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Singapore Moses
Supporter
"Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men" (Mt 4:19) We are saved to save others. We are Christians to make others Christians. We are born again to win others for the Kingdom. We are God's children to bring others into God's family. We are disciples of Christ to enroll others as His disciples. We are in the Church to church the unchurched. We are sanctified to show others the way of holiness. We are going to Heaven and we cannot meet our Lord empty-handed! One sometimes wonders why there is no joy in our Churches. People are long-faced and there is no excitement or enthusiasm or exuberance. The answer is simple. There is no soulwinning. When the shepherd found his lost sheep he called his friends and neighbors and said, "Rejoice with me!" So said the woman who found her lost coin and the father who found his lost son (Lk 15:1-31). Soulwinning excites Heaven with great joy! (vv 7,10). One who does not win souls is out of tune with Heaven. Dancing is not Pentecostal. It belongs to all soulwinners! (v 25). Von Zinzendorf (1700-1760), the Founder of the Moravian Church, said, "Our joy until we die is to win men for the Lord!" The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is not a ticket to enter the Kingdom of God but an ordination for soulwinning. The last recorded words of Christ before Ascension said exactly that (Acts 1:8). When Christ Himself was anointed with the Holy Spirit He went out soulwinning (Acts 10:38). The early Church filled the cities with the Gospel and turned the world upside down when they were baptized with the Spirit. The entire Church was a band of (p)reachers! (Acts 8:14). Paul's Epistles to Timothy are called pastoral epistles but he admonished Timothy to "do the work of an evangelist" (2 Tim 4:5). The devil will oppose evangelism tooth and nail because it plunders hell and populates Heaven. Throughout history he has been changing his tactics to sidetrack the Church from reaching the unreached. The Perfection doctrine has paralyzed many sincere Christians. As we keep on serving God, He will keep on cleansing us. We are sanctified to serve! Moses was cleansed and commissioned! (Ex 3:5,10). So was David (Psa 51:12,13), Isaiah (Isa 6:5-9), Jeremiah (Jer 1:4,5) and scores of others. We are sanctified for the Master's "use" and "every good work" (2 Tim 2:21). Don't become a doll in the showcase!
S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
The phrase "fishers of men" was spoken by Jesus when He was calling two of His disciples, Simon Peter and Andrew, to follow Him. "As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his bro...
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Karim Hosein
Supporter
In Mark 1:14-22 and Matthew 4:17-23 we see this phrase used. In both cases, we see it happening right after Jesus begins teaching, "The time has now come, the Kingdom of God/Heaven is near! Repent and believe the good news." We also see immediately after that he continues, "teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom...." So we see that the context of the phrase is in teaching people, proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom of God/Heaven and calling people to repent and believe. Well, getting right down to the meat of the matter, Jesus used this phrase when he was at the Sea of Galilee, known then for its abundance of fish. He saw Simon and Andrew casting their dragnet into the water. And why were they casting a net? Because they were 'catchers (of fish)'. [The Greek word for 'Fishermen' here.... ] Jesus then said, "follow me and I will make you 'Catchers'-(of-men)" [... is the same word here for 'fishers']. In essence, he was saying, "Instead of catching fish, I will teach you how to catch men." Compare the same story in Luke 4:43-5:11 where Jesus was preaching to the people from the boat about the good news of the Kingdom of God/Heaven, then told Simon and his colleagues to let down their nets. After the large catch they made, Jesus tells them, "from now on you will catch men." Clearly we see a relationship between preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God and catching men. This is basic evangelism, to make disciples of all men (Matthew 28:18-20), immersing them and teaching them to obey all that Jesus taught. But we also see a relationship with preaching the good news and using a net. A fishing pole catches one fish at a time and if it is not good, you throw it back. A net catches many fish at a time, you keep the good ones and throw back the bad ones. This is also a lesson in *how* to catch men. See in Mark 4:1-20 and Luke 8:1-15 where Jesus is again teaching about the Kingdom at the lake uses the parable of the farmer broadcasting his seeds. Some land on various soils but the farmer does not care. In the end he gathers the harvest from the seeds that grew to maturity. So being a fisher-of-men is about broadcasting the good news to many people about the Kingdom and through discernment of the Spirit, gather in the good ones to make disciples of them, teaching them to obey all that Jesus commanded while letting the bad ones go. It is not about trying with one and if it does or does not work, move on to another. Do not drop a line with bait. Instead cast a net and see what you pull in.
