Explain the call of Jesus to Simon, Andrew, James, and John in Mark 1:16–20.

Show that evangelism begins with following Christ before trying to reach others.

Identify the equipment God has authorized for catching men: the gospel of Christ.

Describe the desire, patience, and aim required in the work of evangelism.

Call Christians to take personal responsibility for spreading the gospel without changing the message.

I love fishing.

I am not a professional.

I may imitate the professionals on television, but the fish are rarely impressed.

I enjoy getting in the boat and acting like I know what I am doing.

There is something peaceful about being on the water.

The quiet.

The air.

The creation of God all around.

The hope that something may bite.

My success is not impressive.

I hardly ever catch fish.

I may catch a hungry turtle before I catch the fish I wanted.

Still, there is something about fishing that pulls a man back.

Successful fishing requires several things.

Proper equipment.

Knowledge of how to use it.

Desire.

Patience.

A realistic goal.

Willingness to keep trying.

Jesus took men who understood fishing and gave them a higher work.

They knew nets.

They knew boats.

They knew patience.

They knew labor.

Jesus called them to something greater than fish.

Mark 1:16–20 records that call.

Simon and Andrew were casting nets.

James and John were mending nets.

Jesus called them.

They left and followed.

The question is simple.

Are we following Christ closely enough for Him to make us fishers of men?

Or are we content to sit in the boat?

Jesus begins with the command to follow.

Mark 1:17 records Jesus saying, “Follow Me.”

The call to evangelism begins with discipleship.

A man must first follow Christ before he can rightly call others to Christ.

Evangelism is not salesmanship; it is discipleship extending itself.

Simon and Andrew were already working men.

They were not idle.

They were not waiting for religious activity to fill empty lives.

Jesus interrupted real work with a higher call.

They immediately left their nets.

The text stresses response.

They did not delay.

They did not negotiate terms.

They followed the Master.

James and John also left what was familiar.

Mark 1:19–20 shows them in the boat mending nets.

They were preparing for work.

They were with their father Zebedee.

Hired servants were present.

Jesus called them, and they left.

They left the boat.

They left their father.

They left the old life’s control.

Following Christ required rearranged loyalty.

Work had to bow.

Family had to bow.

Comfort had to bow.

Christ came first.

Evangelism cannot be separated from personal obedience.

A man cannot fish for souls while refusing to follow Christ himself.

He may talk about the gospel.

He may know arguments.

He may quote verses.

But if he is not submitted to Christ, his life contradicts the message.

The fisher of men must be faithful first.

Faithful in worship.

Faithful in doctrine.

Faithful in conduct.

Faithful in speech.

Faithful in holiness.

Before we ask why we are not reaching more people, we should ask whether we are following Christ.

Half-hearted disciples rarely make serious evangelists.

Casual Christians rarely speak urgently about salvation.

A man who is not moved by Christ will not move others toward Christ.

Earthly fishing requires proper equipment.

A fisherman needs tackle.

Rod.

Reel.

Bait.

Line.

Boat.

Nets.

Knives.

Tools.

Sometimes special clothing and a funny-looking hat.

Equipment must be used properly.

The wrong bait hurts the catch.

The wrong line may break.

The wrong net may fail.

Tools are useless if the fisherman does not know how to use them.

Fishing carelessly wastes time.

There must be preparation.

There must be knowledge.

There must be attention to the task.

God has given one authorized net for catching men: the gospel.

The apostles used different physical nets, but Christians do not use different spiritual nets.

We are not free to invent another message.

We are not free to replace the gospel with entertainment.

We are not free to bait people with error and then call it evangelism.

First Corinthians 15:1–4 identifies the gospel Paul preached.

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

He was buried.

He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

That is the message by which people are saved when they hold it fast.

First Corinthians 2:1–2 shows Paul’s refusal to rely on human brilliance.

He did not come with religious showmanship.

He did not build faith on superior speech.

He determined to preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

The gospel must not be changed.

Luke 24:45–49 shows the message Jesus sent into the world.

Christ suffered.

Christ rose from the dead.

