Fishers of Men (Part 1)

When Jesus Christ began His public ministry on earth, He called several men to be His first disciples: 

Mark 1:17 "And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men."

His first command to these men was to multiply spiritually.  If they followed Him, He would make them "fishers of men. They would reproduce as they "fished" spiritually for other men and women.

The last message of Jesus to His followers was a call to spiritual reproduction:

Acts 1:8, 9 "But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight."

How could the disciples fulfill this great commission given by Jesus?  How could this small group of people multiply to reach the entire world?

Jesus revealed specific methods which would enable His disciples to fulfill the command to reproduce spiritually.  The first and most important of these was given as part of the commission in Acts 1:8.  Disciples would multiply through the endument of power by the Holy Spirit.  Other methods were revealed as the followers of Jesus began to multiply and reach the world with the Gospel.  These methods are recorded in the books of Acts and the Epistles in the New Testament. 

The Bible teaches you how to to reproduce spiritually and fulfill God's command. But first, you must understand what it means to multiply.  To "multiply" means to increase in number by reproduction.  Multiplication is the process of multiplying.  When something is multiplied it is reproduced over and over again in like form.

In the natural world, men and women reproduce themselves by having children.  They multiply physically.  Spiritual multiplication is done by reproducing spiritually.  A believer reproduces by sharing the Gospel with others, leading them to become believers, and establishing them as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible reveals God's methods for spiritual multiplication.  A "method" is a plan for accomplishing a specific goal. "Methodologies" is a system of methods which can be combined to reach a goal.

"Multiplication methodologies" are methods which enable believers to reach the goal of spiritual reproduction.  The goal never changes.  We are to reproduce spiritually and reach the entire world with the Gospel.  There are many different methods by which this goal may be accomplished.  These are the "methodologies" or various plans, by which you can multiply.

When man cooperates with God's multiplication methods, spiritual reproduction results.  Believers reproduce spiritually within the womb of the Church.

The men Jesus first called as disciples were fishermen. They were men of action.  They did not catch fish one at a time.  They used big nets to fish and brought in many fish of all kinds. 

When Jesus called them to be "fishers of men" He revealed a similar plan for spiritual multiplication.  His followers were to "catch" men and women from every nation, culture, language, and ethnic background.  Their spiritual "nets" were to be filled.

Jesus called men to action.  He said He would make them become fishers of men.  They would not just be spectators in God's plan.  They would be participators as they fished for the eternal souls of men and women.

The call of Jesus is still the same.  We are to become fishers of men.  If we are not fishing, then we are not following. 

Why did Jesus use the example of fishing to call His followers?

First, it was an example they could easily understand.  These men made their living by fishing.  It was the thing to which they devoted their time and energy.  When Jesus called them to become fishers of men, they understood that they would "catch" men spiritually, just as they had caught fish in the natural world.  They also understood the demands of this call.  Spiritual fishing would require a commitment of their time and energy. 

Second, Jesus used the example of fishing to call followers because there are principles of natural fishing which can be applied spiritually.