WHAT WOULD YOU CALL THEM?

   As Steve was preaching Sunday morning, I began to wish I had known ahead of time what his sermon topic would have been.  I would have gotten a group of our teenagers together and created a skit.  The whole time he was preaching this thought was going through my mind.

   His sermon outline was on being fishermen.  When we look at Andrews, Peter, James and John in the scripture we see the reason these men were called fishermen.  These men would go out daily in their sailboats and catch fish.  When they returned to the shore in the evening, there was something to show for their labor.

   What if these men decided to be fishermen and instead of lauching out into the deep they stayed at home instead?  They could have headed down to their closest fishing store and purchased the largest boat, the strongest fishing poles and nets, tackle and a tackle box that would make the greatest of men wish they were in the trade of being a  fisherman.

   Peter could have set the boat outside his home for all his friends and family members to see.  James and John displaying the wonderful items they had purchased onto the boat.  Andrew could tell all the great fishing stories.  They could come out daily and climb into the boat and talk to their friends and neighbors about fishing as they stopped by to adore the beautiful boat. 
 

   Now if this is what took place, would we still be able to call Andrew, Peter, James and John fishermen?  The answer would be no.  If these men never went out to the sea and cast their nets to catch fish they would only be dreamers and eventually be laughed at.

  

   Isn't this what many of us do during our life time?  This is something I have been guilty of, in the past, myself. 
  
   We call ourselves fishers of men.  We purchase all the right clothes, the most expensive bible, we read all the right books and attend church, but we have never once led a person to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We have never invited friends and family members to attend church with us so they can hear the gospel. There are some pastor's and laymen who never go out into the sea of their city and witness to souls in order for them to hear the gospel.  We should be ashamed calling ourselves fishers of men if we only intend to dream.

   We all have the right equipment sitting at our houses or in front of our churches but are we really fishers of men or just dreamers?

   Each of us needs to evaluate our lives and find out what our title really is.  If you want to be a fisher of men, launch your boat out into the world and start fishing.   Once we start drawing others into the net, that's when we become fishers of men, not a moment sooner. 

   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. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.  And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.  And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.  And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. ( Matthew 4:19-24)