Wanted: Fishers of People!

            Listening to a sermon the other day brought sadness and a lot of questions to my heart. The crux of the sermon was that people no longer love God and have no desire to serve Him. The pastor argued that it was increasingly difficult to get people to fill the pews without compromising the truth of God’s word. Personally, I felt this was a sad summation of the times and not exactly true of the present situation. If you take a look around, the world is filled with so many weary people looking for whom to give them answers to their daily struggles. The reason being they live in corrupt societies and ruled by bad and selfish leaders who do not care about their well being. The Church that ought to present answers to this terrible predicament is being presented to them as a place for first aid services without a clue for a permanent cure. Somberly, the question that comes to my mind in the face of this heart wrenching dilemma is ‘what would the world need to alleviate its sufferings?’ Is it in having good leaders or corrupt free systems? All these, unfortunately will not do the magic. Why, you may ask especially with the long speeches of the politicians of the day. Firstly, good leaders are not a product of a corrupt heart because good leadership is not an act but a calling (a way of life). Secondly, corruption cannot be wiped off because the world by its nature is corrupt! We live in societies that thrive on corruption on one level or the other. One does not need to be a seer to know that such a state of affair will produce, weary confused and frustrated populace.

               It is indisputable as a child of God to know that Jesus Christ is the answer to such predicament; however, He needs us (you and I) to be the vehicles that will carry Him and present Him to a weary and dying world. Friend, the world truly needs Jesus Christ but we have allowed the enemy to sell us a lie that people, countries and nations do not need Him. In the time of Jesus Christ as man on earth, people were sick of all manner of diseases as we have today. But He didn’t dismiss them with the wave of the hand that they do not need Him as the Pharisees were trying to make people believe. Rather: “When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). Friend, the young are hungry and confused while the old are weary and tired. Heaven is asking if you will sign up to help the people. It was not coincidental that Jesus Christ told His disciples (as He is reminding us today) that He was going to make them fishers of people. The ocean called the world is filled with fishes that are ready to be caught and so we must catch them and rescue them from the poisonous water. These fish in turn will be made fisher of people as well. That is our commission as Disciples of Christ (Matthew 28: 19-20). The pastor at the beginning of this article is feeling unfulfilled in his calling because he had forgotten the art of fishing and had taken on the art of talking about fishing without the practical example of catching fish! One cannot be sitting in his/her comfort zone and expect fish to fly in, but one must go out into the environment and actually catch fish. Friend therein lie your fulfillment: “But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His Kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides” (Matthew 6:33). Rise up and fish; the fish is truly plenteous but the fishers of people are few. The grace to have the compassion to truly be one of the fishers of people is released to you in Jesus Christ name. God bless you.