• He saw in them in a trade that He liked and could use.
• At least four of the twelve disciples were commercial fishermen.
• That means one-third of His disciples were fishermen.
(1) Peter and Andrew were fishermen.
Look at Matthew 4:18-19, we read, "And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
(2)James and John were fishermen.
Look at Mark 1:19-20, we read, "And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him."
These four men knew a great deal about fishing.
But I have discovered that fishermen know about more than just fishing!
Illus: Did you know that you can put two fishermen in a boat and they can solve all the world’s problems of the world in one fishing trip?
Listen, many times what they say in that fishing boat makes more sense than the politicians in Washington, D.C.!
Illus: They remind me of the old Indian chief that sat in his tent on the reservation, smoking his ceremonial pipe, eyeing the two U.S. government officials sent to interview him.
• They said, "Chief Two Eagles, you have observed the white man for many years. You have seen all his progress and all his problems."
• The chief nodded.
• The official continued, "What do you think of all the white man has done?"
• The chief stared at the officials for more than a minute, and then calmly replied. "When white man found this land, Indians were running it. No taxes. No debt. Plenty buffalo, plenty beaver. Women did most of the work. Medicine man free. Indian men hunted and fished all the time."
• The chief paused, then added, "Only white man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that!"
Remember, the Lord loves fishermen.
Many folks like to fish, but fishing like many other things has become a very expensive hobby to participate in these days.
Illus: Two rednecks went on a fishing trip.
• They rented all the equipment: the reels, the rods, the wading boots, the rowboat, the car, and even a cabin in the woods. They spent a fortune!
• The first day they went fishing, but they didn't catch anything.
• The same thing happened on the second day.
• The same thing happened on the third day.
• It goes on like this until finally, on the last day of their vacation, one of the men catches a fish.
• As they're driving home they're really depressed. One redneck turns to the other redneck and says, "Do you realize that this one lousy fish we caught cost us fifteen hundred dollars?"
• The other guy says, "Wow! It's a good thing we didn't catch any more!"
Notice, when Andrew began to become a fisher of men, the Bible makes it clear that he wanted to FIRST FIND HIS BROTHER PETER and to tell him about what he had found.
This is the way God intended for the church to grow.
Illus: The Institute for American Church Growth asked 10,000 people about their decision to join a particular church. What led them to their church?
The answers were:
• Special need - 2 percent
• Walk in - 3 percent
• Pastor - 6 percent
• Visitation - 1 percent
• Sunday school - 5 percent
• Evangelistic crusade - 5 percent
• Programs - 3 percent
• (Listen to this) FRIEND or RELATIVE - 79 PERCENT (Wayne Zunkel, Leadership, Vol. 5, no. 3)
Soul winning should be a top priority for all Christians to be involved in each day.
• Two dedicated fishermen can meet each other and one will say to the other one, HAVE YOU CAUGHT ANY FISH LATELY?
• Wouldn’t it be nice if two Christians met each other and one say to the other, HAVE YOU WON ANYONE TO THE LORD LATELY?
Yes, Soul winning should be a top priority for all Christians to be involved in each day.
But sad to say it is not a TOP PRIORITY in many churches.
The New Testament church turns the world upside down with the spreading of the gospel.
WHY AREN’T SOULS BEING SAVED TODAY IN SOME CHURCHES?
Let me illustrate…
Illus: In football part of the game they have a huddle. The goal of the huddle is to give you thirty seconds to call the play…. There may be sixty thousand people watching them huddle.
They don’t mind you taking thirty seconds to call the play. They understand that you have to get organized; you have to know where you are going to go.
• The ends need to know where they are going.
• The quarterback needs to know where he is going.
• The backs need to know where they are going.
• A huddle is a necessary part of playing the game.
But let me inform you if you do not already know: sixty thousand people do not pay $20 to $50 dollars a ticket to watch you huddle.
They want to see if their team can overcome the opposition who is daring them to snap the ball and move down the field to score.
What they want to know is does your HUDDLING work?
Now Christians gather together on Sunday morning and Sunday nights and Wednesday nights!
We say, “Boy did we have a great huddle!
But what people don’t seem to understand is that the huddle is so that we can play the game.
The effectiveness of a church cannot be measured by how well you do on Sunday morning.… The test of the church is what it does in the marketplace.
What we need today is churches that are representative of Jesus Christ not only when gathered but when disseminated.”
The Bible method for church growth is to do what Andrew did; HE FIRST FOUND HIS BROTHER PETER AND LED HIM TO THE LORD. THIS IS GOD’S WAY!
Charity begins at home!!!
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger said one of the problems he had with the Bible College he attended been probably 50 percent of the students was studying to be missionaries. But while they spent four years of training to be missionaries they spent those four years of training without actually winning souls to the Lord.
