Category: Fishing for People

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.

Click here to see more articles on Fishing for People the Jesus Way.

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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.

Click here to see more articles on Fishing for People the Jesus Way.

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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!

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Part 2: Become an Answer to Prayer

It is one thing to pray for our neighbors and friends and another to become part of the answer to prayer. God wants to activate our ministry, and one way he does this is by opening our eyes to the need. How do we see the people who live, work, and play around us? Or do we even see them at all? Many of us have learned to live in relative isolation, thanks to air conditioning, television, refrigerators, and “social media.” We may keep up with events and people from afar, missing out on much of life and the opportunities all around us.

Until we see people as Jesus does and make a decision to offer to get involved in their lives, it is not likely that we will understand his heart for them or influence them very much toward God.

Matthew’s Gospel records a time when Jesus spoke to his closest followers about the crowd that surrounded him. It gives us a glimpse into his heart for people.

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:35-38 (ESV)

Compassion motivated Jesus’ earthly ministry. He saw people as harassed and helpless sheep who desperately needed someone to protect, feed, and lead them. The Greek word for “harassed” can also mean “flayed”. We have a difficult time understanding just how wounded and in danger people with Christ are. Jesus pointed out that there is a great harvest field, which is ready and waiting for caring people to go to work. This means that the Holy Spirit is already at work in the lives of the harassed and helpless. What is stopping us?

We all battle with fear, laziness, disobedience, reluctance to experience discomfort, and a general lack of love for the those who do not know Jesus. Have we forgotten what it is like to live without knowing the Lord? What can help us to change?

Prayer

Prayer is the first part of Jesus’ solution to adding people to his harvest team.

Only God can change us on the inside and make us willing to invest our lives in his harvest field.

Jesus said to pray “earnestly.” This is because Satan fiercely resists any effort to share the gospel and make disciples. In addition, the part of us the Bible calls the “flesh” resolutely opposes sacrificing our comfort and ease to participate in God’s harvest work. It is the spirit inside us, the part of us in union with God’s Spirit, that wants to serve God in the harvest. The spirit and the flesh are in continual warfare until Jesus comes back again to raise us from the dead and deliver us finally and completely from this struggle. Until then we must make a determined stand against the inner pull of the flesh against God’s mission.

Without constant effort and determination, we followers of Christ tend to be lazy, self-centered people who put our own comfort, ease, and security ahead of helping lost, helpless, and harassed sheep who have not yet found the Shepherd.

Earnest prayer is needed to pry followers of Christ out of the comfort of their own homes and into the places where people who need Jesus can be effectively engaged.

Only God can transform us into people who are consumed with his passion for the lost and dying, but we have a part to play, and it begins with prayer. God wants us to make the choice to join him in this noble task.

But prayer does not save people: the Gospel does. Prayer is a means to an end and can never substitute for the kingdom work of actually conveying the Good News to those who desperately need to hear it.

As powerful and necessary as prayer is, it can never serve as an excuse for not obeying the Great Commission by going to the lost.

Getting into the Harvest Field

Going and making disciples (the Great Commission) is the second part of Jesus’ solution. Bringing people into the family of God through sharing the gospel message requires us to get into the harvest field ourselves. This will not happen without our overcoming the inertia of doing nothing and making the choice to go outside of our homes, our “comfort zones,” and engage people on a regular basis.

No great fisherman only occasionally dabbles in the sport. No effective fisher of men only randomly dips his line in the water.

Once we break loose from what held us back and make the choice to get involved in people’s lives, we find that God has already been at work. He wasn’t idly waiting for us to show up. We should not have the attitude of expecting the Spirit to join us as we plow ahead with own ideas and attempts to do God’s work. Instead we should look for what the Spirit is doing and join him as humble observant servants.

The harvest field is where we discover how to partner with God’s Holy Spirit.

Joining in God’s work is the most fulfilling and rewarding thing anyone can do.

Generally speaking, harassed and helpless sheep are not lining up at our church doors on Sunday mornings. In fact, many of them have been turned off by the church; although, many are still attracted to Jesus. Often they are a “mess” – people with a blend of rebellion, resentment, and hunger for God all rolled up in one.

