Monday Reflections after a morning of shoveling snow...

The snow and cold are making their presence known in north central Illinois.  So let's get our mind off of those and think about some summer time fishing.  If there is something that I hope I can factor back into my life, it would be some stream fishing with a fly rod or an ultra light rod and reel combo.

Tim Challies put out a recent blog post titled "How Evangelism Is Kind Of Like Fishing."  I recommend his blog for great content and he is very good at collecting articles from around the web to be aware of.  www.challies.com is the website and https://www.challies.com/articles/how-evangelism-is-kind-of-like-fishing/ is the link to this post.

Do you remember the children's Sunday School song, "I will make you fishers of men, fishers of men, fishers of men.  I will make you fishers of men, if you follow Me?"  This phrase given by Jesus to fisherman Peter would have given him an instant connection to start to relate the two activities.  "I know how to fish.  What do I know from fishing that applies to catching men?"  These could have been some thoughts rolling around in Peter's mind.

Let me give you Challies' five points along with some of my thoughts related to my fishing experiences in the stream and toward the human soul.

1.  Fishing requires going.

The preparation started many months in advance.  The tackle box was brought into the house and its contents were spread out over the dining room table.  Each was inspected and put back in its rightful place.  There was attention to the boat, trailer, and motor if these were going to be used.  Dates were placed on the calendar and resources were gathered for the upcoming adventure.

Evangelism requires preparation.  An excitement about what you are to share, an advance prayer time, and Scriptures verses and accounts that share the Gospel are reviewed.  Like fishing and asking yourself what might work best in the conditions you might come upon, so evangelism has some evaluations of what you think might work best.  It might all change once you get out there but a prepared plan is in place.

2.  Fishing requires expertise. 

I remember many hours spend not in the water or in the boat but in the backyard with my rod and reel casting to try to put my bait into a bucket placed many feet away.  It was so important to practice that backcast or forward cast and control its flight to hit its mark.  A great satisfaction on the river was had when I could flip that spinner bait under the low hanging tree limbs and into that hidden hole without getting snagged up.  

Evangelism takes us knowing the Gospel but also who we are sharing the Gospel with.  Many hours are spent sitting with someone and listening to them share what is on their mind.  You have something to "cast" to them and God will give you the right moment.  When that happens, will you be able to "flip" that truth about God into the hole He has provided for you?  Just as the time away from the water is just as important as the time on or in the water, so our time away from the conversation spending time in prayer and God's Word is just as important as being in the conversation with another about Jesus.

3.  Fishing requires diligence.

It didn't matter to me what the weather was like if I was on vacation and I went on vacation to fish.  If I couldn't fish from the boat then I would fish from the shore.  Many times I was dressed in winter gear to fish on a cold wintery June day in northern Michigan.  I would watch the sky and an incoming storm to see how long I could stay out before motoring back to shore and the protection of our tent or trailer.

Evangelism isn't a "one and done deal."  As a pastor, there is no one "perfect" sermon that is going to answer every spiritual question with complete clarity.  Evangelism, many times, requires going back again and again and again.  It is talking about the same subject even though you think they should have gotten it by now.  Evangelism requires a "no matter what attitude" to be where the fish are.

4.  Fishing depends on providence.

We would take our annual vacation the week of Memorial Day because bass season opened on the previous Saturday.  It was the same time every year but sometimes the fishing was a blast and other times it was a bust.  The spring leading up to the opener was like the story of the Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  It was either too cold or too hot or just right,.  We were going, prepared and diligent but the outside force of the weather, the providence, dictated how many fish fry dinners we were going to have during the week.  Were the fish going to be on their beds when we arrived on our scheduled vacation?

Evangelism is us doing what God has commanded us to do.  Sometimes the message of Christ is received and other times it falls on deaf ears.  Someone else is the providence that is the key for the hearer to heed to the message we are speaking.  We are not the ones who died on the cross.  Jesus did that sacrificial act and He is the one who saves according to His timing.  The part we are in charge of is our obedience of His command to let His light shine.  We are in charge of the sharing and Jesus is in charge of the saving.  Sometimes there are many casts made before the fish is hooked.  Likewise, sometimes there is much sharing before someone is saved because it is God's time for it to happen.

5.  Fishing requires confidence.  

I started fishing when a fish finder was something for the "pros" and too expensive for us.  Our knowledge of where the fish were was based on other family members who had fished there before and also understanding the bottom of the lake to zero in on those drop-offs where fish liked to hang out.  Zipping across the lake to your favorite fishing spot was always at "full throttle" because this was the day we were going to bring in the "big ones."  When the fish finder became more affordable for us "regular guys", those little pixel fish on the screen brought confidence that we were in the right place.   

Evangelism requires confidence in the cross of Christ.  Evangelism requires confidence that the fields are white unto harvest.  Evangelism requires confidence that God's Word will not return void.  We head out at "full throttle" and we throw in our line with confidence that God is already there preparing those to take a swipe at the bait we are offering.  

I really want to go fishing now but I have to ask the question, "Am I just as excited or even more excited about the next fishing trip for God's kingdom?"  May the Lord lead us to the fishing hole that we need to be at today.  

1.  May we be prepared as possible.
2.  May we be practiced up.
3.  May we be persistent and patience.
4.  May we be pointing to Christ as the Savior.
5.  May we be praising God before we even get to fishing hole He wants us to be at.  

Let's go fishing.
Adam