OCTOBER: Becoming Fishers of Men

Every summer in high school, I would go camping and fishing with a couple of my buddies from church. One year we had the opportunity to go out on Lake Texoma with a guide and fish for striper. We spent all morning catching crappie to use as bait. That afternoon, we got in the boat and hit the lake.  In a short amount of time, we caught 5 large striper, which made for a nice fish fry back at home. This was by far the greatest fishing outing we ever had together. To this day, I still have a picture on display in my office of my buddies and I proudly holding our fish.  As exciting as it was to finally catch some fish worth bragging about, we have been called to an even greater fishing experience in the Christian life.  

In the Great Commission in Matthew 28, Jesus commands his followers to make disciples as they go into all the world. In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, Jesus tells us we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Jesus wants us to let our “light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Paul encourages us in Philippians 2 to live as children of God in a twisted world so we may “shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life.”

In Mark 1:16-20, Simon Peter and his brother, Andrew, are going about their daily job of casting their nets as fisherman. Jesus approaches them and asks them to drop everything to follow him. Instead of catching fish, Jesus casts a greater vision of turning Peter and his brother into fishers of men. The brothers immediately drop everything to begin this exciting journey of discipleship and ministry training with Jesus.

God created us in his image so we might life a life that brings glory to Him. God desires that we know him and that we grow in a relationship with Him as we submit our lives to Jesus. As followers of Christ, it is easy to primarily focus on growing in our knowledge of God and developing a deeper relationship with Jesus. God wants us to know him personally and intimately, but his plan for each of his followers is that we would also make him known.  David Platt, President of the International Mission Board, says that there is no plan B when it comes to spreading the Gospel.  God is counting on us as children of God to be his representatives here on earth.

Jesus is still calling disciples that will pursue him and live for him in their words and their actions. Jesus also wants to make us fishers of men. God wants to use us to declare the good news of salvation in Christ in all the world.  This is the theme for our Disciple Now Weekend this year. Ignite weekend 2016 will equip students to share the Gospel and make Christ known by becoming fishers of men.  Living as disciple makers and as fishers of men is an exciting journey and one of the primary purposes God has for us in life.