Repentance for forgiveness of sins must be preached in His name.

The message was to begin at Jerusalem and go to all nations.

Jude 3 says the faith was once for all delivered to the saints.

It is not ours to revise.

It is not ours to soften.

It is not ours to modernize into another gospel.

Second John 9–11 warns against going beyond the teaching of Christ.

The man who does not abide in Christ’s teaching does not have God.

The one who abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.

Fellowship with false teaching is not harmless.

If we change the gospel, we are no longer fishing for men.

We are entertaining them.

We are attracting them.

We are comforting them.

But we are not saving them by the word of Christ.

Knowledge of Scripture is necessary.

First Timothy 4 teaches the servant of Christ to be nourished on words of faith and sound doctrine.

A fisher of men must know the word.

He must give attention to reading, exhortation, and teaching.

He must pay close attention to himself and his teaching.

Ignorance weakens evangelism.

A person who does not know the gospel cannot explain it clearly.

A person who does not know Scripture will be shaken by objections.

A person who has never studied cannot teach well.

We do not need gimmicks.

We need the word.

We need courage.

We need clarity.

We need Christians who know how to open the Bible and show a soul what God said.

Fishing requires desire.

Not everyone wants to fish.

Not everyone wants to sit for hours.

Not everyone wants mosquitoes.

Not everyone wants worms, slime, bait, hooks, scales, and dead fish.

It takes a special kind of person.

Fishing for men also requires desire.

A person must care about souls.

A person must want God’s will done.

A person must believe lost people are really lost.

Desire cannot be faked for long.

If we do not care whether people are saved, we will not speak.

If we do not believe the gospel is urgent, we will stay silent.

If we love comfort more than souls, evangelism will always be postponed.

Desire must grow out of following Christ.

Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

He makes the fisher.

He shapes the disciple.

He trains the heart to care about what He cares about.

A faithful follower of Christ should want others to hear Christ.

The saved should care about the lost.

The forgiven should care about sinners.

The taught should care about the untaught.

Paul’s life shows desire after conversion.

He could not faithfully preach Christ until he had submitted to Christ.

Once converted, he gave himself to the work.

The persecutor became a preacher.

Patience is necessary.

Fishermen know waiting.

Long hours.

Heat.

Sweat.

No bites.

Moving too quickly can mean catching nothing but weeds.

Evangelism also requires patience.

We cannot always convince a person overnight.

The seed must be planted.

The word must be taught.

Questions must be answered.

Souls must be given time to think honestly.

Acts 8 shows Philip teaching the Ethiopian.

He began with Isaiah.

He preached Jesus.

He taught enough that the man understood baptism when they came to water.

That took teaching, not slogans.

The parable of the sower reminds us that seed and fruit take time.

Some hearts reject.

Some wither.

Some are choked.

Some receive and bear fruit with perseverance.

God has been patient with us.

First Timothy 1:16 shows Christ’s patience displayed in Paul.

Lamentations 3:22–23 reminds us that God’s mercies are new every morning.

People who have received patience should learn to show patience.

Fishermen need realistic goals.

A man cannot expect to catch a massive ocean fish in a freshwater lake.

The goal must fit the place.

The method must fit the work.

The fisherman must understand what he is doing.

There is also a time to put away the tackle and try again another day.

He does not quit fishing forever.

He recognizes the limits of that moment.

He returns with patience and resolve.

Evangelism also needs a biblical goal.

The goal is not winning arguments.

The goal is not proving we are smarter.

The goal is saving souls through the gospel.

The great commission gives the goal.

The Lord commands the gospel to be preached.

The message is for every creature.

The work belongs to the people of God.

The field is the world.

Early Christians spread the word wherever they went.

They returned to homes and regions with the message.

They preached to common people.

They preached before rulers.

They did not treat the gospel as private property.

We must stop excusing silence.

Is your boss more important than a king?

Is your neighbor harder to reach than the first-century world?

Is your family too precious to be told the truth?

If the gospel is true, somebody needs to hear it from us.

There are times when the messenger must move on.