Where and how can we successfully engage people who need and secretly desire Jesus, but who want nothing to do with what they understand about “church”? I am sure the same was true in Jesus’ day. Countless people in Israel found nothing to attract them to the austere legalism and hypocrisy practiced by the Pharisees, who were considered to be the best models what it meant to be a devout Jew. Their form of Judaism was to be found in the Temple and synagogues, an unlikely habitat for the average “sinner”.

Jesus frequented these religious centers, but also he went elsewhere in search of those who were most open to his life transforming message.

Jesus engaged people in homes, market places, trees, wells, and along the road. He did not set up a central meeting place and expect people to flock to him. In addition to teaching in synagogues wherever he went, he visited people’s homes and met them in market places, wherever life happened. And Jesus is our model.

Until we become the answer to our own prayers by making the choice to get involved in the lives of those who live around us, we are not yet a part of God’s mission to the heartrending and often silent cries of harassed and helpless people in need of God who live all around us.

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Part 1: Introduction to Fishing for People the Jesus Way

Fishing for people is one of the most exciting, rewarding, and potentially costly occupations we can pursue. It is something to which every follower of Christ is called.

Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him. Matthew 4:19-20 (NLT)

Just as he did at the beginning of his itinerant ministry, Jesus still invites us to follow him and learn how to “fish” for people.

The simple invitation quoted above sums up what it means to be a disciple.

Our Lord did not say, “Come, follow me, and I will make you a moral person, a churchgoer, a Bible scholar, or any of the other things we often prioritize ahead of fishing for people.

The purpose of this series of articles on “Fishing for People the Jesus Way” is to help us realize that “fishing” for people can be interesting, challenging, fulfilling, adventure-filled, and enjoyable. It does have a cost attached to it. It will cost us our time and potentially bring persecution, but it is worth anything we may suffer in the present because it promises huge rewards in eternity. I hope I can help to remove any inhibiting sense of fear, drudgery, duty, or religiosity from the equation, so that we can be set free to join the Holy Spirit, who is already at work in our communities. Jesus is waiting for more people to join him in the work of the “harvest”.

35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 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 9:35–38 (NKJV)

The Gospels are filled with examples of how Jesus engaged people in such a way that they either chose to follow or to resist him. Just as today, some were even indifferent, but many responded to him and his message.

The Gospel generally should make people mad or glad, depending on the condition of their hearts.

Those with hard hearts will become angry, but those who are “poor in spirit” (spiritual beggars who are hungry for God) will happily hear and follow. Christ’s disciples are willing to follow Jesus wherever he may lead on a joyful adventure called fishing for people. This series will help to prepare and equip you.

I have been a Christian for fifty years and have tried all sorts of ways of presenting the gospel. These articles will address the one-on-one opportunities we get in life, not large-crowd evangelism. When it comes to sharing with individuals, if we are motivated by a sense of religious duty, we may come across as being uninterested in the people we approach. If we rush or skip the process of relationship development in order to quickly notch another conversion, we may make our listeners feel cheap or part of a project and thereby sabotage God’s work.

Jesus engaged people in a way that made them understand that he cared about them.

Sometimes we may get “one shot” at sharing the gospel with a person. We must make the most of it, as led by the Spirit. In other situations, we may be able to develop an ongoing relationship with someone, which will provide opportunities to share with them on numerous occasions. We dare not rush things at the beginning in those cases. To those whose hearts were tender and open, Jesus was willing to engage them on an individual basis and take as much time as necessary to help them grasp his message and identity.

Jesus poured out his blood to provide us with the Good News that the way back into God’s family, favor, and blessings is wide open. The Lord of Lords paid the price for us to be forgiven for our brazen rebellion against God’s kingship. He opened the door to our being reconciled to his heavenly Father by dying in our place and rising again. Our message is indeed Good News.

Jesus wants us to engage the people who live around us with Holy Spirit compassion and zeal.

Our Lord wants us to become excited about fishing for people as he did, in a quest to help them become part of God’s family of reconciled former rebels.

In the Gospels Jesus shows us how to properly engage people in order to communicate God’s love and care for them and to winsomely invite or even command them to become his followers. As we learn to demonstrate God’s love to those around us, it is amazing how much we can learn from them and how God will open doors into our hearts and theirs.

