A pastor friend of mine and I had an opportunity to go
fishing one day last week. We headed out to Rural Retreat Lake for some bass
fishing. I happen to do more fishing than I do catching most of the time but I still
enjoy being out there. I remember a story of two old boys who went fishing in a
boat and caught a bunch. One of them told the other to mark the spot so they
could come back next time and catch some more. After docking the boat the one
asked, “Did you mark our spot?” The other said he did. When the one asked, “How
did you mark it?” The guy said, “I put an “X” on the side of the boat.” The
other was angry and said, “That was stupid! Now what if we don’t get to rent
the same boat next time?” That was not my friend and I in case you are
wondering.
We were in a boat and had a descent day but we never caught
any that we would take a picture of. Coming back into the dock after several
hours on the lake we encountered two boys fishing on the dock. They were about
twelve I guess, I was ashamed to ask them their age. As we docked my friend
went to get the truck and I struck up a conversation with them. They were very
nice kids and as we were talking a fish jumped up under a bush along the shore
near the dock. The smaller boy went after it; and caught it. He came around the
bushes holding his fishing pole up in the air with a good size bass hanging on
the end of his line! Much bigger than anything we had caught. I told him to
make sure my friend in the truck got to see it, and he did. One of them then
showed us a picture of a seven pound bass he had caught there earlier in the
year with his dad. After telling us how to catch them and what to use my friend
asked if they would be there next week and if so, if they would be willing to
give us some fishing lessons if we paid them. They laughed of course, but I think
he was serious. After all we had a boat, all kind of tackle and lures and still
never did as good as they did.
When Jesus told a couple of fisherman to follow Him and that
He would make them fishers of men I think they followed out of curiosity as
much as obedience. They were professional fisherman so what could a carpenter’s
son possibly teach them about fishing for anything? I think we sometimes think
the same way today in that “catching men for Christ” can only be done by
professionals. TV ministers and travelling evangelists, local pastors and
counselors perhaps are considered to be soul winners it seems. We have
forgotten the power of testimony! Telling others what Jesus has done for us. He
has done different things for all of us and when we share our story with
someone else, they may be going through the same thing that Christ brought us
out of.
Fish don’t know if a professional fisherman hooks them or if
it is a kid on his first time out. The fish just takes the bait. Quit over
complicating witnessing. You don’t need to be a Bible scholar to win souls to
Christ! Just fish.