We cannot decide someone is a waste of time before we try.

God commands us to preach.

We must make real effort.

We must not use rejection as an excuse before rejection has happened.

But Scripture shows that some will refuse.

Jesus was rejected.

The Gadarenes asked Him to leave after He cast out demons.

He left.

The apostles also faced rejection.

Some listened.

Some refused.

Some opposed the message.

The workers moved on to more receptive ground.

Luke 10:8–11 shows that rejection did not cancel the kingdom’s nearness.

The messengers still spoke the truth.

The city remained responsible for its response.

The workers were not commanded to waste all labor where the word was despised.

We should try to convert the world and rejoice that we have done our duty.

If they obey, rejoice.

If they refuse, mourn and keep working.

Move on to more fertile ground when Scripture and wisdom require it.

The world may call the message foolish.

First Corinthians 1 teaches that the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.

The world wants signs.

The world wants human wisdom.

God saves through the preached message of Christ crucified.

We must be willing to look foolish to the world.

The gospel will not always sound impressive.

The message of the cross will offend pride.

The plan of salvation will be mocked by men who trust themselves.

God’s “foolishness” is wiser than men.

The power is not in our cleverness.

The power is not in our personality.

The power is in God’s message.

Fishers of men must trust the gospel.

Use the net God gave.

Cast it faithfully.

Let God give the increase.

For the Christian.

Do not call yourself a follower of Christ while refusing to fish for men.

Jesus did not save us so we could admire the lake from the boat.

The saved must care about the lost.

For the congregation.

A church that does not evangelize is not acting like a fishing crew.

We cannot leave the work to a few and call that faithfulness.

Every Christian can help spread the word in some way.

For parents and teachers.

Teach children to speak about Christ.

Let them see you invite, teach, study, and care about souls.

A silent generation will produce a more silent generation unless someone breaks the pattern.

For the sinner.

The gospel is God’s net of mercy.

It may look foolish to the world, but it is the power of God to those being saved.

Let the word of Christ catch your heart before sin drags your soul into judgment.

Becoming a fisher of men is not a cute phrase.

It is a call from Christ.

It is the work of disciples.

It is the rescue mission of the gospel.

Fishermen catch fish to kill and eat them.

Christians fish for men so they may live.

We cast the gospel because souls are perishing.

We preach Christ because sin kills and Christ saves.

The work takes a special kind of person.

A follower.

A worker.

A patient teacher.

A person who trusts the gospel.

A person who refuses to quit because the first cast did not bring a catch.

Are you that kind of person?

Will you follow Christ?

Will you use the word?

Will you care about souls?

Will you cast the net?

Hear the word.

Faith begins when the sinner hears the message of Christ.

The gospel must be preached before it can be obeyed.

Reference: Romans 10:17.

Believe Christ.

The sinner must believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

Faith must rest in Christ crucified and risen.

Reference: John 8:24.

Repent.

Repentance turns the heart from sin toward God.

Jesus commanded that repentance for forgiveness of sins be preached in His name.

Reference: Luke 24:47; Acts 17:30.

Confess Christ.

Faith must not remain hidden.

The sinner must confess Christ as Lord.

Reference: Romans 10:9–10.

Be baptized for the remission of sins.

The sinner must submit to baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness.

Baptism is not a symbol after salvation; Scripture connects it with forgiveness, new life, and entrance into Christ.

References: Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3–4; Galatians 3:27; 1 Peter 3:21.

Live faithfully.

The Christian must keep following Christ and helping others hear the gospel.

The Lord calls His people to remain faithful until death.

Reference: Revelation 2:10.

Hear the word.

Romans 10:17 says faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Believe Christ.

John 8:24 warns that unless you believe that Jesus is He, you will die in your sins.

Repent.

Acts 17:30 says God commands all people everywhere to repent.

Confess Christ.

Romans 10:9–10 teaches confession with the mouth and belief in the heart.

Be baptized for the remission of sins.

Acts 2:38 commands repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.

Live faithfully.

Revelation 2:10 calls the Christian to be faithful until death.