Verse: Matthew 4:18-20
18 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.
Devotional Thoughts:
In last week’s newsletter, I wrote briefly on how Jesus correlates fishing with evangelism. He’s not interested in the disciples actually catching fish, per se, he’s much more interested that they get the picture that he is painting for them. They are going to be his followers, and as such, they will be fishers of men. They will be intentional and deliberate about evangelism.
As should we. Evangelism demands intentionality. It demands thoughtfulness, and even skill.
Now, I want to be careful here. Surveys have shown that one of the biggest reasons Christians refuse to be active in evangelism is because of a lack of knowledge. Many think they don’t know enough, and aren’t skilled enough, to be up to the task of evangelism. So it’s easy, in turn, to leave the job of the evangelism to others.
On the other hand, that obstacle is just a speed bump for other things we want to do. We want to drive a vehicle – so we are taught. We want to pursue a career in a certain field – so we learn. Any Christian can, and should, be active in evangelism.
Points to Ponder:
We need skill and intentionality in evangelism because we will be dealing with individuals who need to hear how the gospel speaks into their lives. They need to hear and understand how the good news addresses their deepest needs.
Too many times when thinking about evangelism, we think about sharing and reciting a memorized, generic gospel presentation. But Jesus never dealt with people in the same, exact manner. Each person is unique, and Jesus’ approach to them was as well.
So think about this in the context of our lives today. For instance, suppose I wanted to share something with Bret. I wanted to give a good analogy, so I spoke with an incredible football analogy. No matter the great points I might have made, he’s likely not going to catch them.
Jesus knew his audience. He didn’t give a carpentry metaphor. No, he used fishing.
We need skill and intentionality in evangelism. And this means that we love people enough to get to know them. It means that we build relationships with them and, by doing so, we can speak truth to them – that we may understand how to bring the gospel to bear in their lives.
How is this a reality in your life today?