Every Christian should be active winning souls to the Lord if they are in Bible college or not.
But mankind has always thought they were smarter than God, so they have come up with a different system for church growth.
WHAT IS MAN’S WAY?
Let me explain it with this crude illustration.
Many churches use the same approach as a prostitute uses.
WHAT IS THEIR METHOD?
Illus: That is, she goes and finds some wife’s husband and tries to seduce him to come to her.
This is what many churches are doing. They go into other churches where Christians belong and try to seduce them to leave their church, with socials, dances, parties and etc.
This is not being a fisher of men; this is taking a fish out of one bowl and putting it into another.
GOD’S WAY IS FOR BELIEVERS TO DO AS ANDREW DID; go to their family and friends and tell them (WE HAVE FOUND THE MESSIAH) and tell them you want them to find the MESSIAH also.
The first place Andrew looked, he first findeth his brother.
We should be looking for opportunities each day to witness to a lost person.
Illus: Makes me THINK OF the man that was dining in a fancy restaurant, and there was a gorgeous redhead sitting at the next table. She was a "10" for sure.
He wants to talk to her but lacked the nerve to talk with her.
• Suddenly she sneezes and her glass eye flies out of its socket towards the man.
He reaches out, grabs it out of midair, and hands it to her.
• "Oh my, I am so sorry," the woman says as she pops her eye back in place.
• She said, "You are so nice. Let me buy you some dessert to say thank you."
• They enjoyed a wonderful dessert together and they laughed together for several hours.
• The guy is amazed! Everything has been incredible! "You know, you are the perfect woman. Are you this nice to every guy you meet?"
• She said, "No, you just happened to catch my eye."
Some will never catch the eye of the lost the way they live!
Illus: A lost lady told Dr. Odell Belger that her brother-in-law was always asking her to go to church with them. She said that one day she just got tired of him asking so she told him, “Listen, when I see that going to church has helped you and changed your life I will go, but as long as I can see it has not helped you, why would you think I would want to waste my time and go with you?"
That makes sense…doesn’t it?
Illus: Suppose you bought a certain brand of car and when you got it you wanted your family and friends to know how excited you were about your new car.
• However, as time goes on you start to complain about your new car. Finally, you reach the place where you do not have anything good to say about your new car.
• Now suppose you go to your family and friends that you first went to when you were excited about your new car, but now those same people have heard you complain about this car!
• What would happen if you said, “Let me sell you this car?
• Do you think they would want to buy that car? Of course not!
No one would want you to sell them a car that was a lemon and no one wants you to sell them on a religion that will bring nothing but misery to their life!
Think about it; when you hear something good and exciting it stimulates your interest.
Illus: Two old guys are pushing their carts around Wal-Mart when they collide.
• The first old guy says to the second guy, "Sorry about that. I'm looking for my wife, and I guess I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."
• The second old guy says, "That's OK, it's a coincidence. I'm looking for my wife, too. I can't find her and I'm getting a little worried."
• The first old guy says, "Well, maybe I can help you find her. What does she look like?"
• The second old guy says, "Well, she is 27 years old, tall, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and has a gorgeous figure!
• “What does your wife look like?"
• To which the first old guy says, "Doesn't matter, -- let's look for yours."
Andrew, after he got saved, SOUGHT OUT his brother Peter telling him, "WE HAVE FOUND THE MESSIAH!"
I believe Peter could see his excitement and he decided he wanted to go and check this out for himself.
Following the Lord to become a fisher of men REQUIRES TWO THINGS:
We must be -
I. A SEEKER
John 1:41a “He first FINDETH his own brother Simon…”
Notice, the words, “He first findeth…”
This was a top priority for Andrew.
May God ever keep the fire for lost souls burning in our hearts?
Illus: Speaking of this burning desire for lost souls reminds me of a farmer that was munching on a cookie as he watched an old rooster chasing a hen around in the barnyard.
• Playfully, the farmer throws a piece of cookie to the ground.
• Seeing it, the rooster stops chasing the hen and runs to the piece of cookie.
• The farmer shakes his head slowly and says, “Boy, I hope I never get THAT hungry.”
We can't let the devil rob us of our appetite to win the lost. One of the hardest things in the world to do is have good news and no one to share it with.
We Christians have the best news that mankind could ever hear, SO WHY SHOULDN’T WE WANT TO SEEK OUT LOST PEOPLE AND SHARE IT WITH THEM?
BEING A FISHER OF MEN involves being A SEEKER, but also being a FISHER OF MEN involves being -
II. A SPEAKER
Look at John 1:41, we read, “He first findeth his own brother Simon, and SAITH UNTO HIM, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.”
