Category: Discipleship Essentials

How to Escape from the Prison of Bitterness

Bitterness imprisons its victims and subjects them to demonic harassment, a version of self-inflicted torture.

Jesus was very clear on this matter.

Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. 35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.” Matthew 18:32–35 (NLT)

For a number of reasons, bitterness is one of the most serious sins that a believer in Christ can commit.

First of all, bitterness undercuts the mercy shown to us when we were forgiven. Forgiveness is the act of releasing an offender from a debt. In the parable quoted above, Jesus used a financial debt to illustrate the principle. Most of us however, do not owe God a debt of money. Ours is much more serious. The sin debt can never be paid by us. The parable of the unrighteous servant made this clear. The servant owed his master a vast sum. He asked for more time to pay it off, but the master knew that it was hopeless and forgave him the entire amount.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace Ephesians 1:7 (NASB)

It is apparent that the servant did not appreciate his situation. He did not realize that he needed mercy, not more time. As a result, he imagined that he could eventually pay what he thought he still owed. He did not accept his being released from debt or he would have acted differently. Instead he roughly treated someone who owed him a minor debt and threw him in prison when he could not pay. When the master heard, his anger flared, and you know the rest of the story.

To forgive is to release someone from the debt they owe us.

It does not release them from God’s justice. It does not require us to trust them or be reconciled to them. Forgiveness is a one-way street. Reconciliation requires both parties participate.

Some of us imagine that if we forgive someone it will be equivalent to saying that what they did was no big deal. Nothing could be farther from the truth! It is quite the opposite. We cannot adequately forgive someone until we face the evil they perpetrated against us. We should never minimize the sin when offering forgiveness. Instead, we should acknowledge what they did and release them from any hatred or resentment we may have harbored against them. In addition, we let go of any demands we have made on them as “pay back”.

When we forgive a person, they are released from owing us anything, but that does not release them from their sin debt against God.

There is only one way to be released from that – by trusting in Jesus’ shed blood. Jesus offered himself as the Lamb of God to pay the penalty for our sins. We find our personal forgiveness that way, and anyone who sins against God can find the same release from divine justice. We can release guilty people from the debt they may owe us, but only God can remove guilt and condemnation. 

Whoever does not take advantage of God’s magnanimous offer through he gospel will face the awful wrath of God as the judgment. Vengeance belongs to God, not us. When we release people from our own demand for justice, it puts them squarely in God’s hand, the one to whom vengeance belongs.

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD. 20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” 21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. Romans 12:19–21 (NLT)

When we refuse to forgive others, it is tantamount to saying we do not need forgiveness.

People who would perish in hell except for God’s undeserved mercy should not self-righteously refuse to extend mercy to others. Otherwise, we may be saying we have a higher standard of justice than God! This is the central message of the parable of the unrighteous servant.

Some say that when we forgive it is not as much for the other person as it is for ourselves. In fact, both are true. We release others from our judgment which frees them up to face God directly instead of being distracted by our offense against them. Additionally, we release ourselves from the prison of bitterness, a very painful and lonely place.

It is a scriptural principle that whatever we focus upon tends to control and mold us. The more we focus on what we should not be doing, the greater it dominates our thoughts. Contrariwise, when we focus on the Lord, we are changed into his image.

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:17–18 (NKJV)

When we focus on sin, it molds us into its image, according to Paul.

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 1 Corinthians 15:56 (NKJV)

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. 9 I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. 10 And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. 11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Romans 7:7–11 (NKJV)

Instead, when we focus on the Lord and worship him, we are transformed into his image by the Holy Spirit.

When we hold a bitterness against someone, we end up dwelling on the offense. As we meditate upon our resentment and the evil done to us, we are changed into its image. Ironically, bitterness transforms us the one we hate.

God will intervene on our behalf, realizing that we have not yet learned the meaning and value of mercy. In his mercy, he will lock us up in our self-made prison and assign torturers to oppress us until we come to our senses. God does this because he loves us. He knows that we can never adequately experience the joys of forgiveness until we learn to forgive.

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14–15 (NLT)

When we imprison ourselves in bitterness, we do not experience the felt presence of God. Joy dries up. We cannot hear the Spirit speak to us. In addition, God grants demonic oppressors permission to harass us until we repent.

When I counsel people, one of the first things I address is bitterness because I have found that no progress can be made until we let go of bitterness.

Everyone who imprisons themselves in a dungeon of bitterness is given a key to open the door and walk out into freedom. It is called repentance and forgiveness.

We change our mind about holding on to offenses and release people from owing us anything at all. When we do this, the prison door swings upon and we are free to go.

Bitterness can be obvious to us and very subtle as well. Sometimes people are bitter without realizing it. We can be bitter against God, ourselves, and others. Those who are offended with God are in deep peril. Jesus warned against this great danger.

Once when Jesus shared a teaching that was hard to understand, many of his followers turned back and ceased to follow him. Observing this, Jesus asked his disciples:

Does this offend you? 62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? John 6:61b–62 (NKJV)

Sometimes God offends our intellects to test our hearts. He does not explain everything he does. Instead, he asks us to trust him, even during difficult times.

Taking offense at God is the height of arrogance.

To do so it is to say we are more righteous than he! I have known many people who turned their backs on God because he did something or allowed something that they thought was unforgivable. If this is something you have done, I encourage you to repent at once. Admit that we have no right to accuse God of anything ever. Humbling ourselves before God opens the door to many blessings.

And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” Matthew 11:6 (NKJV)

Sometimes we might take offense with ourselves, thinking that we do not deserve mercy of forgiveness. If we are tempted to do this, it means we have never truly understood the depths of our personal depravity. We still imagine that people are not so bad after all. But the Bible teaches us that no one is righteous before God. No one deserves mercy, not even me. Those who understand their spiritually bankrupt state are able to freely receive mercy from God. Those of us who are self-righteous have a more difficult time. Get over it. We are not good people. We need mercy that we can never earn!

Bitterness against other people is usually what we have to overcome, however. It is usually pretty easy to spot a bitter person. They keep talking about the offense because it is always fresh in their minds. If we keep bringing up what someone did to us, we can conclude that we have not yet forgiven that person.

Jesus said that we must forgive from the heart, which is impossible without help from the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes we simply need to admit that we need help to forgive. I remember counseling a person who could not bring themselves to forgive someone. I asked them if they were willing for God to make them willing. They were; so, I led them in a prayer to that effect. Afterward they were able to forgive.

Forgiveness is an act of the will. We choose to forgive and trust the Holy Spirit to make it heartfelt… eventually.

