Some of my fondest memories involve fishing. The peace of the water if you’re on a lake, or if you prefer, the constant churning of a stream strip all the stress from my body. I can focus on one thing – catching the fish – or let my senses take in the beauty of creation. I haven’t even gotten to the friendships and bonding that goes into fishing. Hours fly by as water is worked by line and lure and conversations are shared effortlessly. That’s just boring ole’ fishing for fish!
Now let’s talk about fishing for Jesus. This post isn’t big enough to cover the topic well, so to start today we’ll just hit on one method, lure, and hook set.
I’ve see ladder fishing on Pyramid Lake just outside of Reno, Nevada in person. It’s not a new method but it does seem odd to the eye the first time. People around the world try to get a little higher, go a little deeper, so that they can get to the fish. The same is true for fishing for Jesus. I have seen the approach where a person is going door to door for a canvass. There is a short list of questions involving service in the community and church attendance. At the end of the canvass a brief witness is given with a chance to respond. There is nothing wrong with witnessing your faith – ever. Why not try to get a little higher, go a little deeper so you can get to the fish, or in this case, the soul? Take time to love a person. Get to know them, even briefly. Learn about their family, their life. Then there is a better chance that the person who hears your witness will at least listen.
The lure, I’m going to call it, is what you say in a witness. God tell us that it is his gospel that holds the power. The first lure that I would use for talking to a complete stranger after a minute or two is, “How are you and God doing?” It assumes alot. 1) that the person acknowledges there is a God. 2) there is at least some kind of a relationship there. No matter how the person answers, there is an opportunity for a gentle rebuke and encouragement. Jesus loves you so much that he died to take away your sins. You are forgiven. You matter.
Now for the vital part – setting the hook. For my explanation, there is nothing the fisher for Jesus has to do. The Holy Spirit is the one who uses the word spoken in witness and creates faith. That’s all on God. Going forward we’ll look at a couple hooks people mistakenly try to use.
Fishing can bring peace to your soul, but fishing for Jesus not only brings you peace, but it brings peace to people who don’t know their Savior.