Fishers of Men

I.         Jesus told his disciples that he would make them fishers of men - Mark 1:16-18

            A.        I’ve seen a few ponds where you can drop a hook into the water and in minutes find a fish dangling off the end, but most of the time fishing takes much more time and patience.

            B.        What factors does a good fisherman consider? (Type and behavior of fish, time of day, what attracts the particular breed of fish his is interested in, etc.)

            C.        When we go, as Jesus instructed, to fish for men, there will be some rare times when it seems the fish are almost jumping into our boats, but most of the time we have to apply some knowledge and skill to various situations.

            D.        We need to learn a little about various religious groups – not to bad mouth their beliefs, but to understand what we are up against and what possible things we can say which will spark the interest of those people, and things we may say or do which will repel those people before we have a chance to teach the truth.

II.        The importance of persuading men

            A.        Our duty as Christians is to teaching others about Christ

                        1.         Matthew 9:37-38 - God needs more harvesters.

                        2.         Matthew 28:19 - Command to make disciples of all nations

                        3.         Mark 16:15 - Preach the Gospel to the whole world

                        4.         Colossians 1:28-29 - the work of a minister

            B.        We must face the fact that our friends, neighbors, loved ones, are not going to reach heaven if they continue their life of disobedience

            C.        We must see that every soul is precious

III.       Ever see a young boy go fishing? He yells for the thrill of doing something new. He will run right out into the water to get close to those fish. He scares every form of wildlife away for miles in any direction.

            A.        Before we can fish for men, we need to be prepared

                        1.         Why are you a Christian? - I Peter 3:15-16

                                    a.         Be prepared to explain your own reasons

                                    b.         Be an example to those looking

                        2.         Do you understand what you believe?

                                    a.         If not, how can you explain it to others?

                                    b.         Mark 8:27-29 - It is not what others think, but what you know.

            B.        Prepare your material

                        1.         Know what you plan to say. What points need to be brought out? What passages will you use to support your statements.

                        2.         You don’t expect to listen to human reasoning, so don’t expect those your are teaching to listen just because you said so. - I Peter 4:10-11