When we pray to forgive, it is not enough to ask the Lord to help us to do so. We must say it. Lord, I forgive (fill in the blank) for (fill in the blank).

Sometimes we know immediately whom we need to forgive. Sometimes we need to ask the Holy Spirit to show us. We should not become introspective about it. Rather, we should trust the Spirit to show us anyone we need to forgive. He will do it because God takes a vital interest in delivering us from this terrible sin.

We should love mercy because the merciful will receive mercy, something we all desperately need.

God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7 (NLT)

For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13 (NKJV)

Only those who humbly acknowledge their own great need for mercy will experience the fullness of God’s love and forgiveness. The more we understand our need for mercy, the more we will love God and be able to forgive others.

“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Luke 7:47 (NLT)
Prayer

Lord, forgive me for arrogantly imagining that I am not in desperate need of your mercy. I receive your mercy and choose to forgive. (Be as specific as necessary.) Now, Holy Spirit, release me from all bitterness. I walk out of my self-imposed prison into the glorious freedom of forgiveness. Amen.

You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Colossians 3:13 (NLT)
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Part 11: Mending Nets, Rebuilding Walls

Mending Nets

Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a net used to catch fish. A large net has to be kept in good repair; so, mending the holes that inevitably appear is a primary responsibility of fishermen.

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19  And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20  Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21  And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22  Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Matthew 4:18-22 (ESV)

The English word “mending” is a translation of the Greek word katartidzos, which can mean to mend, restore, equip, or to prepare. These fishermen were mending and preparing their nets to bring in a huge catch. It was how they earned a living for their families.

Paul the apostle used this same word in his letter to the church at Ephesus.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12  to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13  until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, Ephesians 4:11-13 (ESV)

In this passage the Greek word is translated “equip.” It is the same idea as preparing, with the implication that people need to be restored, taught, and equipped in order to properly function as a giant net which the Holy Spirit can use bring a great multitude of people into God’s eternal family.

Jesus told those fishermen who became his first disciples that he would make them into “fishers of men,” if they would follow him. He would call, equip, mend,  prepare, and send them out to fish for people, gather them into God’s kingdom through the gospel, and teach them to replicate themselves in others, which is discipleship. The Lord will do that for anyone who makes Jesus and his kingdom his or her priority.

Jesus is fashioning his people into a mighty net to gather in his end time harvest.

Rebuilding Walls

Changing metaphors, in the Old Testament, Nehemiah returned to Israel to rebuild Jerusalem, which the Babylonians had demolished and whose walls were still in ruins. Rebuilding walls is not as disconnected from mending nets as one might think. In those days, city walls offered the residents a measure of security from hostile forces. Our neighborhoods can be viewed as a type of city. Our spiritual enemy, the devil, wants to run roughshod over people. Our disobedience to God and lack of community has effectually removed our protection from the devil’s activity. Many in our neighborhoods are experiencing oppression under Satan’s thumb because they have no advocate or Savior, no one to love them and show them the way to safety through faith in Christ.

Nehemiah organized the Jews to contribute to the rebuilding effort by asking them to commit to labor on a particular portion of the wall, quite often right next to their own house. (Nehemiah 3:28) This is a good strategy for us today. Just as Nehemiah took personal responsibility for restoring Jerusalem and asked the people to “own” rebuilding the part of the wall close to them, I believe Jesus asks each of his disciples to look upon his or her own neighborhood with a heart of compassion, realizing that if we do not rise to the occasion, many in our own community will spend eternity away from God’s presence.

Our Lord wants us to build the kingdom of God right next to our own home.

Application

Jesus told his followers to pray to the Lord of harvest to send forth laborers into the masses of harassed and helpless people all around them. (Matthew 9:35-38) In context, Jesus spoke about people needing shepherds, which can be understood as those who care about other people enough to watch out for them, provide for them, go after them, and protect them.

Any follower of Christ who cares about people can be used by God in his or her neighborhood to be a fisher of men and a restorer of the wall.

Our neighborhoods should be better places to live because of us. This will happen when we take responsibility and start being what Jesus called “salt” and “light.”

How will this happen? We can pray in secret for our neighbors, pray for them personally and publicly when they share some need with us, visit them, have them over, and do loving acts of service for them.

God wants us to learn to be a good neighbor as a lifestyle, not something we occasionally check off on our “to do” list.

We often earn the right and privilege to share Jesus with people by first loving them and building a genuine relationship with them. Our ultimate goal is to introduce people to a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus. That is the most loving thing imaginable!

The world is weary of people who only tell them about Jesus, but otherwise seem to take no personal interest in them. Jesus was quickly able to convey an enormous amount of love for those he met. It generally takes us a while to make a breakthrough into people’s lives.

The old saying is true that people usually don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care.

Let’s make it our goal to destroy the commonly held assumption that Christians are judgmental know-it-alls, who don’t really care about people. Instead, let’s be menders of nets, re-builders of community, lovers of people, and proper representatives of the kingdom of God.

Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes. Isaiah 58:12 (NLT)


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Part 10: How graciously do we engage people?

 

It should be no surprise to us that being able to graciously engage people in conversation increases our ability to influence them toward the gospel. Jesus said that his followers would be known by their love. Why is it that many times Christians are associated with being judgmental instead? Probably it is because we have foolishly forgotten how desperately we need mercy and forgiveness ourselves. When most of us first became followers of Christ, we clearly understood how far we were from living up to God’s holy and righteous standards. We jumped at the gospel’s amazingly gracious offer of complete forgiveness and reconciliation to God. But over time, we may lose sight of our own need for mercy and begin to think more highly of ourselves than we should (Romans 12:3). How does this happen?

One possibility is that when we place our faith and loyalty in Christ, he sends the Holy Spirit to live inside us and change us from the inside out. When we experience this grace, we start thinking, speaking, and acting in a more God-like manner, tempting us to look down on those who have not yet experienced such transformative grace. We start thinking of ourselves in a self-righteous way, instead of humbly appreciating God’s inner work and wishing the same for others. Instead of graciously sharing the good news of forgiveness, reconciliation, and life with those who need it, we may stand off to the side and self-righteously judge them. This goes against God’s heart, undermines our own grace standing with God (Romans 5:1-2), and misrepresents the gospel.

Judgmental people do not make good fishers of men because we lose our ability to make a heart connection. We push away the very people who need to be drawn to Christ.

People intuitively know whether we love them, merely tolerate them, or actively judge them. Most of us are drawn to love but repelled by self-righteous smugness.

Those who desire to be good fishers of men choose to extend the same love and mercy toward others which God has extended to us.

When Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman at the well in John Chapter 4, he was able to discuss their doctrinal differences, which were major, but he first established that he cared about her and was interested in talking to her. Jesus accomplished this by breaking through a wall most self-righteous Jews refused to cross. He engaged in conversation with a Samaritan, and a woman to boot, quite probably one who was despised even by her own community! His loving engagement opened the door for her to safely ask her questions. There is something crucial for us to learn here. Jesus could have despised and rejected her because of her erroneous beliefs and immoral lifestyle, but instead he drew her to himself and transformed her into an evangelist who brought an entire village to faith!

I have watched Christian friends of mine exhibit the exact opposite, and I am sure I have as well. Once I was part of a men’s group that fostered friendly discussion. This was not a church group, but included friends and neighbors who were not believers. When one person said plainly that he did not believe the gospel or even accept that the Bible is trustworthy, one of the Christians in the group became indignant. Why do we do this? Have we forgotten that once we were in his place? Do we think it’s our job to defend God’s honor? Are we the doctrine police? A wise person who witnessed what happened later commented that we Christians need to learn how to debate in a better way. We owe it to ourselves, the Lord, the people we are trying to reach, and to the gospel to learn how to engage dissenters without erecting barriers, showing irritation, or saying unkind things.

A large part of the problem for many of us who believe is that we have limited conversations with those outside the faith. We tend to “hole up” in our church “fortresses” instead of getting out into our communities to engage dissenters.

This is very unlike how Jesus did things. How can we reverse this sad state of affairs? Here are some suggestions.

  • Prioritize connecting with people outside of our church “comfort zone.” 
  • Determine to love people and get to know them personally.
  • Look for opportunities to inject a spiritual component into our conversations. Asking to pray for any obvious needs that come up is a great way to overcome barriers. Listen to the Holy Spirit and go with whatever he tells us. Sometimes we can only start to get to know a person on a first encounter. Other times we may actually have an opportunity to share the gospel with them. Each person and situation is different.

The main rule is to love people and listen to the Spirit.

  • Fourthly, we should try to continue to love and engage those who disagree with us or initially reject our message. Who knows? They might change their minds.
  • Know when enough is enough. Sometimes we may have to walk away from a relationship that is bearing no fruit. That’s a hard call.
Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. 6  Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. Colossians 4:5-6 (NLT)

That’s how Jesus fished for people. We can, too.

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Part 9: Surprised…again!

If you were tasked with planting a new church, which of these groups of people would you target – the affluent or the poor? The well-connected or the marginalized? “Beautiful people” or the ones Jesus called the “least of these?”

Surprisingly, Jesus instructed his disciples to go after the least likely people.

He called them “the least of these my brothers.” It is not that those who are “better off” regarding worldly affluence are unimportant. Rather, our affluence often works against us, making us feel important, self-satisfied, in control, and without an appetite for God and his blessings. It is the hungry who search for what Jesus called the “bread of life.”

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.Matthew 5:6 (NASB) 

And Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24  "Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Matthew 19:23-24 (NASB)

The “least of these,” as Jesus called them, are often those on the margins of society who inwardly may not feel that they deserve to be blessed. Jesus called them the “poor in spirit,” which means they are spiritual beggars who are well aware of their need for God. (Matthew 5:3) They include the hungry, (who are usually poor), the stranger (which may include newcomers, aliens, the homeless, the lonely, the abandoned, and anyone who does not really “fit in”), those lacking proper clothing, sick people, and prisoners. They may have gotten to their state by choice or by happenstance. Regardless, they are the prime “ground” in which the gospel seed can grow.

Usually these people are overlooked because they do not seem to promise any return on the investment we may make in them, but this is where we might get it all wrong.

Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. 13  Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14  Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.” Luke 14:12-14 (NLT)

Jesus told us to care only for the reward that comes from God, and he promises to bless those who love the least of these his brethren.

If all we are looking for is what kind of immediate return on investment we can get here on earth, it makes no sense to spend time and resources on the “least of these,” but, if we care about eternal reward (and we should), it makes perfect sense. This is completely contrary to how most people in the world and many in the church think. The kingdom of God is often akin to looking at a photo “negative,” in which dark areas are light and light areas, dark.

The kingdom of God is many times a complete reverse of what the world thinks and values.

And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God. Luke 16:15 (NASB)

The “poor in spirit” are humble and are open to being taught, who have sorrow for their sins and a purity of heart, and who respond to the gospel and choose to follow Jesus. Quite often these people come from the edges of society, but sometimes wealthy, well-connected people are among the poor in spirit, too. Take for example, Nicodemus, a well-connected Pharisee who became a disciple of our Lord.

No matter where we find them, God is building his kingdom with humble people who are hungry for him. Every time such a person emerges, it is a surprising work of the Spirit. Such people are not “normal” as the world goes.

How do we find such people?

Only the Holy Spirit knows who they are and is able to guide us to them.

Jesus surprised the religious world when he chose rugged fishermen to become his disciples instead of gathering people from the religious elite. He surprised his own disciples when he chose a hated tax collector to join his band. He surprised them again when he included women, especially a despised Samaritan woman, who became his evangelist who brought an entire village to faith. I suppose many were surprised when he chose each of us, too. Would you consider yourself to be a likely or an unlikely candidate?

Would it surprise you to discover that every person who comes to Christ is unlikely? It is only by God’s grace that any of us make it.

How surprised were his disciples when the Lord commanded them to lower their nets into the deep, resulting in a tremendous catch? Do we depend on God to show us where the fish are?

It is possible that the Holy Spirit may send us to what we might consider to be an unlikely fishing hole.

The elderly are not usually prime targets for evangelism, but I have discovered that the Spirit is working in the lives of older people, too. God has not given up on them, and neither should we. It’s never too late as long as we are breathing. My ninety-three-year-old father-in law put his faith in Christ a week before he died! What a surprising gift of grace!

Assisted living centers are filled with neglected people who are often on the very edge of eternity. Would the Spirit of God send us to such as those? Perhaps God would lead us to work with the poor, those with felonies on their records, actual prisoners, sick people, or children without a functional family support structure. The list of possibilities is enormous.

God can guide us to the people in whom he is working and drawing toward Christ, if we ask him. Seek and you will find…

Once we find them, we can simply start loving them and see how God leads us from there. The pay for such labor is not much, but the benefits are heavenly.

The question is are we willing to be led by the Spirit to find those he has set his heart upon, or are we going to settle for using the world’s methods of marketing and promotion?

Are we willing to be surprised again and again by the Holy Spirit?

