Fishers Of Men

by Toms, A. F. | Category: General | Jun 1978

"Come ye after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men" (Mark 1:17).

"From henceforth thou shalt catch men" said the Master to Simon Peter the day He used his boat as a pulpit. "Take alive" men is the meaning of the Greek word used. The same word occurs in 2 Timothy 2:26 of those who are taken alive by Satan, but his purpose is to destroy lives, and ours is to bring them into contact with the One who came that they may have life and have it abundantly. To this work we are called, "Come ye after Me", and if we respond, the Lord Jesus will fulfil His promise and make us to become fishers of men. But what is involved in coming after Him? That is a vital question, for all hinges on it. Luke 9:23 provides the answer, for the Master plainly says, "If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me".

"What is the greatest hindrance to your work? "a missionary friend was asked. "Myself", he replied, to the surprise of his questioners. But those of us who are as honest as he would have to agree that that is so. We love ourselves more than we love others, and this is the greatest hindrance to our winning them for Christ. Following Christ is the one great condition for becoming fishers of men, and that involves denying ourselves and being willing each day for self to be put in the place of death; to deliberately reckon ourselves dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. When we are willing for that, the Lord Jesus will make us to become fishers of men, and the very mention 6f the words will awaken a deep longing in our hearts. We all know there is no occupation more worthwhile in life than to win others for Christ.

In this work, as in all things spiritual, our Teacher is our Example. There was no-one who loved others as much as He did, and no-one more

skilled in winning them for Himself. If we would learn the methods He used, the early chapters of John's Gospel provide our textbook, for there we see Him dealing with individuals. In John 3 the interest was already there. Nicodemus came wanting to talk. That was a counselling room situation. But in John 4 the Samaritan woman had no intention of talking. She was most surprised when the Lord Jesus opened the conversation by making His simple request. He placed Himself in her debt by asking for a drink of water, but it served to break down reserve, and from the material realm He soon slipped into the spiritual and was explaining to her about the living water which He was able to give.

In John 5 with the man at the pool He used another technique. "Wouldest thou be made whole?" was His opening question. We do well to note these points, for many who have a desire to reach others have difficulty in knowing how to commence a conversation. The Lord Jesus began by asking the man about himself, and that line of approach seldom fails. Most people like talking about themselves! Why not begin then by asking about a person's career, or hobby or family, whichever seems appropriate, and then perhaps throw in a leading question, such as, "What do you hope to get out of life?"

The Lord Jesus did not do all the talking. John 4 presents Him as a very patient listener. In fact out of 19 verses of conversation the woman spoke in 8 and He in 11. But as the conversation developed He was making His vital points, and impressing them upon her heart and mind. What were they? The first was her need as a sinner and the second that He was the Messiah, the Sent One from God. Every soul-winner must reach those two points at some stage in his conversation. We cannot by-pass them, for the gospel we preach is in two parts, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. "Go, call thy husband" was not said to embarrass the woman, but to impress upon her the seriousness of her sin. There can be no conversion until there is conviction of sin, and that is where the Holy Spirit begins His work in human hearts.

Each case is different, of course. With Nicodemus the Master used what has sometimes been called the 'shock treatment'. He was not prepared to follow Nicodemus' opening point of conversation, but cutting right across it, He confronted him with the surprising statement, which was completely incomprehensible to him at that moment - "ye must be born again". But it shocked him into immediate attention, and from that point the Lord Jesus patiently led him into spiritual truths, clarifying them to his mind before asking him to believe them in his heart. And notice His use of illustrations, first from nature, "the wind bloweth where it listeth", and then from the Scriptures, "as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness". Yes, we shall find that each case is different and there is therefore a great need for flexibility.

But while each case is different, there are certain things which are common to all, and perhaps the most important to remember is that it is by the Word of God that the Holy Spirit will bring souls to the experience of the new birth, not merely by our arguments or persuasion. "Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth" (Jas. 1:18). The importance therefore of being familiar with our Bibles and able to turn unhesitatingly to the great gospel texts, cannot be over-emphasized. The Word of God is the hammer which will break in pieces the rock-hard hearts of men. And we must recognize that we are surrounded today by people who are as ignorant of God's Word as the men on Mars hill. A careful study therefore of Paul's handling of that situation in Acts 17 will be rewarding. Beginning from the basic truth of God as Creator to whom all men belong, and upon whom all are dependent, he went on to speak of sin and the need of repentance. Doubtless the whole of his address is not recorded, but we can see that before we present God's way of salvation in Christ we must lay a foundation of the sinner's need and the seriousness of sin against God. Whichever way we present our message we must ensure that the basic points are covered.

"I have compassion on the multitude... if I send them away fasting to their home, they will faint in the way; and some of them are come from far" (Mark 8:2,3). We cannot read these words without being impressed by the depth of the Master's care. There is evidence in the Gospels that the disciples found it heavy going to keep up with Him at times. That is understandable, for they, like us, had so much to learn. "I will make you to become fishers of men" is the promise. That is not learned in a day, as they found as they trudged weary miles in the fierce heat of the sun so that their Master might speak to one of Samaria's daughters, or as they listened while He willingly helped a ruler of the Jews who for his own reasons preferred not to come in daylight hours. Yes, they were beginning to understand what He meant when He spoke to them about denying themselves and taking up their cross daily, but the lesson took some learning.

That is the condition plainly stated, and if we are to become fishers of men we shall need to learn it, too; to learn to care for others more than we care for ourselves. It will need to be built into our spiritual make-up, as fishing was part of Peter's make-up. The call of the sea was in his bones. "Come ye after Me" the Master calls, and we remember that of Him it was written that "Christ also pleased not Himself'. Are we willing to follow a Master like that?

The true story is told of Sadhu Sundar Singh, one of India's great sons, that one time he was crossing one of Tibet's high mountain ranges when he was overtaken by a severe snow-storm. He was joined by a Tibetan who was in the same plight and together they battled their way forward, trying to locate a village where they could shelter. But the going was so heavy and the cold so intense that they despaired of ever reaching their destination. After some time they came across a man who had slipped down an embankment and was lying unconscious. The Sadhu asked his companion if he would help carry him to safety, but the Tibetan told him he was a fool. How could they help another man when they were struggling to save their own lives. However, the Sadhu was not the sort of man to leave a fellow human being to perish if he could do anything at all to help, so they parted company.

The Sadhu clambered down the slope and with a superhuman effort managed to lift the unconscious form on to his shoulders, and. bravely struggled on through the snow. After battling away for some time he noticed that his fingers were beginning to tingle. The exertion of carrying this heavy burden was making his blood flow more freely, but more wonderful still, after a further lapse of time the man on his back began to stir. The warmth from the Sadhu's body had warmed him into consciousness again. Of course the man was far too weak to walk, but it was much easier to carry him when he was able to hold on to his rescuer. And so they struggled on together until eventually they reached the protection of a small village and their lives were saved. But on the way they came across a mound of snow and underneath was the body of the Tibetan, frozen to death. He had not made it. The Sadhu had.

Therein lies a parable which requires no interpretation. Caring will cost us something. And the more we care the more it will cost. But the Lord Jesus Himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive", and in our caring we shall ourselves be blessed. Still He calls, "Come ye after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men". In the light of a perishing world around us, and of a Master calling and expecting from heaven's high throne, can we afford not to respond?

Toms, A. F. | Jun 1978
General