Catch Some Fish

When I was a kid, we lived in a subdivision on a hill. Many in town called it “snob hill” because it was where many of the wealthy people from my hometown of Bellville, Ohio, lived. For us, it was where the church’s parsonage was, so we were the outliers. Behind my friend Craig’s house, there was a wooded area, and at the end of that wooded area were two fishing ponds, both of them stocked with fish. I couldn’t tell you how many times a week we would go back there with our poles in one hand and our tackle boxes in the other.

The fish we seemed to catch the most were bluegill. We caught tons of them, but we never kept them. There were also some small rock bass and smallmouth bass, but we didn’t keep them either. The fish that we always hoped to catch were what we called yellow-belly catfish. As an adult, I’ve learned that the actual name for these is yellow bullhead catfish. If we brought home a stringer of these, dinner was going to be good. Don’t get me wrong, other fish are delicious, too, but there’s just something different about that light, fluffy, delicious catfish meat. Fried or grilled is my personal favorite, and my mom was a Southern woman, so she knew how to cook them.

Here’s the thing about catching catfish, though. It can get bloody, as in your own blood. Catfish have a sharp spine on the ends of their fins that can get you if you aren’t holding them properly. They also secrete venom from those spines that can cause pain but aren’t poisonous. Knowing how to correctly handle a bullhead can make the fishing experience much better. I don’t have enough fingers and toes to tell you how many times I was fishing with other kids out there and heard that scream of pain that declared to us all, “I just got stung by a catfish.” Although hard to handle, they were easily the most delicious fish we caught out there. Sometimes, the pain is worth the reward.

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

This past week, I got to attend the Renew Discipleship Conference and the National Disciple Making Forum with all the full-time ministry staff of Leesburg. It was an incredible time of learning, worship, and reflection. For many in the church, my title of Disciple-Making Minister is an odd one. It’s not a title you hear often in churches, but it’s one that probably should be. Disciple-making is actually our most important job as Christians. On his last day on earth, Jesus made that abundantly clear to His disciples.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19–20

If this is our responsibility, we probably need to answer a couple of questions. The first is, “What is a disciple?” This one is actually pretty easy. We read it just a few minutes ago. When Jesus called the disciples to follow Him, He laid it out. We can take that verse and see three parts to this. Jesus starts out by saying, “Follow me.” This is the first part of being a disciple. It’s someone who is Following Jesus. Just understand that this is a HUGE commitment. If you’ve ever traveled in a caravan of vehicles on a long trip, you know that it’s very easy to get sidetracked. Whether it’s other vehicles getting between you and your compatriots or just simply not paying attention and realizing they got off on an exit two miles ago, following takes concentration and attention.

The second part of being a disciple comes from Jesus’ statement, “I will make you”. If we are a disciple of Christ, we need to follow Jesus and we are Being Changed By Jesus. We aren’t called to stay the same. In other words, we aren’t supposed to be static. We are meant to be dynamic. Someone who follows Christ can’t help but be constantly changing and evolving as a believer in Him. This is a transformation of our hearts. The things that matter to us begin to align with the things that matter to God, and the things that we once held so very important in our lives are now an afterthought. If we aren’t being changed, we aren’t following Christ. If we aren’t following Christ, we aren’t a disciple.

The third part of being a disciple can be taken from the phrase “fishers of men”. In the first century, fishing was a massive industry, and a large amount of the population was involved. This wasn’t just something you did for fun. It was your job. It was your mission to catch fish. Disciples need to follow Jesus, be changed by Jesus, and they need to be Committed To The Mission Of Jesus. When you follow, you are changed. When you are changed, you want to be involved in what you are called to do.

This answers our second question, “How do you make disciples?” Thankfully, this is answered in the Great Commission. Right after telling us to make disciples, Jesus lays out the “how” of doing it. He says, “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” It all starts with conversion. Someone needs to make that first step of giving their lives over to Christ, and we need to show them how. Christians are not mass produced, they are hand-crafted. God works on the hearts of each person differently, and He has called us to partner with Him in this process. Who do you know that needs to know Jesus? There’s your mission.

The last half of that scripture is to teach them “to observe all that I have commanded you.” This happens continually. Discipleship is not a program. It’s not a “6 months and move on” kind of thing. It took Jesus three years to train the disciples, and He was the Son of God. To instruct someone in how to not only trust but also obey God takes a great deal of time. That time is definitely worth it, but it isn’t always easy. There will be spiritual wrestling matches. There will be arguments. There will be avoidance. However, Jesus went through that too. He even had a disciple betray Him and have Him arrested.

Being a disciple and making disciples is not easy work, but just like catching that bullhead catfish can be painful at times, the meal from that hard work is totally worth it. The sweetest victories always come from the hardest battles. Don’t be afraid of the hard work. It’s in that hard work that we find our place in Jesus’ mission, and there is no mission greater than saving souls and packing Heaven full of disciples. Go catch some fish!