Prayer

Dear Lord, I want to be surprised every day as you lead me by your Spirit to seek out those you are calling to yourself, no matter where I may find them. Holy Spirit, lead me to those you want me to love and serve on your behalf. I trust you to develop compassion and faith in me to make a difference in their lives. Help me to be bold to share the gospel with them. Surprise me, Lord, again and again. Amen.

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Part 8: Surprise!

God loves surprises. The Bible is full of unexpected twists and turns.

It should not surprise us, therefore, when God does something we do not expect or completely understand.

The story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well in Chapter Four of John’s Gospel teaches us to keep our eyes, ears, and hearts open, because God is working in unexpected ways in what may seem to us to be unlikely people. Everything in this account shouts, “Surprise!”

Jesus led his disciples on a less traveled road (by Jews, anyway) right through Samaria, instead of taking the usual longer route that skirted where “those people” lived. The Jews despised Samaritans and tried to avoid contact with them. Jesus amazed his followers by leading them into Samaria and engaging the inhabitants.

Our Lord also shocked the Samaritan woman who came to fill her jar at the town well. Jesus sent his disciples on an errand to purchase food. Being tired from the journey and sitting alone at the well, when the Samaritan woman arrived to fill her jar with water, he asked her to give him a drink. “Good” Jews would never talk to a Samaritan woman or drink from her “unclean” jar! Asking a favor from a despised Samaritan woman was how Jesus began his interaction with this intriguingly important woman.

The element of surprise immediately got the woman’s full attention, as you might imagine. This is one reason God does unexpected things.  He wants to rouse us out of our dull routine and capture our hearts.

The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” John 4:9 (NLT)

Her curiosity set the stage for what came next – a strangely cryptic reply.

Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” John 4:10 (NLT)

Have you ever conversed with someone you knew held religious convictions that were completely opposite your own? How did that go? Did you walk on egg shells? Did you feel any tension? Did you skirt the contentious issue altogether, or did you get right into an argument? The controversy and hostility between Jews and Samaritans lurked just beneath the facade of civility being employed. How would our Lord handle this?

Instead of answering her question, Jesus made a odd sounding statement about himself, which riveted her attention. She did not know what to make of this surprising man!

Of course, we would not make such a statement about ourselves, but about the Lord. If we were there as present day followers of Christ, we might say something like the following.

“If you only knew the gift God has for you and the Jesus I know, you would ask him to give you living water.”

She quite naturally asked him where he would get this water because she was thinking on the natural or physical level, not realizing that he was leading her into spiritual realities.

Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14  But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” 15  “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” John 4:13-15 (NLT)

To me, it is unclear from the text whether she was genuinely interested or being sarcastic. We would have had to have been there to know for sure. Regardless, what came next completely changed the dynamic of the conversation. Jesus shattered her guarded religiosity by providing her with a bit of personal information via the Holy Spirit, which some people call a “word of knowledge.”

The Holy Spirit is able to give us such a prophetic insight into a person, if we learn how to discern his voice.

“Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her. 17  “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— 18  for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!” John 4:16-18 (NLT)

The surprise element contained in this prophetic insight, coupled with Jesus’ loving demeanor, opened her heart completely. From then on, she was “all ears.” Astonishingly, before the conversation ended, he also informed her that he was and is the Messiah, the one for whom she and her people were waiting. That was the very first time he told anyone so forthrightly. What an unexpected honor he extended to this Samaritan woman who was living with a man to whom she was not married!

If we learn to see people through God’s eyes, we may be privileged to participate in many such  surprises!

Next God allowed this nameless woman, who was perhaps one of the village’s most despised inhabitants, to bring the entire village to faith in Christ. What a shock that God would do that! His disciples wondered that Jesus would even talk with a woman because that is something Jewish rabbis did not do. What a total shocking surprise that an entire Samaritan village would acknowledge Jesus’ messianic claims, something no Jewish village had ever done!

As we go through our day, are we looking for unexpected God opportunities to speak to people?

Do we see ourselves as God’s representatives, who are capable of ministering God’s life to others with the Spirit’s help? Do we seek to be loving, intriguing, and surprisingly compelling to those around us? Are we sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s promptings and willing for his gifts to flow through us? Are we ready to share the gospel when we get the opportunity?

35 You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. John 4:35 (NLT)

The above verse promises us that there are people all around us who are ready to respond to the gospel, thanks to the unseen work of the Holy Spirit going on in the background.

The harvest is ready because God is always at work. The question is whether he can find co-laborers to join him.

If not us, then who? Let’s ask the Lord to open our eyes to see the harvest and give us divine appointments with those whose hearts are open to God. Who knows what may happen? We may experience our own version of “Surprise!”

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Part 7: Come and See

“Come and See” is an invitation to come alongside those who already believe to see if Jesus is the real deal, in an environment where it is okay to ask questions and wrestle with doubts. Philip gave this invitation to Nathanael.

Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” John 1:46 (ESV)

The call to follow Jesus is a call to discipleship. A common misconception is that discipleship is only for people who already believe, acknowledge, and follow Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

Jesus called people to embark on a discipleship journey before they were even believers, much less committed followers.

We can invite pre-believers to explore the possibility that Jesus is the Messiah by hanging around people who already follow him. Philip’s wanted to bring Nathanael into a personal encounter with Jesus, trusting that our Lord could and would handle it from there. Is there a way that we can do the same thing today?

This is how Jesus brought me into his band of disciples. My girlfriend at the time, now my wife of fifty-one years, boldly told me that she had come to know Jesus in a personal way and become his follower. After recovering from the initial shock and after spending time with her and some other followers of Christ, I decided that I wanted to know for myself if this Jesus is indeed still alive and who the Bible says he is – the resurrected Lord.

I recognized that something significant had happened to my girlfriend that I could not explain.

I did what seemed reasonable to me to do at the time. I asked this Jesus, if he were real, to come into my life and somehow reveal himself to me. I cannot remember if anyone suggested that I do this, or if it was my own idea. Regardless, it was the first big step I took in coming to believe.

When I prayed for our Lord to reveal himself to me, I was serious. I did not believe yet that he really rose from the dead; so, I could not fake faith. I did not pretend to be a believer. I suppose that some people try to “fake it until they make it,” but not I. If I were to become a true believer, God would have to do something to move me from unbelief to faith. Although I did not realize it at the time, there is a biblical precedent for that – Thomas. I had no idea if or how that could happen. I just prayed the prayer and left it at that.

