Fishers of men, not keepers of the aquarium

And Jesus said to them, Come after Me and be My disciples, and I will make you to become fishers of men. – Mark 1:17

Ever wondered what Jesus had in mind when He issued this challenge to us?

Keeping an aquarium

• The water is clean and filtered.
• The temperature is controlled
• We choose the pretty and elite fish
• One person can maintain it
• In order to add more fish, we build a bigger aquarium
• Looks are paramount in importance
• We stay indoors

Fishing on the open sea

• The weather can get uncomfortable
• The fish smell and the fishermen get stinky
• Sometime we catch weird-looking creatures
• It is better done with a team
• There is greater risk-water can get in the boat, people can fall out of the boat, and we can get wet
• We go out to where the fish are

And you?

Are you a fisherperson? Is your church a fishing church, or an aquarium? Does your leader encourage you to go fishing in a way that is suitable for your specific set of talents?

For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love. – Gal 5:6

Everyone fishes differently. Some are pastoral. Some are evangelistic. Some pray. Some open their houses. Some help with school feeding projects. Some visit those in jail.

No one way is better or worse. The only thing that matters is that you go fishing. 🙂