“He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men’” ( Matthew 4:19 19 And he saith unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you fishers of men. ).

Our Lord did not merely command His new disciples to become “fishers of men,” He promised to help them catch people’s souls. He would remind them many times that they would never be effective disciplers—or successful disciples at all—if they didn’t rely on His power: “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” ( John 15:5 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing. ).

Certain qualities that make a person a good fisherman also can make Christians good evangelists. Consider the following four fisherman traits and how they can apply to evangelism.

First, a fisherman knows he often must be patient to locate a school of catchable fish. Second, a good fisherman must have perseverance in going from place to place, sometimes repeatedly, until he finds the fish. Third, effective fishermen have good instincts about being in the right place at the right time for dropping their line or net. Poor timing has lost many catches, both of fish and people. Finally, a good fisherman stays out of sight as much as possible. Similarly, the effective evangelist does not get in the way of his or her witnessing, so as not to be a hindrance to sinners coming to Christ.

Following Christ’s example and realizing the qualities of good evangelists, our churches must not only call us to evangelism but continually encourage us in that calling (cf. Matt. 28:18–19).

Ask Yourself

How much “fishing” have you been doing lately? This is not a job for the trained and educated but for all who have been called by God into His service. You won’t always come away with a catch, but you can know you were faithful to drop your line into the water.

From Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, Vol. 1, John MacArthur. Copyright © 2008. Used by permission of Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 60610, www.moodypublishers.com.

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