Looking back, now I realize that almost immediately I changed on the inside. At the time, I did not connect the dots, but I remember realizing that I was different – happier and more considerate and more willing to serve others. To be honest, I thought it was because the Zen meditation I was doing was working. I was tentatively exploring Zen Buddhism at the time in my search for truth. A couple of weeks later, after spending more time with my lovely Jesus follower, my mind once again was engaged in thinking about Jesus. While thinking on these things late at night while all alone, I suddenly recalled the prayer I made earlier, asking Jesus into my life. Yes, I had forgotten! As must be apparent, I really was not trying hard to become a believer, but at that moment I was engaged. The moment I recollected that prayer, the little room where I stood all alone seemed to fill up with God’s presence. Don’t ask me how I knew it was God. I just knew. If you have ever experienced God’s presence like that, it is amazing. I was filled with joy, which matches what King David wrote so long ago.

11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11 (NKJV)

Suddenly deep inside I was convinced that Jesus is real and who the Bible says he is. I have no explanation for how I became a fully convinced believer in a flash, except that Jesus came to me by his Spirit and opened up the eyes of my heart.

Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” 16  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17  Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Matthew 16:15-17 (NLT)

This all started by my spending time with other believers, one in particular, which resulted in my making the decision to invite Jesus to reveal himself to me. I came and saw, and have never been the same since that encounter with Jesus!

“Come and See” is not necessarily an invitation to come hear a preacher or visit a church service. More than anything else, it is an invitation to spend time with people who already believe who can lead us to a personal encounter with Christ.

This requires us believers to live in such a way that will be inspiring and welcoming. This means our devotion and faith should be evident and easily rub off on others. It means that how we live should draw people to Christ, not because we are perfect, but because we are in love with the God who loves us past comprehension. God wants us to present ourselves as humble followers of Jesus who still have much to learn, rather than as know-it-alls, whose arrogant smugness repels people. Philip was committed to Jesus. His zeal inspired Nathanael to give it a shot, and Jesus took it from there.

The opposite is also true unfortunately. Some churchgoers live in such a way that detracts from the gospel and repels potential seekers, who see the obvious hypocrisy.

We are either magnets who draw people toward Christ or we may be pushing them away.

If we are passionless and joyless churchgoers, that in itself is an advertisement against Christ.

Coming to faith in Jesus is sometimes more of a journey than a momentary burst of revelation. It was for most of his first disciples. They did not have a clue about the Lord’s real identity at first, but something drew them to Jesus. It was only after his resurrection that things became clearer. When exactly did Peter know that Jesus was the Messiah? We don’t know, but somehow he came to believe. Many people cannot point to an exact moment, as I can, when they became believers, but they now definitely believe in Christ and follow him.

Inviting people to walk with us as we follow Jesus is one way to fish for people.

God wants us to invest in the lives of those around us to give them the opportunity to behold Christ’s life in us and hear his words from us. He wants us to spend time with people, so they can ask questions and we can offer answers. He wants us to fall in love with people so that we truly care for them and want the very best for them. Let’s not be in a hurry and rush people on the discipleship journey. Let’s invite people to “Come and See.”

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Part 6: Using Diagnostic Questions

If we have the opportunity to have a spiritual discussion with someone, one thing good to know is where are they on their life journey with respect to knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior.

If we are going to help a lost person find the way home, the first thing we need to do is determine his or her present location.

If we want to fashion our presentation of Jesus to correspond to our listeners’ unique situation, we need to accurately diagnose where they are spiritually on their life journey. We can use diagnostic questions to help us in this process.

Here is a great opening diagnostic question to help us focus how we present the gospel: “Where are you on your spiritual journey to God?”

This question is “wide open,” but it does assume some sort of spiritual hunger. If the person resists this question, he or she may not be open at all to spiritual things. If the person does reply to us, the question does not presuppose a “Christian” answer, but allows him or her to an unbiased answer that can be very helpful.

Open-ended questions can allow a person to freely express how they are trying to find God or think they have found him and can put our listener at ease to honestly express his or her thoughts, rather than becoming defensive.

We have used the following two questions many times during outreaches. It is called the “two-question test” that reveals if a person is going to heaven. Many find such a “test” intriguing enough to submit to it, and, when they do, it often allows us to share the gospel with them.

Two Question Test
  1. If you were to die today, would you go to heaven?
  2. Why do you think so?

The answer we get to the first question may be anything from “I think so” to “I don’t believe there is a heaven.” When we ask them why they believe that way, some people will give the standard Christian response of “I believe that Jesus is my Lord and Savior.” Others may come up with their reasons they think as they do. Some may say, “I try to be a good person” or “I go to church.” If they give a non-biblical reason, we may then ask them if they realize that the Bible says that is not how we get to heaven. They are often surprised, which may give us the opportunity to ask if it is okay to share what the Bible says is the one way to get to heaven.

The gospel presents Jesus as the Savior who died for my sins, the Lord who rose from the dead, the Baptizer in the Spirit who poured out his Spirit on the church, and the divine Son of Man, who will come in the clouds with great glory at the end of time to judge the living and the dead and rule forever over God’s new creation.

Looking back on my own journey to faith in Christ, I did not initially understand all of that. My conception of Jesus was very incomplete, but it was enough for me to be saved.

The Holy Spirit helped me to understand that what the Bible says about Jesus is true. I believed in my heart, in a basic way, that he died for my sins so that I could be forgiven and that, because he rose again, he deserved my lifelong devotion and service.

According to Paul, it is an inner belief in his resurrection that makes us right with God and a public acknowledgement of Christ’s lordship that saves us.

...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Romans 10:9-10 (ESV)

Since everything depends on the Holy Spirit opening our eyes to understand who Jesus really is; when we share the gospel, we would be wise to follow Jesus’ example by asking our hearers some form of the question Jesus posed to his disciples.

Let me read it to you.

Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” 16  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17  Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Matthew 16:15-17 (NLT)

We might reword it a bit to fit our context, such as follows.

  • Who do you think that Jesus was or is?
  • Do you think Jesus was more than a mere man?
  • Do you think there was anything special about Jesus?
  • Do you agree with what the Bible says about Jesus?

Regardless of how we ask the question, the answer will open a window into the heart of the responder. It will help us understand whether the Spirit has revealed Jesus to them yet. It will help us assess where they are on their faith journey and how we might be able to help them to go farther down the path.

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Part 5: Behold the Lamb

When we fish for people, our primary responsibility is to eventually share with them Jesus, the Lamb of God, just as John the Baptist did for those who listened to him.

The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29 (ESV)

John the Baptist was given the privilege and responsibility of introducing Jesus to the world. Followers of Christ today are commissioned to follow in John’s footsteps. It is our honor, privilege, and responsibility to announce to people that Jesus is God’s Lamb, who was sent to die for our sins and open the door wide for us to be reconciled to God.

