“Then He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men’” (Matt. 4:19).
I realize that none of us are Peter, Andrew, James, and John, but we are disciples of Jesus Christ nonetheless. Therefore, 21st century disciples of Christ are called today to follow the Lord and become fishers of men.
There are a number of requirements and conditions to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ, such as:
- Deny ourselves (Luke 9:23).
- Take up our cross (Luke 9:23).
- Love Christ more than family and more than self (Luke 14:26).
- Forsake all that we have for Jesus (Luke 14:33).
- Abide in the word (teachings) of Christ (John 8:31).
- Love one another as Christ has loved us (John 13:34-35).
- Bear much fruit (John 15:8).
- Become fishers of men (Matt. 4:19; Luke 5:10).
All of the above are demanded of us by Christ, and thus essential to do. And I am sure that all of us can and need to grow in each of these discipleship requirements. But how many of us are falling way short in being fishers of men? We must overcome whatever fears that prevent us to share the good news with the lost all around us. We must possess a spirit of courage and not fear. We must have compassion, love, and zeal in our hearts. We must see everyone as a prospect and not a suspect. And we need to possess that Acts 20:20 vision. Paul declared, “How I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house.”
May the Lord strengthen each one of us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” that they may believe and be baptized and thereby saved (Mark 16:15-16; cf. Romans 1:16). Heavenly Father, please help make each one of us, fishers of men!