Andrew was a wonderful Christian and once he came to know the Lord he immediately wanted to share it with his brother Peter.
When we LOVE SOMEONE and we know they are facing danger, we are going to SPEAK UP AND WARN THEM!
We Christians often forget about the last words of Jesus before his accession in Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses (not pew warmers) ye shall be witnesses (not scared) ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth not only witness in church.
REMEMBER IN ORDER TO LIVE A CHRIST LIKE LIFE WE MUST BE LIKE CHRIST AND CHRIST WAS A SOUL WINNER.
Illus: To be a soul winner and not share the gospel of Christ to the lost…
1) Would be like having the cure for cancer but not willing to share it with someone who has cancer.
2) Would be like being a fire-fighter who see someone on fire and not willing to help them.
3) Would be like a life-guard seeing a child drowning and would not help them.
The Word of God tells us…
• Psalm 107:2 “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;”
• Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."
The greatest treasure in hell is a soul. Souls are the commodity of the universe.
• God wants souls.
• Satan wants souls.
• Eternal lives are what God and Satan are fighting over.
• The only way Satan can hurt God is by stealing a soul. “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy…” (John 10:10).
• Every time a soul enters eternity, either Satan or God rejoices.
• If the soul goes to heaven, God and all the angels throw a party.
• If the soul winds up in hell, Satan and all the demons throw a party.
• Redeeming a soul from Satan’s grasp is the only way to hurt Satan.
• The angels rejoice when a sinner is saved.
• Equally important to understand is that demons get angry each time a sinner comes to God.
• Demonic powers will use any weapon in their nasty arsenal in order to prevent a soul from being saved.
• Satan’s greatest attacks are against those who are winning souls from his evil kingdom. He hates soul winners.
• The greatest treasure on earth is a soul. God does not care about worldly wealth; all He cares about are souls of mankind.
In the hustle and bustle of life, we place great value on money, cars, and houses; but when the Father looks down from heaven, all He cares about are people.
Illus: A soul is worth far more than the accumulated wealth of the world. If you piled up the entire world’s wealth on one side of a balance SCALE and placed a soul on the other side, one single soul would outweigh the wealth of the entire world.
The greatest gift you can give God is your soul. Jesus said, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”(Matthew 16:26).
The Gospel of Christ is the best news that a lost man or woman can ever hear.
Some folks do not seem to know the difference between GOOD NEWS and BAD NEWS!
Illus: A farmer went to his banker and announced that he had bad news and good news:
The farmer said, "The bad news is that I can't make my mortgage payments. And that crop loan I've taken out for the past 10 years -- I can't pay that off, either. Not only that, I won't be able to pay you the couple of hundred thousand I still have outstanding on my tractors and other equipment. So I'm going to have to give up the farm and turn it all over to you for whatever you can salvage out of it.”
Silence prevailed for a minute and then the banker said, "What's the good news?"
“The good news is that I'm going to keep on banking with you," said the farmer. (Bits & Pieces, April 30, 1992.)
(1) HIS SHARING WAS PERSONAL
Andrew recognized that he had nothing but good news and he could hardly wait to tell Peter that they had found the Messiah.
• The One the Prophets told us was coming
• The One long expected by our fathers
• The One that John the Baptist was preaching about
WE HAVE FOUND THE MESSIAH!!!
Andrew was excited about finding the Messiah and he wanted others to find him also.
(2) HIS SHARING WAS POLITE
Andrew did not say “I” but “WE” have found the Messiah.
It is hard for some people to use the word “We”; they prefer to use the word “me".
Illus: Someone said, “It amazing what we can do for the Lord if we do not care who gets the credit.”
Some folks could never win anyone to Christ because their conversation is filled with, “Me! Me! Me!”
Illus: A wealthy man was fishing in the streams of Scotland. He had the best patent pole that money could buy. After hours of effort without even a bite, he came across a country boy with only a switch for a pole and a bent pin for a hook, but he had a long string of fish.
• "Why is it, I can't catch any?"
• The man inquired. "Because you don't keep yourself out of sight," the boy quietly replied.
This is the secret of fishing for men as well as trout. Lift up the Lord Jesus Christ.
In John 12:32, the Lord said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."
It is not about us; it is all ABOUT HIM!
(3) HIS SHARING WAS PROSPEROUS
Illus: In 1962, a 14-year-old boy by the name of Robert White wrote to President John F. Kennedy’s personal secretary requesting the President’s autograph. Within a few weeks, Evelyn Lincoln honored the boy’s request by sending him a facsimile signature in the mail. That began a relationship of correspondence that lasted 33 years.