The idea of a human sacrifice to appease God’s wrath is shocking and offensive to many of us today because we refuse to acknowledge the enormity of the evil of our sin or the demands of God’s holy justice. Our sin induced separation from God was irreparable without God’s assistance.

Even though the Jews accepted animals had to be sacrificed to atone for sins, they would have been shocked at the idea that Jesus, or any person, could be such a sacrifice. The proclamation that Jesus was and is God’s Lamb is beyond the limits of our power to logically comprehend. Without a revelation from God’s Spirit, we cannot see or accept who Jesus really is – God’s Lamb.

Sin alienated us from our heavenly Father and made us his enemies. (Romans 5:10) Adam and Eve committed treason in the garden, and we have been following in their footsteps ever since. By nature, we are proud, self-sufficient beings, who insist on trying to live independently from God. Our sin and rebellion cut us off from God’s life and blessings.

God loved us so much that he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice of his own Son to restore us to himself.(John 3:16)

It was the only way back for us. The just punishment for our sins had to be paid, and we needed a new source of life. God’s solution would have to be something radically new and different. God sent his Son to provide forgiveness and life. By his Spirit, Jesus lives in and through all who believe and receive his gracious offer.

The good news of the gospel is that Jesus earned for us a right relationship with God and gave us his life, too. All we have to do is acknowledge that he is Lord and Savior and declare allegiance to him.

The Gospel message is so simple that even a little child can believe. However, adults who have learned from Satan to doubt and question everything often have a much more difficult time.

The announcement of Jesus’ identity as God’s Lamb will fall on deaf ears unless the Holy Spirit opens our hearts and minds. Otherwise the Gospel sounds like nonsense. In that day, some heard and believed John, but many others scoffed and rejected his message. The more humble and hungrier the hearer, the more likely he or she is to be granted revelation from God.

25 At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. 26 Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way! Matthew 11:25–26 (NLT)

The more educated, nuanced, and cynical the hearer, such as the Pharisees, the greater is the barrier to faith. This is because faith resides in the heart. The unredeemed mind will not accept the gospel message.

14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14 (NKJV)

When our human reasoning ability becomes the litmus test for spiritual truth, the heart is left out in the cold. Only the Holy Spirit can break through the fortress of logical arguments against God that reside in a hardened heart.

4 We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. 5 We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 (NLT)

God’s Spirit penetrated the logical defenses erected by the Apostle Paul, and he can do it again today for anyone who is open at all.

When we crack open the door to our heart, God is ready to rush to our aid.

John the Baptist issued an invitational command to his hearers: “Behold the Lamb of God!”

He knew that it always takes revelation for anyone to recognize who Jesus is.

God had to open John’s eyes, too, for him to know his cousin in this supernatural way. (John 1:30-34)

Paul, perhaps the greatest evangelist the world has ever known, also understood this. He fearlessly announced the Gospel of Jesus the Messiah, because he was convinced that it contains the power to save people when coupled with the Spirit’s ability and activity to open the human heart. He wrote the following.

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. 4  In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5  For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6  For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 (ESV)

To be able to recognize that Jesus is the Lamb of God requires that God’s Spirit open our eyes today, just as in John’s and Paul’s day. Nothing has changed. While John was uniquely the Messiah’s forerunner and Paul was a ground breaking evangelist and apostle, their experience of “beholding” Jesus is what might be considered “normal” for every believer to experience.

One cannot become a follower of Christ without some measure of revelation from God.

I am not suggesting that each follower of Christ must begin with a vision of God’s Spirit descending upon Jesus as a dove or that we must be knocked off a horse while in route to persecute believers, but the Spirit must open our spiritual eyes and hearts for us to know Christ. How He does this is unique for each person.

When John commanded his hearers (and so the Spirit commands Bible readers throughout the ages) to behold the Lamb, he understood what every fisher of men must know today.

God’s Spirit must be actively engaged in the evangelism process for there to be any fruit at all.

What is also true is that God asks his followers to point others to Jesus, the Lamb. We are to invite them to be reconciled to God through his Son.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 (ESV)

When we proclaim the Gospel and ask people to believe in Jesus, we depend upon the power of the Gospel and the activity of God’s Spirit.

God usually uses these three things – a person proclaiming the Gospel, the latent power of the Gospel itself, and the activity of the Spirit – to create an explosion of faith and revelation in the heart of the hearer that results in conversion and the new birth!

Those who are open and hungry and in whom the Spirit is working will supernaturally experience what it means to behold the Lamb! It takes faith for us to trust in the power of the gospel and the hidden working of the Spirit. We must refrain from trying to do the Spirit’s work for him by merely trying to reason a person to faith. Reasoning is important, but it can never replace the inner work of God’s Spirit to open our spiritual eyes.

Every fisher of men must be willing to proclaim a gospel that depends from beginning to end on the power and activity of God.

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Part 4: God’s Tackle Box

Good fishermen usually have well-stocked tackle boxes full of their favorite lures and other equipment that have given them success in the past. Fish act differently from day to day and depending on other factors such as time of day, temperature, etc. Successful fishermen adjust their bait to fit what the fish are biting. Fishers of men should have the same mindset.

If all we have is hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. If we only have one bait and one-size of hooks in our tackle boxes, we are going to be limited in what we can catch. If we have only one way that we present the gospel, we limit our effectiveness.

If we look at how Jesus fished for people, we quickly realize that he custom tailored his words and approach to the individuals he encountered.

If we are going to fish for people the Jesus way, we will need to do the same. Below I have listed some key things we might want to have in our own spiritual tackle boxes.

A Commitment to God’s Mission

Fishing takes commitment. Commitment comes when we are convinced that something is so important that it is worth any sacrifice we may have to make to see it happen. We will believe that it deserves our heart, time, finances, and effort – for as long as it takes. Unless we are truly committed, we may agree that being on mission is worthwhile, but other things will preempt it. Committed people are different. Nothing stops a committed person from putting his or her convictions into action.

Many Christians are committed to God, to church, to family, to their jobs, and to pursuing a happy life. Relatively few are committed to the Great Commission, which is a huge priority to God.

I recently talked with an avid fisherman. This man has an important job, two of them, in fact – his main job and his “side hustle.” Despite having to invest huge amounts of time in his work, he still finds time to fish almost on a daily basis. Living on a lake doesn’t hurt. Nevertheless, why does he do it? Is it because somewhere back in the past he made a commitment which he now honors, or is it that he is committed because he loves to fish? I think you know the answer. How do we move from being dutiful, or perhaps guilt driven, fishers of men to fishing because we love to fish?