The Holy Spirit will help us just as he worked through Jesus.

In the articles which follow, I will share examples from the Gospels of how Jesus fished for people. As we observe and learn from how he did it and begin to imitate his example, while relying upon the guidance, power, gifts, and boldness of God’s Spirit, we can be part of winning and making more followers of Jesus who also will learn to fish for people. I hope you will travel with me down the dusty roads of Israel with Jesus, learning from the Master Fisherman.

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What Are We Waiting For?

 

 

 

 

The disciples ask Jesus to eat something, but he replied that he had food of which they knew nothing. As they wondered aloud what he meant…

Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. 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. 36  The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! 37  You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. 38  I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.” John 4:34-38 (NLT)

Principle: What Are We Waiting For?

The disciples were asleep to the opportunities for sharing the gospel that were all around them.

There is a joy that is associated with sharing the gospel and leading people to faith in Christ that is more satisfying than food. In another place, Jesus told his followers about this.

In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away! Luke 15:7 (NLT)

Most of the church seems to find their satisfaction in hanging around other believers. If you are reading this article, I hope it is because you feel the pull to be an ambassador for Christ who ventures out of the comfort and safety of the local church to search out those who are open to the gospel. If you are, be encouraged by Jesus’ words. Whether or not we are in the midst of an awakening, the harvest is ripe. There are people whom the Holy Spirit has prepared to hear and believe the Good News!

Being Christ’s ambassador is perhaps the most satisfying occupation in the world.

It was more important to our Lord than food. May the Spirit of God awaken us to the opportunities around us. May he give us the love and boldness to engage people. May he equip and inspire us to operate in the supernatural realm of the gifts of the Spirit, and may he give us success in effectively sharing the gospel. If all that happens, the only thing that remains is to disciple our converts to become just as we are – followers of Christ and fishers of men.

Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” Matthew 4:19 (NLT)
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Don’t Wait Until You’re Ready

 

 

 

 

The Samaritan woman at the well abandoned her water jar to go round up the rest of the village to come meet Jesus.

Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, “What do you want with her?” or “Why are you talking to her?” 28  The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 29  “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” 30  So the people came streaming from the village to see him. John 4:27-30 (NLT)

Principle: Don’t Wait Until You’re Ready

Many new believers imagine that they should wait until that magical day when they finally will be ready and fully equipped to share the gospel. This is partly the fault of the church. We think that sharing the gospel is more to do with having our doctrine right than it is with being “on fire” for Christ. It is partly our fault for buying into the notion that it is better to say nothing at all than risk making a mistake.

The Samaritan woman did not know much, but God used her to bring the entire village to Christ.

And this is not the only time that Jesus commissioned a new convert to be an evangelist. The Gerasene man whom Jesus delivered from many demons was immediately put into service, too.

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. 19  But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” 20  So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them. Mark 5:18-20 (NLT)

Didn’t Jesus realize that it is dangerous to put a new convert into the ministry, especially one who had been so unstable?

By the time we are thoroughly trained to properly share the gospel, we likely have lost contact with many of the people who most need to hear our message. This is because we stop “hanging around” with unbelievers and spend all our time with other Christians at church meetings.

The most opportune time for us to share our faith is when we first come to Christ, before our unbelieving friends relegate us to the “weird Christian” category.

Another reason we should start sharing our faith immediately is that we likely never will be quite so enthusiastic about Christ as when we are first saved. Some call this “first love” or the “honeymoon” period of Christianity. This is not to say it should be this way, but it often is. By the time disciples are thoroughly trained, they often have  picked up plenty of excuses for not be evangelistic and become quite comfortable simply going to church, rather than actively sharing the gospel. I call this Great Commission drift.

Most of the American church is more in love with comfort than with sharing the gospel.

The night I came to Christ, I immediately began telling my friends that I just met Christ and that he is real. That is about all I knew, but it was worth sharing. Over time I have added to my knowledge and understanding of who Christ is and what he did for us, but my fire to share the gospel has never been stronger than it was on the very first night.

Don’t wait until you’re “ready”. Start sharing the gospel and never stop.

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