To Fish Or Not To Fish, That Is The Question
Matt 4:19 "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men"
Now it came to pass that a group existed
that called themselves fishermen and there were many fish in the waters about
them. In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes and the fish
were hungry. Week after week and month after month and year after year the
group that called themselves "fishermen" met in meetings and talked
about those called to fish, the abundance of fish, and how we might go abount
fishing. Year after year they carefully defined what fishing meant, defending
fishing as an occupation, and declared that fishing be the primary talk of
fisherman. These fisherman built large beautiful buildings for local fishing
headquarters and their plea was that everyone should be a fisherman and that
everyone should fish. However, the one thing they did not do, they did not
fish!
In addition to meeting regularly these men determined to send out fishermen to
places where there were many fish. This sending committee was headed by those
who had great vision and had courage to speak about fishing and to promote the
idea of fishing in far away streams and lakes, held meetings to define fishing,
to defend fishing, and to decide what new streams should be thought about. But
the one thing the staff and the committee members did not do, they did not
fish!
Large, elaborate training centers were built whose original and primary purpose
was to teach fisherman how to fish. Over the years, courses were offered on the
needs of the fish, the nature of the fish, how to find fish, and the
psychological effects of fishing. Those who taught had doctorates in
'Fisheology'! But the teachers did not fish! They only taught about
fishing.
Further, the fishermen built large printing houses to publish fishing guides.
Presses were kept busy day and night to produce material solely devoted to
fishing methods. A speaker's bureau was also organized to schedule special
speakers on fishing. After one stirring meeting entitled 'The Necessity Of
Fishing', two young men left the meeting and actually went fishing and one of
them actually caught two fish! He was honored for his great catch and was
scheduled to appear at all the big meetings to tell how he did it. So he
quit fishing in order to have time to tell his experiences to the other
fishermen!
Now it is true that many fisherman sacrificed and put up with all kinds of
difficulties. Some lived near the water and had to put up with the smell of
dead fish. Some had to endure the ridicule of some who made fun of these
fishermen's because they claimed to be fisherman but they did not
fish.
And they wondered about those who thought it was of little use to attend
meetings and talk about fishing. I mean, after all, were they not following the
Master who said, "Come and I will make you fishers of men"?
Imagine their chagrin when someone actually suggested that they were not really
'fishermen'. Yet it did make sense. Can we rightfully call a person a fisherman
if year after year he never catches a fish?
Can A Person Really Be Following Jesus If He Is Not Fishing?
(NOTE: This sarcastic language story is symbolic of the churches efforts today to save the lost. It seems that the mission of most churches is taking care of our own instead of saving the lost. Brethren, if we don't turn this trend around, we will not see heaven. CS)
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