We have to start somewhere. Most of us may have begun sharing with others because we were excited to know Jesus and wanted others to experience his amazing grace, too. That was what prompted me as a brand new Christian. But after we encounter enough “push back,” we may back off. Sadly, some followers of Christ have never shared the gospel with another person for whatever reason. If we have backed off or never even started to fish for people, we will need to overcome an inner resistance to get going.

It’s a challenge to overcome the inertia of doing nothing. We will have to want to do it and be willing to “press through.”

We may have to commit ourselves to do it out of a sense of duty; however, as with my friend, fishing grows on people. We may find that fishing for people becomes something we want to do. That is when we may become “addicted” to what brings us joy, which can produce a lasting commitment.

If we are the best fisherman in the world but are never set aside time to go fishing, even the least talented fisherman will catch more fish than we.

What we do with our time reveals what we truly believe and what is important to us. Unless we make ourselves available for God’s Great Commission work of fishing for people, we may only be deceiving ourselves into thinking we are disciples.

An Interest in People

I have known people, and most likely so have you, who were committed to telling others about Christ, but who apparently had little love for their listeners. Their words about God’s love were offset by their unloving attitude, sending a confusing mixed message. Jesus, on the other hand, combined an unswerving love of truth with a deep love for people. This made him intriguing and magnetic for anyone whose heart longed for God, and repulsive to those who were playing religious games. If we do not have God’s love for people, we will likely attract religious hypocrites and repel the ones to whom we are sent. People are tired of being approached by those who only want to present a sales pitch to them without having any sort of caring relationship. Unless we are genuinely interested in people, we will never really be good at “catching” them.

People are not evangelism “targets.” They are valuable individuals who are worth knowing, loving, and relating to, whether or not they ever choose to follow Jesus.

People instinctively know whether or not we are interested in them. May God increase our love for and interest in the people with whom we relate.

A Servant’s Heart

Jesus came to serve and ultimately give his life away. Service is an earmark of a true disciple. In today’s consumer culture, we are trained to think more in terms of what’s in it for me than in being a servant to others. Many consumerists assume those who share the gospel have the same mindset, which makes them suspicious of our motives. They may think we are just trying to build up the numbers in our church or are after their financial support. If we have Christ’s servant heart, we will look for ways to demonstrate God’s love in practical ways, not as a project, but because we love. This can include spending time in conversation to get to know someone, setting aside time to visit at people’s homes, having people over to our residences, praying for them privately and one-on-one in person, helping with a project, or just being there for them during a crisis. Loving and serving people is worthwhile in its own right. It also may open the door for us to be able to share why Jesus is so important to us.

Jesus wants his followers to serve our way into the hearts and lives of those around us. Loving service gives credibility to the gospel message.

Knowledge of the Bible and the Gospel

Bible literacy is very low, even among churchgoers. As a culture we have grown lazy and unmotivated to pursue  knowledge of the Scriptures and Bible truth. The Word of God is our life. It is our bread. We should habitually “eat” it by reading, meditating, and applying its truth. We should expect the Holy Spirit to reveal wonderful things about God to us, but many of us do not even crack open our Bibles. Many churchgoers show up on Sundays with their mouths open, expecting the pastor to give them enough pre-digested food to last them for a week. True disciples make a commitment to grow in their knowledge, understanding, and application of the Bible through personal study and application. 

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31–32 (NKJV)

We will never be effective fishers of men unless we understand the gospel well enough to share it easily and naturally.

Dependence on the Holy Spirit

When Jesus launched his three-year itinerant preaching ministry, he quoted Isaiah 61:1 to help us understand his identity and mission.

And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:17-21 (ESV)

Jesus depended upon the Holy Spirit to equip and empower him for the ministry he carried out over the rest of his earthly life. Although he was and is God in the flesh, he depended on the Spirit, just as we must. Jesus was filled with the Spirit at the River Jordan and operated in the power and gifts of the Spirit throughout his ministry.

One of Jesus’ titles is Baptizer in the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16).

Jesus commanded his followers to receive this empowering from on high so we too can be as effective as the Spirit can make us.

We simply cannot rely on human intelligence and ability, if we want to be expert fishers of people.

(If you are interested in learning more about the baptism and gifts of the Spirit, you can read my other articles on this website or purchase my book on the subject, entitled Promise of the Father,)

Boldness

The Holy Spirit gives Jesus’ followers boldness to share the Gospel. This is the main function of the baptism in the Spirit. 

8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NKJV)

We may know what the Gospel says, be committed to the Great Commission, and love people, but eventually we will face those crucial times when courage is required. That is one of the main reasons we need the baptism in the Spirit.

When we share the gospel, we run the risk of being misunderstood, rejected, ignored, or even persecuted. Jesus said that if we confess him before men, he will confess us before his Father in heaven and the angels; but if we are ashamed of him and the Gospel before men, he will not give us this heavenly approbation. (Matthew 10:32-33) These are sobering words.

The Apostle Peter denied Jesus during a time of great fear and pressure; so, we should not be surprised when we are tempted to keep our mouths shut when we should be standing up boldly for truth. I am not suggesting that we be obnoxious representatives of Christ. There are appropriate times and ways to share God’s truth and other times to be silent. Knowing which is which requires us to be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading. However, when it is clearly the right time to be bold, that is what needs to be in our “tackle box.”

Patience and Determination

Fisherman must be patient and determined. Sometimes the fish are biting and other times they are not. We are encouraged to believe that God’s Word will not come back void, but will accomplish his intention. (Isaiah 55:11) Paul exhorted his disciples to never become weary in well doing because “in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9) Working with people requires patience and determination.

We may fail in our attempts over and over, but quitting makes failure permanent.

We cannot always know what is going on beneath the surface in a person’s life. On the exterior he or she may appear to be uninterested or resistant, when deep inside he may be wrestling with God or she could be close to surrendering to Christ. The Apostle Paul is a great example of God’s ability to get through to the most hostile foes of the Gospel. We can ask the Lord to encourage our hearts to keep sowing into the lives of those around you. It will not go unrewarded.

As we look at our own tackle boxes, perhaps you, like me, are missing some gear. Don’t worry. God’s grace will make up for what we lack. The important thing is to start fishing and add as much gear as we can along the way.

If we wait to begin until after we think we are completely ready, we may never catch a fish.

Every person we lead to faith in Jesus is a person added to God’s family and rescued from Satanic oppression. Every person we help to become a fisherman will multiply our efforts.

Now, let’s get fishing!

