Fishing for Men... | SermonIndex

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IWantAnguish Jul 20, 2006

Hmm.. interesting thing that was just revealed to me...

My roommate brought 3 friends over, most of which proclaim to be Christians, but live like the world.

I went into the room with the intention of telling them the reality of the gospel, but I found that I was not presented with any opportunity to do so. And if I had just started talking about spiritual things, they would have just got up and walked off.

After I came back to my room and thought about what had just went wrong... the passage of Jesus telling Peter that He would make him a fisher of men came to my mind.

You cannot just throw a rock at a fish and expect to catch it. It takes time, you must bait it correctly, and have patience. You usually fish for 1 fish at a time, unless you're a pastor who has the opportunity to cast a net over a multitude of fish.

Well.. that's my 2 cents... may you be more successful fishers than myself.

Grace and Peace

C

Christinyou Jul 20, 2006

God is the great Fisherman. He knows the exact lure to use, exactly when the fishing is best and where to exactly put the bait. We are the bait filled with His Holy Spirit and allowing God to choose the time and place is a picture of a son of God doing exactly what His Father wants him to do. Here's to being a patient bait. Good job my brother.

In Christ: Phillip

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saved_matt Jul 20, 2006

this reminds me of the puritan classic 'the Art of Man Fishing' by Thomas Boston, supposed to be the best puritan work on evangelism and still full of truth for our generation, anyway it's online here :

~~[url=http://hillcrestalliance.org/sermon/tbman.html]~~THE ART OF MANFISHING[/url]

I personally haven't read it but it's on my rather lengthy 'to read' list

matt and mim

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IWantAnguish Jul 20, 2006

awesome !

thanks much >:]

sermonindex Jul 22, 2006

Interesting thoughts here. I'm sorry I haven't had time to look up the Manfishing link, but wanted to ask if anyone has ever noticed this, and what it must have meant to Peter when Jesus said it?

Matthew 12 (KJV)

39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the ~~[u]~~prophet[/u] ~~[b]~~Jonas[/b]:

40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas [is] here.

Now, look at this 8-)

Matthew 16
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art ~~[b]~~thou, Simon ~~[u]~~Bar[/u]jona[/b]: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

18 And I say also unto thee....

C

Christinyou Jul 27, 2006

As to the Apostles who were fishing all night and caught nothing, Jesus is the One that told them exactly where to put their nets. In reluctant obedience it was done and the catch was enormous. Our being fishers of men is exactly the same way. "I will make you fishers of men", and I will show you where to put your net. Hear My Voice and be My obedient fisherman, and you will catch fish. No one can come to Jesus unless the Father draw them. How are they drawn, By the conviction of the Holy Spirit and to see their need of a Savior and eat. A school of fish is drawn to bait by hunger. Let us give them the food of life, Jesus Christ in them the Hope of Glory.

In Christ: Phillip