When you read the Four Gospels in the New Testament, which are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, you will quickly discover that Jesus has much to say about following Him. You see, it’s not enough to simply receive Jesus into your heart as your Savior, He wants to be the Lord of your life, too.
So, if Jesus Christ is truly your Lord and Savior, then you will follow Him. And what does that mean exactly? Well, it means that you will do what He does, act like He acts, say what He says, and go where He goes. And the following verse helps us to accurately see what Jesus will use us for if we are truly one of His followers.
“And He said to them, Come after Me [as disciples — letting Me be your Guide], follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men!” Matthew 4:19 AMP
The true followers of Jesus Christ are fishers of men. They are soulwinners.
This means that soulwinners aren’t supposed to be those individuals who are among the rare breed within a particular church congregation, but soulwinning is in fact supposed to be the commission of every true believer. That is, every true believer who is actually following Jesus Christ.
All believers have been given the ministry of reconciliation (see 2 Corinthians 5:17-20). And we are to represent Jesus and the Kingdom of God to the world.
According to the book of Acts, Jesus Christ has empowered us by sending the Holy Ghost to empower us for this task.
“But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.” Acts 1:8 AMP
The primary purpose for the power of God coming on your life is to make you an effective witness. The reason so many believers are powerless today is because they have lost their desire to reach the world with the gospel.
Something else that I would like to point out from the verse above is that the Holy Ghost enables you to be a witness. This means that your lifestyle, and not just your words, are to be a witness to others of the saving power of Jesus Christ.
Obviously, the things we do now will determine where we will spend eternity. But somehow, we must have forgotten that the things we do now will also determine where others will spend eternity. This is why I believe that if people would get a deep revelation of the reality of hell, it would motivate them to be fishers of men (see Luke 16:19-31). Hell is a real place. And people will spend eternity there if you and I don’t determine to reach them (see Matthew 13:36-42).
Those around you in the world are starving. The world is starving for everything we have as citizens of the Kingdom of God. And we have at our disposal all the King’s provisions, so we must become focused on declaring it to the world.
FISHING FOR RESULTS
The following are a few things I have learned about being a fisher of men. And I believe with all of my heart that if you will put these things into practice in your life, you will begin to reach many people and rescue their souls from hell.
1. Go where the fish are.
2. Go where the fish are hungry.
In other words, go where the needs are the greatest. Many times, people come to Jesus when they are in a time of need. Now to be clear, this isn’t always the case, and never limit your soulwinning to just these types of people who are in such conditions. However, when someone’s life is unraveling, they tend to be more receptive when you are providing them with the one and only remedy to their dilemma.
3. Use the right bait.
Often you will discover, that you must minister to a physical or soulish need to attract a person to address their spiritual needs. And Jesus is a great example for us in this regard. Jesus used several types of bait, such as healing and material provisions to reach out to people.
4. Present the bait correctly.
You must bring the person into a loving confrontation with Jesus Christ. In other words, ask them to pray with you to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and to commit themselves to live for Him.
5. Reel them in.
We are to pull them out of their old environment (the world) and bring them into their new environment – The Church. Every single person you lead to Jesus must also be led into your local church and planted there, so that they like you, can become a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
Always remember that following Jesus will involve following Him in His quest for souls. So, follow Him faithfully, and let Him make you a fisher of men.