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Part 3: The Heart of a Sent One

Our desire to fish for people will enlarge when our hearts are touched by the Great Shepherd so that we see people the way he does. The following passage summarizes our Lord’s heart for people who do not yet know him.

36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:36–38 (NKJV)

When we see people through the eyes of the Great Shepherd, we will also be moved with compassion. We will see them as they are – weary, harassed, scattered, and relatively helpless against the deception and onslaught of the devil. Seeing people in this light should motivate us to leave our relative ease and enter their world in order to lead them to Christ. Jesus left the glories of heaven to come after us. He asks us to follow his example.

Ever since the tower of Babel, an overriding principle at work in fallen humanity has been to gather, enlarge, and increase our size, power, control, and influence, in order to make a name for ourselves without any reference to God. This principle is at work in governments, businesses, and even the church. For a number of years there has been a decided shift toward what many call the mega-church. Concurrently there is another move toward decentralization into small groups meeting house to house. Both focus on gathering people, some into very large groups and others into smaller ones.

The Great Commission works contrary to the Babel principle of enlargement and calls people to “go.” Christ asks his followers to leave the comfort and security of the local church and go to where those who don’t know Jesus live. This does not mean we abandon our local churches, but that we set aside time for going into the harvest.

The Great Commission commands us to “go” make disciples, not stay put as safe and secure churchgoers.

The story of how God’s Spirit led the early disciples in fulfilling the Great Commission is found in the Book of Acts. God scattered the quickly centralizing church in Jerusalem through persecution, which caused the gospel to impact hitherto unreached areas. The church at Antioch, under the direction of God’s Spirit, chose to send out the best and brightest of its leaders and ministers to do apostolic (“sent out” missionary) work.

Antioch is our best model of a Great Commission  church.

God is still in the business of sending out disciples to engage and impact those who do not yet know him.

Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” John 20:21 (NLT)

As we obey the call of the Spirit and go out into our neighborhoods, cities, work places, schools, and other places where people gather, God wishes to develop  in us the same compassion that compelled Jesus to give away his life for others.

Being a “sent one” asks us to give away our lives.

This can happen if we believe that God is worth the sacrifice and, secondly, that lost people are worth serving with our time, resources, and everything else. This kind of compassion only comes via God’s Spirit. Where it is lacking, people will not serve as “sent ones.” They will take the easy way out and simply gather with other believers.

God wants us to do both – to go to the lost and to regularly gather with other sent ones in order to mutually encourage, equip, and strengthen one another for the 24/7 mission of working in God’s harvest field.

The Importance of Listening

If we have Jesus’ compassion, we will realize that every person has a story worth hearing and is a life worth saving.

Many who devote themselves to being God’s ambassadors here on earth are not good listeners. We imagine that others should listen to us since we have the message of life. This is what some call a “know it all.” We may think we can skip relationship building in order to quickly inject them with the gospel.

Jesus, however, was a good listener who tailored his life giving words to fit the unique human being who had his attention.

We may be tempted to resort to some sort of “canned” gospel message we find easy to remember. That is not how Jesus operated. He was always listening to people and, more importantly, to the Holy Spirit.

If people discern that we are not interested in them or their stories, why should they be interested in us or our message?

Compassionate sent ones care about every person’s life story. If we expect to become expert fishers of people, we must become excellent listeners… quick to hear and slow to speak.

Targeting People’s God-Fashioned Felt Needs

Every person has needs that only God can fulfill.

Because we live so isolated from one another, we may imagine that other people’s lives are just fine, not realizing that behind every door in our neighborhood some sort of drama is playing out that may be preparing their hearts to receive the Lord.

Some have desperately asked God to show them a sign that he exists or cares. Could it be that you are supposed to be the answer to their prayer? Others have given up, thinking that perhaps God does not love them or care about their situation after all. Many are embittered at what life has brought their way. Others are despondent, listless, and hopeless. While it is true that wealthy people generally may have less felt needs than the poor, it is not true that their lives are altogether rosy. Anyone with wealth knows that money is not the answer to life’s deepest questions nor does it satisfy our deepest desires. Many affluent homes are wracked by relational dysfunction and are reaping the whirlwind that comes as a result of putting other things ahead of God.

When we meet and relate to people, God wants to open our eyes to see them as he does – harassed and helpless sheep about whom he cares deeply.

Unless we discern what those deepest heart longings are, how can we fashion a presentation of the gospel that addresses them?

God is personal. He told the adulterous woman that she was not condemned. He told the Samaritan woman that she was important by engaging her in conversation and revealing that he knew all about her sins but did not reject her. He called Zacchaeus out of the tree and offered to dine with him.

In each case, the way Jesus engaged these individuals gave them hope that God knew who they were and cared about them.

He accurately represented Father God’s heart toward them. This allowed Jesus to minister at the deepest level with amazing results. Jesus wants us to partner with him in the adventure of being his personal representatives to lost and hurting people.

We need the Spirit’s help to pull this off. It does not come naturally to us. We cannot do it by ourselves. Only God can reveal to us what lies beneath the cleverly erected exterior that people use for self-preservation. Only God knows the deep heart cries lurking beneath often crusty facades. If we listen, he will tell us all we need to know. He will assist us to tailor gospel truth into a divine arrow that goes right to the heart.

Hope for the Hopeless

Every person has a hope, which only Jesus can fulfill.

Many of the people who live around us have descended into some form of hopelessness, but deep inside every individual, no matter how dim it flickers, is the hope that God knows and cares about us personally and is willing to help us.

People long for a Savior, whether or not they will admit it, since we instinctively know that we cannot save ourselves.

We hope for a Shepherd to guide us because none of us knows where we are going at the deepest level of existence. Our eternal destinies are hidden from us when we do not know Jesus. As Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” We often bluff our way through life, hoping for the best, but, deep down, we would like some assurance that everything will be alright. John addressed this deep desire.

13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. 1 John 5:13 (NKJV)

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the only pathway to knowing the Father. He is the Good Shepherd, the Great Provider, our Protector, and the God of hope. We can be sure that, unless a person is resolutely hardened against God, there is something in him or her that will resonate with the Good News that Jesus gave his life away to bring us back to the Father and make us into born-again authentic children of God. They will be attracted to the promise that Jesus will lead them safely on life’s journey, if only they will surrender to his benevolent Lordship.

Fishing for people the “Jesus way” asks us to learn to see, love, and engage people as Jesus’ representatives. We have been given the privilege to care, listen, love, and speak in his stead in order to lead them to the Great Shepherd. Nothing could be more exciting or rewarding!

Click here to see other articles on fishing for people the Jesus way.

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