Hey salted fishers! Daryl here. Just a little post on what we've been doing in Aussie and also some lessons I've learnt.
As the title suggests, recently me and Janael just picked up the new sport of fishing. Janael, true to her cell group's name managed to catch quite a few fish. Actually, none of them were true fish. Anyway, more on that later.
As we went fishing, I also thought about how God has called us to be fishers of men in Matthew 4:19, hence the cell group name. But have you ever thought about how apt that description is? Well, I think most of us have never tried fishing before, but it's a fun experience, and helps you understand a lot better why Jesus chose to describe evangelism as fishing. I mean, why didn't Jesus choose another description? He could have said "Come follow me, and I will make you teachers of men". Or maybe "feeders of men", as the disciples would spread the bread of life? Perhaps it would do with the disciple's professions. Out of the twelve disciples Jesus called, the three who were the closest to him were Peter, James and John. And what were they before they became disciples? Fishermen!
Now, why did Jesus choose to call common everyday people to be part of the Twelve? And of all the professions, why fishermen? I guess it would be because fishermen are best able to appreciate and understand the efforts of spreading the gospel.
Now, back to me and Janael's fishing trip. As I was saying, Janael managed to catch the most fish. Well, she didn't exactly catch anything she could eat. We went on two fishing trips. The first time was on a boat, and we managed to catch a stingray. However, it was not so much what we caught that was exciting, but the process by which we caught it.
First of all, we started up the boat and selected a nice spot for fishing. Our dad baited the hook, then taught us how to cast the rod. The first few times I almost killed someone with the hook (just kidding), then finally gt the hang of it. In the same way, before we go fishing for men, we should prepare ourselves first. Sometimes we have the more experienced ones to teach us, and that's when we learn how to use evangelistic tools. In fishing, the evangelistic tools can be likened to the bait, to make people interested to listen. However, the bait is useless without the rod, and this rod is the Bible-the backbone that gives truth to the evangelistic tools that we use.
After waiting for about half an hour there with absolutely no fish, we decided to pick up the rods and try another spot. Again, when we fish for men, we will never always be able to get a catch. Sometimes we plan an evangelistic event, but no one comes. Sometimes we send out twenty Christmas cards telling of the greatest gift, but we receive not even one response. When that happens, we need to learn to never give up, and sometimes to try a different tactic, much in the same way that we moved to another spot.
After moving to another spot and not catching any fish, we decided to just take the time to go boating. It was then that my father decided to go look for spots where other people were fishing. True enough, we spotted a couple fishing not far off. "vroom" went the motor, and we went to that spot. In the first five minutes of casting the rod, we managed to catch a stingray! That night, we brought it back to Uncle Jeffrey's place (we were staying over), cleaned it and prepared it for cooking (ie. chop off the fins, throw away the rest). This was one lesson that if we try hard enough, eventually we will get a catch. After that, it is time to prepare the person for his new life of Christianity, which is something like cleaning the fish, because now it is time to go through the process of sanctification (becoming more holy and Christ-like).
Of course, in fishing, people always talk about the one that got away. That's because the struggle with the fish is not easy. You need to pull hard enough to reel the fish in, yet not too hard so that the string won't break. We had that experience the next day after our boating trip when we went fishing at the river. We had cast our rods, and then suddenly we saw Janael's rod tug very violently, so violently that the rod almost fell since she wasn't holding it. Immediately, all of us (me, my dad, Janael, Uncle Jeffrey and Reuel) rushed to that rod and took turns reeling it in. It wasn't an easy fight, and once it was close enough for us to see we realised it was a giant stingray! No wonder it tugged so hard. Sadly, we got it all the way to the side of the river before it broke the string and swam off.
Our experience in fishing for, well, fish is not unlike our experience in fishing for men. When we try to share Christ with our friends, it is never easy. We need to share enough for the person to make a decision, and yet we know that the cross offends so we are not willing to go full force. Indeed, many of us struggle with the question "How can I share Christ to my friend and not lose him in the process?" Some of us even get very close to bringing the person to Christ. They may have been going to church for a while, but then something happens like a death in the family, and then "Snap!" the line breaks, and the person is as far from God as he was before.
Thank God that is where the similarity ends. For although in fishing we try to pull it in with human strength, as fishers of men, we know that the Holy Spirit convicts those we are trying to reach.
What a wonderful experience that God has blessed us with to let us understand the Word so much better!
Daryl
