Fishers of Men

As we walked along the docks in South Asia, I began to pray and reflect on the past season of ministry and the coming one. There, we had our first experience seeing fishermen use nets to bring in a catch from the shore.

As a young boy I had always envisioned being a fisher of men, as someone with a fishing rod, baiting “Come, follow me… and I will make you fishers of men.”

The Docks at Visakhapatnam

the hook to attract a fish and casting his line to wait patiently for a nibble. That was a reflection of my experience fishing. Yet the fishermen Jesus spoke to in His time on Earth cast nets, pulling them back out of the water with an abundance of fish (at least sometimes). In Matthew 4:19 and again in Mark 1:17 Jesus said,

Although it may seem obvious, there is a great deal of difference between line fishing and net fishing. With line fishing you cast and wait, often alone, catching one at a time. But net fishing is a different activity altogether, offering the possibility of a much bigger catch. It even changes the fishermen’s expectations as they approach the water. Net fishermen cast in groups and bring in a net full of fish together, relying upon one another for strength to draw it back in.

The distinction is valuable as we consider the ministry of AIM. We desire to cast the gospel net wide and see large numbers believe in Jesus simultaneously in order to build a church and allow the people to support one another in grace and love. Line fishing is a solitary art, and while it is always appropriate to cast a line out with the Good News, at AIM we deliberately choose to work in teams so that we may help one another draw new believers into God’s fold.

There is a promise in Jesus’ words to His disciples; promises of multiplication (in contrast to addition) as new believers learn to cast their own nets and draw others into the Body of Christ.

Please pray for Asia International Mission as we seek to cast a wide net and allow the Holy Spirit to draw people into it.

--Russ Sharrock  

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