In the past few weeks, I have been learning how to fish for people. No, that doesn't mean grabbing my fishing pole and hooking people by the belt loop. It means reeling people in so they want to know more about Jesus. Before the teaching series at my church about this topic started, I was terrified of the idea of sharing Jesus with people. I assumed that people would immediately disregard whatever I was trying to say as soon as they heard the words "God" or "Church." The truth is, those words very well may make people want to turn away, but our job as Christians is to share enough to at least get them interested.
When I was a teenager, it was easy to invite people to church because the idea of youth group was fun to most people my age. Now, as an adult, it is a little harder because the word "Church" comes in to play. It may not be a big word to some, but for a lot of people, this word can possess a negative connotation. It can carry resentment, regret, or even hurt. What I have learned about this c-word is that although some may think negatively of it, that doesn't mean they will always have those feeling and that doesn't mean they are unreachable. No one is too far from God for any person to reach them. Someone just has to be willing to go fishing.
There are easy and practical way to go on a fishing trip for people. They are much easier than even I realized before our series at church started. Here are just a few of them:
1. Put out some bait. Essentially, what this means is give them an invitation. Rather than starting a debate about who Jesus is or is not, start small and invite them to a church service or to an event that your church is having. That is something tangible that can be done to at least put it in their minds.
2. Have a conversation. If there is someone you know who is far from Jesus, you should be doing all you can to get them to Him and an easy way to do that is just to talk to them. However, be intentional about the way you have the conversation. Don't go into it being ready to argue.Rather, if your friend is struggling with something, give them examples of what the bible may say about that subject. One of the best things to do is tell others your own story and what God has done in your life because it's harder for people to argue with you when it is your own personal story
3. Pray Pray Pray. Ask God to give you the words to say and ask him to soften the hearts of those who you are going fishing for. Pray for them to have the ears to hear what you are saying and to give you the opportunity to speak the words that God give you
I understand that this is all easier said than done. We can know all there is to know about sharing the gospel and inviting people to church, but if we aren't actively fishing for people as God has asked us to, what good is all of that know-how?
Here is the cold, hard truth. There is a heaven - so there is also a hell. What I never realized in all of the time I wasted being too afraid to talk to people about Jesus or the "C-word" is that I was causing people to go to the less desirable of the two by not speaking up. We all have influence in someone's life, and we all have the ability to touch them in some way. That cannot happen, however, if we aren't willing to pick up our reels and go fishing. For those of us who call ourselves Christians, if we aren't telling those who are far from Jesus about Him, we are leaving them dead in the water.
"Jesus called out to them, 'Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people.'" Matthew 4:19
