Fisher of souls.

[Wayne222]

      Cast your net into the waters. The lord has given us a net to cast. The souls of men are perishing. All around us are ones who need us to cast the lords net.

                 Jesus told peter to cast his net into the lake. Peter said we have worked all night and we have gather no fish but nevertheless i will do as you wish. The net return more then full. The net was ready to break.

              Its only Jesus who can and will fill our nets with mens souls. But we musr be like peter and keep casting. He cast alk night at the end the lord filled his net.

           The lord yearns for the lost souls. And needs us to help him in this task. Pray and cast in faith in Jesus working power and his love for souls.

[Mike 2]

Interesting how "the souls" weren't caught until they listened to Jesus.

Had a dream one night, turns out it was tied in to the season I was going through in my spiritual walk. A well respected preacher came up to me while I was working a BBQ and asks me with a smile 'Watcha' got for me?' I rather sheepishly pick up 2 small lunch baggies with a small fish cooked golden brown in each one and embarrassingly give them to him, he gleefully accepts them with a huge smile ......then I wake up................. Whhaaaat?

So I'm thinking about this dream and slowly it dawns on me that you can catch a minnow, you can catch a shark, you can catch a trout, you can catch a marlin, but....a fish is a fish is a fish. You can catch one in the ocean, in a polluted river ,in a creek or a stagnant pond , still a fish is a fish is a fish! Doesn't matter what it looks like , where it is or where it came from...a fish is a fish is a fish.

A soul is a soul is a soul...doesn't matter what it looks like, where its coming from or where it is right now.

I was struggling with the people that were in my life. I was involved with Sunday school all along thinking I should be teaching adults at church, with some people outside church that were drug addicts, alcoholics, I was going in to a prison, I was talking with homosexuals that were coming to church and struggling with their desires, plus there were the people that would stop in to my work to talk about their repeated difficulties that I knew would go away if they would ..just.... . I was frustrated with the setbacks I was seeing with many, if only they would get rid of this or that they would find God.

Except for the kids, these people I was involved with had lives that I thought would be so much better if they would just change their environment. Frankly, in doing that, they would be be more acceptable in society and their lives would be better.

It does not matter what sin is in a persons life or where they are in their spiritual journey, Jesus the Son of God comes into that.

I have since been to bible studies with people holding a bible in one hand and a beer in the other, with needles falling out of pockets while discussing the gospel.

God does not care where the fish is caught or what it looks like. The reality is He does not require anyone to change before he will come into their lives...only we do.

Jesus is not physically walking around on the earth right now, we as sons (and daughters) of God are now doing that with His Spirit within us. That's how Jesus appears in the world today, through us.

We have to put our idea of what good fishing looks like aside and put our net down where our Lord directs us....He knows where the fish are biting and doesn't look at the outside but the desire of the soul inside. Something we don't do because we are caught up in looking at physical appearances and cultures.

Mat 9:11  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, Why does your Master take food with tax-farmers and sinners? 
Mat 9:12  But on hearing this he said, Those who are well have no need of a medical man, but those who are ill. 
Mat 9:13  But go and take to heart the sense of these words, My desire is for mercy, not offerings: for I have come not to get the upright, but sinners. 

A fish is a fish is a fish

[Wayne222]

1 hour ago, Mike 2 said:

Interesting how "the souls" weren't caught until they listened to Jesus.

Had a dream one night, turns out it was tied in to the season I was going through in my spiritual walk. A well respected preacher came up to me while I was working a BBQ and asks me with a smile 'Watcha' got for me?' I rather sheepishly pick up 2 small lunch baggies with a small fish cooked golden brown in each one and embarrassingly give them to him, he gleefully accepts them with a huge smile ......then I wake up................. Whhaaaat?

So I'm thinking about this dream and slowly it dawns on me that you can catch a minnow, you can catch a shark, you can catch a trout, you can catch a marlin, but....a fish is a fish is a fish. You can catch one in the ocean, in a polluted river ,in a creek or a stagnant pond , still a fish is a fish is a fish! Doesn't matter what it looks like , where it is or where it came from...a fish is a fish is a fish.

A soul is a soul is a soul...doesn't matter what it looks like, where its coming from or where it is right now.

I was struggling with the people that were in my life. I was involved with Sunday school all along thinking I should be teaching adults at church, with some people outside church that were drug addicts, alcoholics, I was going in to a prison, I was talking with homosexuals that were coming to church and struggling with their desires, plus there were the people that would stop in to my work to talk about their repeated difficulties that I knew would go away if they would ..just.... . I was frustrated with the setbacks I was seeing with many, if only they would get rid of this or that they would find God.

