Confessions Of An Apathetic Fisherman

In my life I have had many opportunities to go fishing...sport fishing for big game fish in Cabo, halibut fishing with my grandpa in Alaska, fishing as a teenager along the Toutle River just before Mt St Helens erupted, in the Pacific Ocean on a charter boat with Dave hoping to catch some salmon (all we ended up catching was a good dose of seasickness), and multiple other times locally, including trout fishing with my kids at Kline Line lake right here in Vancouver.

Although I have caught fish, I must admit...I SUCK AT FISHING. I have come to realize that with the cost and the hassles of fishing, - like the seasickness, the discomfort, the early mornings, - it's just not worth it. I like to fish at Safeway. I go on my terms, I don't get wet, I don't get sick and the best part is I don't have to get up early.

In this blog I want to talk about a time in the life of Jesus when he calls fishermen to be his disciples. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Mark 1:17

I have often wondered why did Jesus call us fishermen...why not farmers of men? why not contractors of men?. This made me think about some correlations between fishing for fish and BEING fishers of men, and how it relates to us specifically as church leaders.

The Potential of Fishing. 
... is catching (or in my case maybe - not catching). If you don't fish you don't catch. It's a pretty simple concept. People fish because they hope they will catch. There is a level of optimism. I see all of the thermal imaging, GPS, sonar equipment etc and it is quite intriguing. In fishing for men, we have to believe God will bring the results. With Jesus, he simply says if you are willing to leave what has defined you, I will make you something you aren't. I will do something through you that you can't do yourself. Jesus sees potential in YOU. He wants you to leave what has defined you and see what he sees. It's easy to rely on our strengths or fall back on systems and programs that have worked in the past, but potential always involves risk. The best fishing often involves the riskiest location. Is your church risking it all to reach the next person?

The Patience and Practice of Fishing.
We see many people sit and sit and wait and sit and wait in the Columbia and Willamette rivers during Salmon and Steelhead fishing. The hog line they call it. Boats almost on top of each other, with fisher..people huddled together hoping to land a big one. Am I missing something here? Isn't it about catching so we can eat? Or is it in fact more about just the process? Perhaps a lesson we can all learn from experienced fishermen is that it isn't about the end result, but the journey.

Jesus never refers to us as "catchers" of men, so we need to learn that the catching is his part. My part is to be obedient, which means to be patient, to be faithful in sharing my faith, to constantly create opportunities for people to respond. As a leader I'm responsible to drop the line where the fish are. I think we too often create services we like in buildings we love, and fail to recognize that no new ‘fish' are swimming by. I have to practice and be patient at the same time. How are you doing with this? I so often give up on people who don't respond in my timing - just like when I fish. Instead of letting love prevail, I become impatient and give up. Jesus said He would build his church - our part is to keep believing, keep practicing, keep being patient and keep praying, then watch what Jesus will do.

The Partnership in Fishing.
Almost every time I have fished, I have been with a guide or a friend that knew more than me, and wanted to help me learn to fish I love this in fishing, and I love this about Jesus. He could have said, "you go fish" I will catch up to you, but he invested in 12 young men who revolutionized the whole world. It's incredible to think about all that Jesus accomplished by his power, through their faith, for his glory.

A guide takes you to the best opportunities and is glad when you "catch" a fish. Mostly in fact they do the cleaning (nice of them). That is the way it is with Jesus. We do the catching, and he does the cleaning. We lead them to a relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit begins to change them from the inside out. So many at Living Hope have found Jesus through someone ‘guiding' them to what's best.

We have the privilege of partnering with Christ to catch the attention of the world. As church leaders we must never become apathetic toward our ultimate purpose: "To make disciples...baptizing them...teaching them..."

The Passion for Fishing.
Being passionate is being desperate. If we could only eat what we caught, we wouldn't quit fishing so soon. How much more does it matter that someone spends forever in Heaven with Christ? As fishers of men it is always to soon to quit.

Moving Living Hope Church twice in less than 18 months wasn't for fun, it was so we could be better positioned to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus. My prayer is that you will stay or become desperate, and that as church leaders we will always be passionate about reaching the next one person.

Passion matters...a lot, just ask Jesus."

John Bishop is the founding and senior Pastor of Living Hope Church, which has grown from four families to nearly 5000 weekly attendees. John has a Masters Degree in Leadership and Evangelism, and is an international speaker with a passion to both encourage, and challenge pastors to be about what matters most to the heart of God; reaching the lost.  As a pastor, John strives to cultivate an “Acts 2” church. He longs for church to be a place where people live the values Jesus died for, where lost people will find a safe place to hear a dangerous message. John’s first book “Dangerous Church” was released April 2011. John is a cancer survivor, who loves to do ministry with his wife Michelle of almost 30 years, and their three children. Pastor John's only life goal is to know Jesus more every day, and make Him known in our generation.