How to be Fishers of Men
Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
—Matthew 4:19
Jesus took fishermen and made them fishers of men. They caught fish for a living, and now they would catch men for God. What does that mean? They used to catch fish and turn them over to their consumer. Now they’re to catch men and turn them over to their Creator. In natural fishing, the fish are pulled out of life and brought into death (aka, someone’s meal). It’s the opposite in spiritual fishing: men are rescued from death and brought into life. This article will equip you for that ministry.
I’m writing this a few days before Halloween.
A few years ago, my family and I were walking through our neighborhood during October and were appalled at the evil decorations we saw. It inspired us to shine the light and share Jesus in our driveway on Halloween.
We saw people pray to accept Jesus, people receive healing, prophetic words, and prayer!
Now, every October 31st, we do the same thing.
While some Christians turn off their porch lights to avoid an “evil day,” we take advantage of the one night a year when people literally come to our house expecting something…and we give them Jesus.
We do this because Jesus loves people, and we want to use this opportunity to share Him with the world.
Here’s the message:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
—John 3:16
And Paul wrote in Romans 1:16—
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”
The gospel is THE power of God that brings people into salvation.
Salvation is God rescuing us from our sins…and bringing us into relationship with Him.
This is the message the world needs to hear!
And this is why we need to become fishers of men.
FISHING IN PETER’S DAY
“And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him.”
—Matthew 4:18-20
Being a fisherman in Peter’s day encompassed at least 3 things: Location, timing, and skill.
I’m going to break those down below because it will give us insight into how to “fish” in our day.
But it’s important to know that Peter mostly fished with nets—not poles. It was a rigorous job; physically demanding and required patience and hard work.
You have to deal with the possibility of not catching anything or catching very little. But you also have the potential of knowing the joy of catching much.
Sounds a lot like the ministry of evangelism and saving souls! That’s what being a fisher of men is all about.
So how do you become a “fisher of men”?
Here are some steps you can take today:
1. Location
A good fisherman knows…you gotta go where the fish are!
If you want to catch fish, you have to go where the fish are.
On Halloween, they’re coming to you!
In mission trips, you’re going to them.
In your everyday life—you are around people who need the life-changing message of the gospel…
But you gotta go to them.
In Matthew 9:10-13, Jesus went to eat at Matthew the tax collector’s house. More tax collectors and sinners came to eat with them. Tax collectors in Jesus’ day were considered traitors because they worked for Rome and overcharged for their work.
When religious leaders asked why He was sitting with sinners, Jesus answered:
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick…For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
(Matt. 9:12-13 NIV, NKJV)
Jesus’ method for calling sinners to repentance was sitting down and having a meal with them!
In other words, He went where the “fish” were.
How else are you going to catch fish unless you go where the fish are?
When’s the last time you spent time or had a meal with people who don’t know Christ yet?
Have you met your neighbors? Do you talk with your co-workers?
If you want to catch fish, you gotta go where they are.
2. Timing
In scripture, you see Peter fishing at night and during the day.
Practically, they would go night fishing so the fish wouldn’t see the net as well. But prophetically, night fishing represents the fact that you’re gonna have to go to dark places to shine the light.
We can’t be light in darkness if we only hang out in the light!
You’ll need to meet people in their brokenness and sin and share the love of Christ with them.
Don’t be afraid of the darkness. You are the light of the world! (Matt. 5:14)
Not only did Peter fish at night (Luke 5, John 21), but Peter fished during the day (Matt. 4:18).
Fishing during the day represents not being ashamed of the gospel.
It speaks of boldness and courage to minister out in the open.
Jesus said it like this, “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.” (Matt. 5:15)
You don’t light a lamp and then hide it! It defeats the purpose of the lamp.
You were meant to shine the light of Jesus to the world around you.
3. Skill
With fishing, there is timing and skill in when to cast the net. Not only that, the location and timing determined what kind of net they used.
Nevertheless: There was a skill to casting a net!
As fishers of men, what is the net?
The gospel of Jesus Christ!
It is the very message of Jesus that captures the hearts of men.
The message carries power, but there is a skill in delivering it. In the same way a fishermen has to learn the skill of casting the net, a fisher of men needs to learn the skill of delivering the message of the gospel.
There is a way to deliver the message that makes “fishing” more effective.
Here are a few ways of communicating the gospel:
a. Preaching
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
—Romans 10:14-15
Put very simply, we need to preach the gospel message.
I appreciate the words of St. Augustine who said, “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words.” We need our actions to live out the gospel…but we still need to preach.
There is supernatural power in the message of the cross. Speak it. Share it.
b. The gifts of the Holy Spirit
My wife and I led a girl to the Lord who was our server at Denny’s—and it all started because a group of us prophesied to her and she received physical healing in her foot.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit—healing, prophecy, miracles, etc—provide people with supernatural evidence that Jesus is alive.
Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
We can show people that God is real when we move in the power of the Holy Spirit.
(If you want to walk in power that points to Jesus, I wrote an entire book on that entitled, “Clothed With Power” and you can check it out here)
c. Prayer
Very simply, you can offer to pray for people.
I mean specifically in person, asking if you can pray for them.
I rarely encounter someone who refuses prayer. And I usually pray them right on the spot (that’s where the boldness comes in).
You can say something like, “Is there anything I can pray for you?” “What can we be praying for you?”
It’s an open door for people to draw closer to God…and it shows the love of God when you care for others by praying for them.
d. Acts of kindness
Buying a meal for someone, helping them in a practical way, sharing an encouraging word.
These acts of kindness are how we can shine the light of Christ to others.
Jesus said it like this:
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16)
I wouldn’t consider myself a fivefold evangelist, but I have been working on this skill for 20+ years. I’ve practiced preaching, ministering in the gifts of the Spirit, praying for people, and being kind.
I’ve learned the skill of evangelism, or “fishing for men”, and I’m still learning.
But it all happens because—to use a gym term—I put in the reps. I’ve worked on this for years. If you want to grow in this “skill”, you have to start putting it into practice.
CONCLUSION
At the core of being a fisher of men is being led by the Spirit.
In Luke 5, Peter had fished all night and caught nothing. Jesus comes to him and says, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” (Luke 5:4)
This is what happens next:
“But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.” (Luke 5:5-6)
Yes, go to where the fish are. Yes, be bold and courageous. Yes, learn the skill of evangelism.
But most important of all, follow the voice of the Lord. Be led by the Spirit.
That’s what made Peter catch a massive amount of fish, and that’s what will cause you to lead many to Christ.
“Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” (Luke 5:10 NIV)
Question: Who can you share the gospel with this week?
*If you want practical instruction on how to preach the gospel, check out this article: How to Preach the Gospel