Leadership
UNDERSTANDING YOUR EQUIPMENT
How and when to use it.
As we continue our study about fishing for men, one would think that it would not be that complex. Just as fishing for fish requires a hook, line, and bait plus a place where there are fish, fishing would be quite simple. When I lived in Canada a friend of mine who had an Indian background and was used to living in the woods showed the rest of us how to catch a big fish. No one would have ever thought of doing it this way but my friend. Wayne took an old tree limb, put a line, hook and a piece of cheese puffs on the end of the line and threw it in the water. It was funny to observe but it wasn't too funny when he pulled a huge northern pike out of the ice just shortly after. So, we see fishing for fish doesn't have to be that difficult. I had friends who would go up north each spring and catch their share of walleye and they bragged about having sore arms for working so hard to pull in all those fish. Catching fish like that wasn't easy. It required having a 16-foot boat and traveling north to a lake where there was no human activity and the fish were plentiful.
Several years ago, I took up the hobby of fly-fishing. That was a little more elaborate. I read many books on the subject and it required a lot of practice plus buying the equipment which the cost of such seemed to be out of sight. But as I grew older and my eyesight changed, I couldn't see clearly enough to put the line in the tiny hook so I thought it was time to give that up. I give these illustrations because times change, people change and new information arises that is more elaborate and expensive. Whoever heard of needing a fish finder to find the fish? Where I lived, it was not hard to know because you can see them under your boat in schools.
So just as times change so do people and sometimes training is needed to know how to properly share the gospel. Fishing for men does not require a great deal of theological training or attending soul winning seminars to know how to share the gospel with others. It is important to understand your fishing equipment and how to use it. I am referring to how God has equipped each of us to do His ministry. People who are naturally energetic and people oriented often have greater opportunities to reach more people. People are attracted to people who are optimistic and energetic. This characteristic is especially attractive to those who are opposite in their personalities. So, we might say sometimes our natural abilities afford us opportunities and in some ways, we have an advantage. Fortunately, God doesn't see it that way. If I have these characteristics and have in my heart a sincere concern for my unsaved friends that is one potential for successful soul winning. But once again these natural characteristics without sincere and fervent prayer will not be effective in seeing true conversions taking place.
In this matter of reaching men for Christ, none of us ever feel qualified. Because we lack confidence and because we are afraid of offending other people, we shy away from it. But as a word of encouragement I have seen it happen many times that God uses some of the seemingly insignificant situations to cause others to become Christians. Throughout my Christian life, I have talked to many and cannot boast of many of these people coming to know Christ. But I have discovered over the years that I have met people that the Holy Spirit has touched and changed and it was through something as simple as giving a drunk man a cup of coffee.
I remember right after my conversion there was a great concern in my heart that I should talk to my friends about Christ and I really didn't know what to say or how to say it. I just knew that I cared for them and I should be saying something. It so happened that my roommate was not a Christian but he listened to Billy Graham every Sunday afternoon, so I thought he may have been a Christian. One evening as I was talking to him I asked him if he knew if he is a Christian or not. Then he said to me I don't know, in fact I know I’m not and right there I prayed for him and he trusted Jesus. You can say he practically led himself to Christ. This is an example to explain that if you have the desire and you have the opportunity God can use even that if you are faithful; and you will see marvelous things take place in the lives of other people.
I recall the story of Moses when God called him. He claimed to have no speaking ability to persuade Pharaoh to let God's people go but God said, “that matter is covered, your brother Aaron can be your mouthpiece”. Moses had a willing heart but he also recognizes his need for something more than he had. Next God said to Moses "what is that in your hand?" It was just a stick. God said to throw it down and when he did it turned into a snake. There was not anything inherently magical about Moses. When Moses through his stick down he did so as an act of faith and through his faith it activated the power of God.
