Many people enjoy fishing. In the region of the United States where I live, it is not uncommon to see a sign that simply says, “Gone Fishing” on the door of a business or a private office. This usually does not mean the person has actually gone fishing, though that would certainly be possible. It is simply a colloquial way of saying that the business is closed or the individual is gone, regardless of the true reason for their leaving. It actually is a sign that is seen more often as a wall decoration than anything else. Still, it exists because many people, especially in this region, really like to fish, and in years gone by, a small business owner might actually have closed down early on a slow day so they could go fishing.
Follow Me
Sometimes I think it would really be a good idea for every church to give a “Gone Fishing” sign to every church member, as a reminder of what we are to be doing, regardless of what activities we are involved in. Jesus said to Andrew and Peter (who were fishermen), “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. From that day to this day, the followers of Jesus have recognized the importance of “going fishing.” The Gospel of Matthew ends with the Great Commission, in which the followers of Jesus are told to go and make disciples. In Mark, the command is to go and preach the Gospel. In Luke’s writings, Jesus says that we are to be witnesses unto Jesus, and in John, Jesus says that He sends out His followers in the same way that He was sent by the Father. Jesus, of course, was sent to seek and to save the lost. Central to all we are and what we should do as followers of Jesus is to be “fishers of men.”
When is the last time you put out a “Gone Fishing” sign? Or more to the point, when is the last time you went fishing? I don’t mean trying to catch a bass or crappie, but rather how often do we actually intentionally engage in trying to share the Gospel for the purpose of winning someone to Christ? How intentional are we about being “fishers of men?”
Make Disciples
This is the heart of God. This is the purpose of Jesus coming to the earth. This is the call and command of God for His people. When Jesus sent out His disciples during His earthly ministry, He sent them out saying, “As you go, preach….” I understand this to mean that they were to go from place to place and from person to person, always focusing on sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. It was not to simply have “church services” in which they preached a sermon but to have the message of the Gospel at the forefront of everything they did. The purpose of their life was to preach the Gospel, make disciples, be His witnesses, as those sent out “to fish.”
Go Fishing
We all have our daily activities, whether homemaking, jobs, school, volunteering, or whatever. As Christians, we should approach all those things every day as “fishing excursions.” When we get up and get dressed every morning, when we leave our bedroom to start our day, we should put a “Gone Fishing” sign on our bedroom door. “As you go, fish.”
As Lent commences on Ash Wednesday, we are entering a time of introspection and prayer leading to Easter. Let us reflect on the significance of death preceding resurrection, urging readers to embrace a daily practice of surrendering self in preparation for our spiritual transformation.