OBJECTS:  A rod and reel

SCRIPTURE:  "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."  Matthew 4:19

First of all, if you want to be a good fisherman, you need to be properly equipped.  You can't just get piece of string, put a hook on it, and tie it on the end of a stick and expect to catch very many fish, can you?  No!  A serious fisherman will make sure that he has all the right equipment.  You will need a nice rod and reel, like this one I have this morning.

The next thing you need to know is that you can't sit at home reading fishing magazines and expect to catch any fish. You have to go where the fish are to catch fish!

Finally, if you want to be a good fisherman, you must learn patience.  Sometimes the fish just aren't biting.  I guess that is the main reason I was never a good fisherman.  I thought that you should catch a fish the minute your hook hit the water -- and if I ever went fishing and didn't catch anything -- well, that's why I gave up fishing.  

One day, Jesus was walking along the seashore when he saw two brothers named Peter and Andrew.  Jesus knew that they were fishermen, so he said to them, "Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men."  Do you know what they did?  They laid down their fishing nets and followed Jesus.

Jesus wants you and me to be fishers of men too.  That means that Jesus wants us to tell others about what he has done for us and what he wants to do for them.  What does it take to be a fisher of men?  If we want to be fishers of men, there are some things we need to do.

First, we need to be properly equipped.  We need to know what the Bible teaches and learn how to share it with others.

Next, we need to remember that we can't just sit around reading the Bible and talking about fishing for men and expect to bring people to Jesus.  We have to go out where the people are and tell them about Jesus.

Finally, we must learn patience.  Everybody we tell about Jesus isn't going to believe.  Some people just won't be interested, but we can't give up.  We just have to keep telling people about Jesus and let Jesus take care of the rest.

If we will do these things, we can really become fishers of men like Jesus wants us to be.  If you think there is a tremendous feeling of excitement in catching a fish, just imagine how exciting it must be to bring someone to Jesus!

Dear Jesus, help us to become fishers of men and to share with others what you have done for us -- and what you want to do for them.  Amen.