people - using His Word and Spirit and us as His fishermen, He catches sinners, from the sea of sin and eternally lost. He then delivers those who receive the good news in faith, into the freedom of his grace, love and everlasting mercy.
Lets get fishing people - lets get enthused about this eternally rewarding occupation.
Lets be those who ‘fish’ for the lives of people to be won for Christ.
Lets be more like David Brainerd the missionary to the American Indians whose life was such that he could say - I cared not where or how I lived, or what hardships I went through, so that I could but gain souls to Christ.