That's how soul winning works, so God asks us what is that in your hand? It is a call from God to give whatever it is to him. I recall Peter and John going up to the temple and there was a beggar at the gate and was there for a long time. He was seeking money but Peter and John had none but their answer was, "silver and gold have we none, but f such as we have we give to you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise and walk". And the beggar believed, stood on his feet, began to walk and wound up dancing for joy over what had happened. All that Peter and John had was the command of God given by faith which once again activated the work of the Holy Spirit which empowered and brought healing to the man.
But we should never be content with never trying to improve our understanding and our methods to reach people. Over the years, I spent a lot of money and time learning how to share the gospel with others. The problem with all this training is that unless I put it into practice, all that it becomes is head knowledge and it does no one any good. Another problem with some types of training is we are forced to do a lot of memorizing and learning different types of methods and unless we learn how to modify them and bring them up to date they become mechanical when we try to use them and most of the time people recognize it as some type of canned speech.
Having the right equipment, education and training are very important but if I do not use that equipment that God has allowed me to have, like many things, it gets rusty and stale and ineffective or good for nothing, like God said to Jeremiah. As we come into more contact with people, it is important that we adjust ourselves to learn how to speak to different situations. We must make our equipment palatable and useful to meet the legitimate needs of others. I count myself privileged to have all this training, however, I am praying always that God will show me new ways of sharing the good news with others. That means it is important, as I said in another lesson, that we learn how to share the gospel with others. It is easy to share Christ with people who are your friends. People who you go golfing with, fishing or bowling. As we do things together with our friends they are prone to talk and share their doubts and feelings with us. Remember you can talk to friends about anything and that is true in sharing the gospel.
So how is it with you? Do you have a plan? Do you have an opportunity? Do you have faith in knowing when the time is right? Do you have patience? Sometimes it takes a while for the door to open. If we are concerned about our friends sometimes we get impatient. I had some dear friends of mine that were not Christians, and they had a terrible car accident and I went out of necessity and shared the gospel with them. I wondered if I did the right thing? Later, I found out it was the right thing to do and they thought seriously of the consequences of living without Christ. Do you have unsaved friends? I hope you do because if you don't you are wasting great opportunities to share Christ. It is that friendship that perhaps is the greatest equipment in your bag for doing God's work. Always pray for the words, and the time, the opportunity and most of all the courage. Satan is a master of keeping us from using our God given equipment to win men for Christ.
Whenever I start a new project, I always find the best books written by professionals who through experience and knowledge know how to do it best. About 40 years ago, I started jogging but before I did so I read books by men who had run in marathons and I learned how to do it properly. Then several years later, I became interested in fly-fishing. So, like fishing for men, there are men like Joe Brooks who write books on how to be properly equipped to go fly-fishing. Fishing for men is a work of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that gives opportunities and wisdom and results. For the Holy Spirit to work, I must be very sincere about this matter of praying. Fishing for men is a work of God.
Sometimes men write books on soul winning that discourage rather than encourage men to want to share their faith. They present elaborate plans that require a lot of memorization and sometimes these plans are helpful if they are simple enough. Sometimes the books that are written, using high-pressure methods scare the fisherman and we are often led to think unless we use their plans, we will not see much results. When I go fishing I sometimes catch fish that are what I call “junk fish” They are small and only good for bait to catch bigger more productive fish. High pressure often catches fish that never become more than something that takes your bait and becomes a disappointment after you reel them in. Over the years, I have been certified in most of these methods, but they become too mechanical and they substitute the plan for the actual work of the Holy Spirit. They can be implemented without prayer and sometimes they amount to nothing more than spiritual scalp-hunting. I have been involved in these types of programs long enough to realize there is the need for something better.
So, when we talk about understanding your equipment and how to use it, we are talking about how to be more effective in fishing for men. Let's talk about what will more perfectly equip me in this matter of winning men to Christ. We mentioned first, that praying is the most important part of our fishing gear. When we pray for others we become involved in their lives, unlike in any other way. We pray because we are genuinely concerned and discerning over where their lost condition is taking them. Of course, my concern must be genuine and sincere. People can tell when my love and concern for them is true. This compensates for my lack of eloquence or natural ability.