Impressed with White’s passion for presidential history, Mrs. Lincoln gave him thousands of documents and mementos. She saved whatever could be saved including even doodles JFK drew during meetings.
Today, Robert White, now 53, boasts of the largest private collection of over 50,000 items. Sometimes simply asking is all it takes. (Southwest Airlines Flight Magazine, November 1999).
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger was asked by a local football coach if he would witness to his brother about salvation.
He said he would do it but him and his brother they do not have the best relationship.
Dr. Belger told him he would be glad to go to his home and witness to him.
He said before you go, I need to warn you it has been years since he went to church, and he might hurt your feeling.
With this cheerful news he arrived at his home which was a beautiful home with a manicured lawn.
He rang the doorbell and was invited to come in.
After a few minutes of greeting Dr. Belger wasted no time sharing the gospel with him.
When he was through sharing the gospel, he asked him would he like to accept this wonderful Savior.
And immediately he said, “Yes” and Dr. Belger led HIM IN PRAYER AND HE ASKED THE LORD TO FORGIVE HIM OF HIS SINS AND COME INTO HIS HEART.
Both he and his brother both now are in heaven.
You would be surprising the people that are lost and wanting someone to share the gospel with them.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger tells how as a teenager the Holy Spirit of God was dealing with him about salvation.
He wanted to be saved but he did not know what he must do to be saved.
On Sunday night he would slip off and attend a local church service.
No one greeted him and told him they were glad he was there.
He set on the back row week after week wanting to be a Christian.
But this church never gave an altar call to come forth to be saved.
He went home some night literally crying! He played in bed crying asking the Lord not to come back tonight because he knew he was not saved.
Finally, some young ladies from another church came to ask him to attend church.
He did and a little girl about 9-10 came and set with him.
When the preacher got through preaching and altar call was given and that young lady beside him started crying and he was no sure why she was crying. He asked her and she said with a broken voice I DON’T WANT YOU TO GO TO HELL. She grabbed my hand and led me to an old fashion altar when I got glorious saved.
You would be surprising the people that you can reach for the Lord if you are willing to tell them how you got save and would they like for them to be saved.
The Bible teaches; YOU HAVE NOT BECAUSE YOU ASK NOT!
Conclusion:
In John 1:41-42a, we read, "He first findeth his own Brother Simon, and saith unto him, we have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus...."
Illus: When fishermen catch a big fish, they will often take it to the taxidermist so they can mount it on the wall as a trophy so others can see what they caught.
What will you have to show the Lord what you have done with your life?
The question we need to ask ourselves is this; am I a FAN OF THE LORD OR A FOLLOWER OF THE LORD?
• You see, FANS sit in the bleachers often criticizing as if they could do better.
• But a follower is doing something. The Lord said, "FOLLOW ME AND I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN!"
Luke 15 gives us 3 great parables. They all teach the unending love of God for all sinners.
1) The parable of the lost sheep,
2) The lost coin
3) And the lost boy.
They all teach the unending love of God for all sinners.
He is willing to save any sinner no matter whom they are or where you find them.
We see the great joy of heaven over the salvation of one sinner on earth. There is more joy in heaven over one sinner that repents than over 99 who don’t.
In all 3 cases when that which was lost was found there was great joy. All heaven rejoices when any sinner gets saved.
• I believe in casting out devils, but I don’t ever read where heaven rejoices when we cast out devils.
• I believe in divine healing, but I don’t ever read in the Bible where all heaven rejoices when somebody gets healed of cancer.
• I like to preach good sermons, but I don’t ever read where heaven rejoices and says he did a good job because he preached a good sermon.
The things we shout about are good and important to us, but God never says we have to shout over it. The only thing I read in the word of God that heaven ever rejoices over is the salvation of a sinner.
You may not be able to cast out devils, you may not be able to heal the sick, you may not be able to preach a good sermon, but there is one thing you can do that is greater than all that and will cause all of heaven to rejoice, if you go out from here and win one sinner to Jesus Christ. You can do something that pleases God more than anything else that we may do. That should get us excited.
The greatest joy of heaven is soul winning on earth. If we want heaven to rejoice, we need to win souls.
Go home and start where Jesus said to start.
The call of the master is for us to go home and tell our friends what great things He has done for us.
Illus: Many times, people will come and say, “Pastor, I want you to go see my brother, sister, son or a friend that God has laid on my heart.” Well, if God has laid them on your heart, you are the one that needs to go see them. You will have a better chance of winning your family & friends than I will. If you can’t win your close friends and family, then how can you win people you don’t even know? Go home to your friends and tell them what He has done for you.
I want to challenge every Christian this week to BEING A FISHER OF MEN requires that we be...
I. A SEEKER
II. A SPEAKER
