Mark 1:17 “And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.'”

Effectively Evangelizing. Throughout my ministry, God has placed so many different people in my path. People from all different walks of life. From the affluent to the poor, from important to not important, and from the religious to the non-religious. But a common theme between them all, when confronted with the gospel, is they will listen if it is presented genuinely.

In the book of Mark, Jesus told the apostles that he will make them fishers of men. Now, let me show you how a fisherman works. The fishermen have their boats and their nets. The go out to the sea, and they cast their nets in the water. After a while, they pull in the nets and in most cases, there is their catch, fish galore. 

Sometimes they cast their nets and pull in little to nothing. But they do it in a way that when they throw their nets, they don’t scare off the fish.

Effectively Evangelizing

When Jesus told the apostles to follow Him, he didn’t say “grab your 12 gauge shotgun and let’s go hunting. We’ll go out and find our prey, take aim, shoot’em and then drag them back to the house.” But unfortunately, this is how many Christians try to share the news of Christ. They go out and start aiming at all those who are in “sin.” They tell them they are going to hell if they don’t change their ways. Albeit true, it’s in the delivery we lose the attention of the lost. When we present the Gospel to those are lost, let’s not lose sight of the grace and mercy that Jesus has offered them.

Yes, their sin is real, and they need to know why they need God’s saving power in this first place, but don’t forget to mention grace. After all, you need just as much as grace as they do. Much like the fishermen who use nets, our preverbal net is the word of God. We should throw our “net” out, as not to scare the lost.

Salvation Remains in God’s Hands

Throw it out in a way that entices them to come around the net. Then, when it is time, we pull the net in, slowly. By sharing the gospel this way, you will have the attention of that person you are witnessing to longer than you will if you go at them with gun barrels blazing. Build a relationship; then you will have their trust. Ultimately, salvation remains in God’s hands, and even if you don’t deliver the Gospel message flawlessly, it will complete His intended plan.

When we present the Gospel, we can have faith and hope that it doesn’t come back void. It accomplishes His mission. Be faithful to the Gospel, and loving towards the sinner.

Author: Jody Burkeen