Fishing for Souls

Preface
The Five Ws for Fishing for Souls

What?
The world is and always has been in a constant state of chaos and turmoil. Crime manifests itself through gruesome homicides, thefts, and the like. Blood is being shed in the streets and in houses in massive amounts. This is happening though there are churches in almost every neighborhood, and in some places, on every street corner. Imagine what the world would look like today, or what the current state of the human race would look like, had it not been for the presence of the church and the gospel that has brought peace, joy, and hope through salvation and some much-needed stability to an ever-falling world. Imagine how much worse social, spiritual, and emotional states and the condition the world would be had Jesus not made Peter a fisher of men and had Peter not humbled himself, repented of his sins, forsaken his nets, and followed Jesus (Mark 1:16–18).

Today, we the church stand firmly on the gospel as the world crashes down before us, having become the recipients of someone else’s fishing efforts. With that said, now imagine what a great place the world would be had believers—the beneficiaries of someone else’s catch—truly embraced evangelism and become fishers of men, reciprocating the efforts of those dedicated and focused fishermen. Herein lies the power and powerful effects of what believers have been called to do and be in this world. What we imagine can so easily become a reality if we simply do what we have been called to do, which is to become fishers of men.

Who?
Winning souls to Jesus Christ is the sole responsibility of every professing believer of Jesus Christ, and winning souls requires fishing for souls. Fishing for souls should be the dedicated duty of every believer, considering all believers were once lost fish swimming in a sea of sin until a fisher of men went about his or her duty of fishing for lost souls. Every saved individual shares this testimony: “I was hooked by the gospel.” This proves the effectiveness of fishing for souls. Furthermore, and more concretely, fishing for souls is what every believer must do while leaving the outcome of every fishing moment to the Lord of the catch, Jesus Christ, who is in control of all things, including lost souls. Therefore, embrace and enjoy fishing for souls while applying the tips, tactics, truths, and treasures shared in this fishing manual. Experience the success and joy that only fishing for souls can provide, thus fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.

When?
Fishing for souls is a now moment. Fishing for souls tomorrow has proven time and time again to be too late. For example, fish markets fish today for tomorrow. Fish market owners are always prepared to meet the demands of their clientele, who expect that their fish market will supply their needs. We, the believers, must have the same mindset and sense of urgency to satisfy the command of God as fishers of souls. It’s a now moment for no one knows when the Lord will arrive.

Why?
Matthew 28:18–20 is the foundational, fundamental, and underlying reason each professing believer must be a fisher of men:

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Notice that Jesus issued this mandate to His disciples and to what would become the church on the day of Pentecost. The mindset that evangelism should only be confined to the church during the invitation to Christian discipleship after the sermon is preached must be dismissed. Each believer must take it upon himself or herself to share the gospel (to fish for souls). The invitation to Christian discipleship should be that period of harvest that comes as a result of the work done by the believers—the church members—while away from the church. In other words, the members of the church should be setting trotlines all week long. Trotlines are multiple hooks stretched out along a string that extends across a body of water. These strings are baited, dropped down into the water, and held down by heavy weights. They are checked for fish after a few days. The members should be setting trotlines during the week so that all the pastor has to do is check the lines for fish at church after the sermon, during the invitation to Christian discipleship. But outside the worship service, each believer must take upon himself or herself the responsibility of personally carrying out the mandate as given in Matthew 28 in obedience to Jesus’s command.

Where?
Matthew 28:19 removes the guesswork concerning the believer’s target audience. “All nations” is plain and clear; it includes all people from all places, regardless of race, color, or language. When the Holy Ghost has come upon the believer, the evangelical scope becomes widened to encompass Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8).