FISHER OF MEN

Fishers of Men

The month of February is often considered the "month of love," primarily because of Valentine's Day 14 February.

While the focus of that day for those that celebrate Valentine’s Day might be to try and win the heart of a loved one (or even “keep” the heart of a loved one 😉), this can also be a good reminder for us to win hearts (and souls) for God.

Winning hearts for God can be seen as part of the so-called “Great Commission”. Christian followers were commanded by Jesus to go into the world and make disciples. That’s what we believe God expects of His modern-day disciples as well – to make more disciples.

We can also regard disciples as “fishers of men” through the examples we get from the Bible. These verses highlight the calling of the first disciples to spread the message of Jesus and "catch" people for God's kingdom, shifting their focus from physical fishing to the spiritual task of evangelism.

• Matthew 4:19 (ESV)

“And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’”

This is when Jesus calls His first disciples, Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, to follow Him. He promises to make them fishers of men, meaning they will help bring people to God. There is a parallel message in Mark 1:17.

• Luke 5:10 (ESV)“…and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.’”

Simon is the birth name of the disciple, but after this encounter with Jesus, he is known as Peter. In this passage, after the miraculous catch of fish, Jesus tells Peter that from now on, his work will be about "catching men", meaning spreading the Gospel. This marked the beginning of Peter’s role as a disciple and later an apostle.

If we share the good news of Jesus Christ, we can help others come to faith or grow their existing relationship with God.

And that’s what it’s about for our God of Love – relationships. The love of God is not just something He gives; it's also an invitation into a relationship with Him. He wants us to experience His love deeply and personally. 1 John 4:19 reminds us: “We love because he first loved us.”

God’s love is truly extraordinary and it’s a love that reaches out to all, offering grace, forgiveness and the hope of eternal life. Our response to God’s love should be to love Him back and love others as He has loved us. As disciples or fishers of men, we can show our love to others by sharing our own understanding of or testifying about our unique experiences of God’s love… and so be the best fisher(wo)men for Jesus!

May you experience the love of our loving God during this (last part of the) month of love and beyond!