And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:10-11)
The way fishers back then caught fish was usually with wide nets. They’d cast them into the water, drag them along, and pull up to have caught a net full of fish. Today, we have many methods of fishing - fishing pole catching one fish at a time, a handheld net catching possibly a few at a time, and the wide nets as of old catching multitudes of fish at a time.
When Jesus said He would make His disciples fishers of men, He never specified which way they’d be catching them though. The call was to fish and it was going to be to the Holy Spirit’s eventual empowering with gifts, and His still small voice guiding them, that would determine what method they used at any given time.
In today’s time, we have many methods available for the Holy Spirit to use as He gifts us and prompts us in our fishing expeditions, both locally and farther out. He may call you to use a wide net, being a pastor or evangelist. He may call you to use a hand net of sorts, sharing the gospel with small groups of people. He may call you to use a fishing pole ministering to one person at a time.
The Temptation to Compare
It can be tempting to look at the methods and callings of other people and feel like they’re better in some way, especially when our culture creates idols of people and places them on high pedestals often. The truth is, not any one method is better than the other, just as not any member of the Church body is better than the other. The Spirit will give as He wills for the glory of God.
For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. (1 Corinthians 12:14-18)
The Spirit gives gifts to Christ’s followers for the common good. No matter what gifts He gives or what method He calls you to use, you don’t need to compare to others, only need to listen and obey. You’re not responsible for how many people you catch, you’re responsible for your faithfulness to obedience. So today, my friend, I encourage you to listen for the Spirit’s voice to go fishing for people and be faithful with whatever tool He gives you to use!