Fishers of Men

“Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him,” Mark 1:16-18, KJV.

Evangelism is commonly described as zealous preaching and advocacy of the gospel. It is through this that many of us are saved from hell. The way I would describe it by scripture would be to use this passage from Matthew 16:15, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” It is a command for us to tell somebody else about Jesus.

If we were to consider for a moment how many people cross our paths in any given day, how many of those people would have heard or witnessed anything about the gospel of Jesus Christ? If we are the “foot soldiers” and “mouth pieces” for the Lord, how many missed opportunities do we let go by? I know that I can honestly say that I’ve let many pass me by. It may have either been as a result in assuming rejection, crippled by fear, or lack of preparation in what to say. Does this ring any truth in your own lives?

I would like to encourage others as I have been encouraged by many. When the Lord says in His word that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled, He meant it. It’s a thirst where you just can’t get enough. It is a hunger where you want to be a true representative for Christ bringing Him glory. It does not consist of a personal agenda, but a satisfaction of knowing that you’re obedient to His will. For God says if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. This is a conscious effort of aiming to please God and not self. It is understandable that we’re all going to go through things, but remember what Jesus said, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you,” Matthew 5:11-12, KJV. Also He tells us, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven,” Luke 10:19-20, KJV.

How do we get our names written in heaven? Simply to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior; believing in our hearts and confessing with our mouths we shall be saved. What an awesome assurance that gives peace as we endure in this world. This is that same peace He expects us to share with others. Knowing that the greatest commandment of them all is love, we ought to love enough to share the plan of salvation.

Additional References: Acts 1:8, 2 Timothy 1:6-7, Ephesians 6:19-20, 1 Thessalonians 2:8, Colossians 4:3-4, John 9:25