Nece Moore
Supporter
My Pastor just taught on this yesterday at Bible study. In the Bible the LORD tells the disciples to be "fishers of men." At the time, the disciples were on a boat with the LORD fishing. He took up this opportunity, as he often does with the disciples, to teach them by using a metaphor. Peter was actually a fishermen, the LORD tells him to, not only fish for fish in the sea, but to fish for the hearts of men. Later on in the Bible, the LORD tells us that to be true disciples, we have to follow after Him and preach the word wherever we go, this my friend, is fishing for mens' hearts. "Fisher of men" is actually "Planting the seed," telling those who don't know the LORD about him so they can learn to follow after our wonderful, amazing, metaphor using God :) Hope this helps God Bless
Okechukwu Zoe Ogbonna
Supporter
To be fishers of men simply means to do all that you can to reach men for Jesus.
Tony Flores
Supporter
Just like Peter and other disciples were fishermen and would go out and fish to get their daily physical food, we are commanded by Jesus to go out and fish for lost souls that do not know Jesus. In this ay they will be inducted into the Kingdom by God when they hear the Gospel preached by His Diciples for the disciples' daily spiritual food, which is being Fishers of Men.
Jeffrey Johnson
Supporter
What does it mean to be "fishers of men"? "Fishers of men" is a phrase Jesus used to describe his first disciples—Simon Peter and Andrew—indicating that he would transform their vocation from catching fish to bringing people to the Kingdom of God. It signifies a calling to share the gospel, win souls, and make disciples rather than pursuing a literal trade. By promising to make them "fishers of men," Jesus repurposes their former profession. Instead of catching fish, their new life's mission will be to spread the gospel, actively seek out people, and bring them into the Kingdom of God. Fishers of men: A play on words based on the occupation of Simon and Andrew. It indicates that they would be "catching people alive" for the Kingdom. The implication may also be that, like fishing, disciple-making would be strenuous, labour-intensive work that required perseverance but sometimes produced few results. Jesus thus compared men to fish, and he invited this humble fisherman to give up his secular trade for a far grander form of fishing—catching men alive. Peter and his brother Andrew accepted the invitation. "At once abandoning the nets, they followed him." (Matthew 4:18-20) Jesus next called out to James and John, who were in their boat mending their nets. He invited these also to become fishers of men. How did they respond? "At once leaving the boat and their father, they followed him." (Matthew 4:21, 22) Jesus showed skill as a fisher of men. On this occasion, he caught four men alive. Matthew 4:19 Leads Us to Share the Gospel with Others Fishing for men is a basic part of following Christ. Making disciples is an essential part of what it means to be a disciple. And so let's pray for one another that God would help us to fish for men. What does Matthew 4:19 mean? Jesus had met Peter and Andrew before this moment (John 1:35–42). Andrew, at least, had spent a day with Him, and Jesus had changed Simon's name to Peter. Before introducing Peter to Jesus, Andrew told his brother, "We have found the Messiah." Their understanding that Jesus was the long-promised Christ, the one who would save Israel and bring the Kingdom of heaven to earth, may explain why they obeyed Jesus so quickly. Still, their faith and quick action are remarkable. Jesus had seen the brothers at work. They were in the middle of throwing a net into the Sea of Galilee. Without any small talk or explanation—at least not as recorded in Matthew's account—Jesus commanded them: "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." It was common on this day for a rabbi, or teacher, to gather students who would follow him in his daily life. They would be mentored by him, learning both through his words and through observing his daily interactions and choices. Jesus' call to younger men to follow Him in this way was not a foreign concept. Many rabbis and teachers had disciples. Andrew and Peter would have understood the role Jesus was calling them to fill. Conclusion The idea of fishing for men may have been strange; however, Peter and Andrew were expert fishermen. In one sentence, Jesus was already helping them understand the mission He would give to them. The verse is a personal, two-part invitation from Jesus that outlines the foundation of Christian discipleship."Follow me": This is a call to a personal relationship. It requires leaving one's old way of life, priorities, and self-direction to learn from Jesus and adopt His teachings.
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