Except for the kids, these people I was involved with had lives that I thought would be so much better if they would just change their environment. Frankly, in doing that, they would be be more acceptable in society and their lives would be better.

It does not matter what sin is in a persons life or where they are in their spiritual journey, Jesus the Son of God comes into that.

I have since been to bible studies with people holding a bible in one hand and a beer in the other, with needles falling out of pockets while discussing the gospel.

God does not care where the fish is caught or what it looks like. The reality is He does not require anyone to change before he will come into their lives...only we do.

Jesus is not physically walking around on the earth right now, we as sons (and daughters) of God are now doing that with His Spirit within us. That's how Jesus appears in the world today, through us.

We have to put our idea of what good fishing looks like aside and put our net down where our Lord directs us....He knows where the fish are biting and doesn't look at the outside but the desire of the soul inside. Something we don't do because we are caught up in looking at physical appearances and cultures.

Mat 9:11  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, Why does your Master take food with tax-farmers and sinners? 
Mat 9:12  But on hearing this he said, Those who are well have no need of a medical man, but those who are ill. 
Mat 9:13  But go and take to heart the sense of these words, My desire is for mercy, not offerings: for I have come not to get the upright, but sinners. 

A fish is a fish is a fish

Good post Mike. There are all types of fish to be caught. Sometimes the person who looks most like they would not hear the word gets saved. 

             And even in church we see people on the outside. And never see the inner part. I once thought i could never get people to respone to me. But one day in a bookstore i spoke the word and a small group of people stop and heard mem 

 .           We must not be afraid to look foolish. God word will not return to him void but will bear fruit through the power of the spirit.

[BeyondET]

7 hours ago, Wayne222 said:

      Cast your net into the waters. The lord has given us a net to cast. The souls of men are perishing. All around us are ones who need us to cast the lords net.

                 Jesus told peter to cast his net into the lake. Peter said we have worked all night and we have gather no fish but nevertheless i will do as you wish. The net return more then full. The net was ready to break.

              Its only Jesus who can and will fill our nets with mens souls. But we musr be like peter and keep casting. He cast alk night at the end the lord filled his net.

           The lord yearns for the lost souls. And needs us to help him in this task. Pray and cast in faith in Jesus working power and his love for souls.

Great thread Wayne, I love your analogy of it  and he filled them not once but twice, once in the beginning with his disciples and the second at the end with his disciples on the seashore.

[Wayne222]

Thanks BeyondET i like that a lot ! He filled the net twice. Praise God !

[Sower]

On 5/30/2018 at 11:02 AM, Wayne222 said:

Cast your net into the waters. The lord has given us a net to cast. The souls of men are perishing. All around us are ones who need us to cast the lords net.

Excellent post, Wayne...        
I have an old analogy I made to explain my witnessing (fishing for men/souls)
I really enjoying fishing, especially saltwater fishing. I learned as a kid from my grandfather. I got older and with no boat, I fished off the pier. Put the bait on, cast it out. Wait. If the fish came along, I might catch some. If no fish came, no fish caught. Then one day going to work along the bay, I saw several old timers coming out of the water, from wade fishing. And they all had long stringers of fish, and it was still early morning. And no bait buckets. ???   Got up early next morning, still dark, went down where I saw where those wade fishermen were, and saw them fishing. I learned a lot after meeting them. First, they don't use a live bait, but lures. All kinds, depending the conditions. Surface lures, diving lures for deep, dark and light colored depending on the sun, fast action in summer, slow in the winter when it's cold and the fish move slowly. And they didn't stand in one spot, like on the pier. Depending on the tide, and the wind, they moved around till they found the fish. And they could really catch them. They were seasoned fishermen. And I learned from them how to catch fish. 
Applied to fishing for men/souls, I can't just wait for them to maybe come along. I have to go out, and depending on conditions, search them out. I have to use the 'bait-lure-conversation, depending upon who I'm talking to. It's different with everybody, but the same also. I have to act.   And I never push for a sinners prayer. I simply explain for them to get before God, at home, and simply talk to Him, and ask Him for help. I don't try to  'reel them in'. I sow seeds. In any soil. I may never know. Doesn't matter. Hopefully there will be some sprouts shooting up behind me in my path. But there won't be any if I don't sow those seeds.

Psa 126:5-6  They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

'Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness, Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve; Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping, We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves'.