Now we see that prayer is the first and most important part of my equipment. Second is concern and compassion. The third part of my equipment is to recognize what works and what doesn't work. If I never venture out into the sea of humanity, I wind up being a ‘closet Christian” and ineffective. Another piece of our equipment is a willingness to study, read and learn about what works and what doesn't. Many times, the success that I have tin fishing for men goes unnoticed for a long period and it's the unconscious presence of God in me that affects others.
In our previous study, I talked about being a friend, being a servant, and being faithful. It's hard to improve on these three characteristics in reaching men for Christ. We find that these principles when employed in our daily activities really work in opening doors of opportunity.
I recall in my book on fly-fishing, the author always told us the right type of fly that works for the fish. I purchased them all and caught no fish at all with them. Then I began tying my own flies and the first time I used them I caught nine fish. While visiting my son in Montana, he arranged for me to go fishing with a professional guide. When the guide looked at my flies he said: “that won’t work here.” I decided to try them out and caught three trout, one after another. What's the point? It seems that in fishing for men, we must develop an approach that suits my personality and lifestyle. Sometimes in fishing for men kindness is an outstanding piece of equipment. Another would be the use of humor. Humor removes the impression that people may have about a Christian being morose or unhappy.
When people are not feeling well or down in the dumps a little bit of humor helps. Happiness is important. Are you a happy person? If you are not a happy and content person then, like Martyn Lloyd-Jones said in his book on spiritual depression, that you are a poor advertisement for the gospel. When I talk about happiness I am not talking about putting on a happy face which is exterior only. The happiness I am talking about is the inner Joy that reflects the peace of God and unconsciously affects others. Happiness and contentment are tools that are attractive to people who are trying to satisfy their inner hunger with that which does not satisfy. Fly-fishing involves a different type of casting. As any true fly- fisherman will tell you, we often spend a lot of time untangling our equipment from the trees or the bushes and so we need to go where the fish are and learn how to cast. When we spend a lot of time that detracts from the matter of soul-winning, we find a lot of time is wasted in efforts that do not help us to progress.
I have found that writing short booklets with attractive covers is one of the best ways I know of sharing the good news with others. Most of the people that I give them to know who I am and if they are my friend they read them. The writing was never something that I saw I could do or would even be interested in doing, but the Lord has given me a gift that I didn't know I had. In writing, with the purpose of sharing the good news with others, it has been another piece of fishing equipment that I find effective. I am a strong believer in teaching people about spiritual gifts and how to understand and employ them. When you know how God has equipped you to do His service, then there is the desire to learn and develop that gift more perfectly.
In this matter of understanding your equipment and how to us it, we must realize that we never stop learning. If there are people without Christ around us, there is the opportunity. Through prayer, reading, and socializing we become more effective and when we encounter problems in the matter of communicating our faith, that should be an incentive for us to find out what works and always try to develop our understanding in how to fish for men effectively. Jesus says, "follow me and I will make you fishers of men". That is a command and a promise. Jesus whole purpose for coming to this earth was to save men.
We must remember the salvation of men is why we are here. Remember the words of the angel to Mary, “thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sin” (Matthew 1:21). I believe that is true that when we are following Jesus we will be doing the work and ministry for the purpose for why He came. He didn't come to show us how to have a good time or to be a good teacher of wonderful truths, but he came to die because he understood the consequences that follow for men who were lost.
Our job is not to persuade men by using high-pressure tactics, but our job is to understand the gospel message and help others to understand it as. well. Understanding is the final tool in our fishing equipment. If men do not understand what we are trying to convey, then we must take the pains to find out how to make it understandable. Once men understand the gospel, the responsibility to believe is theirs. Fishing for men is a lifetime activity. When it comes to winning men for Christ there is no retirement program. The longer I become involved in this great venture and the older I become, I must become more efficient as well.
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