April 28, 2022

In reading through the book of Acts recently, I was struck with the number of times the Apostle Paul’s evangelistic messages are either recorded for us or referenced.

To review…

Saul of Tarsus (soon to become the Apostle Paul) was on his way from Jerusalem with letters from the Jewish High Priest to arrest in Damascus anyone who was a part of The Way, an early, cynical way to refer to Jesus followers.

Just before entering the city, Saul was blinded by a light from heaven. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Clearly, this was a message from God, but Saul couldn’t imagine in what way he could possibly be persecuting God.

Saul would have been utterly devastated when he heard, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” Talk about leaning one’s ladder against the wrong wall! Saul had been opposing the One he had been attempting to serve.

Well, within three days, Saul had regained his sight, had believed in Jesus, and had been  baptized.

He very quickly (Acts 9:20 says “immediately”) became an outspoken follower of Jesus, telling everyone in the Damascus synagogue, “[Jesus] is the Son of God.”

When fellow Christians rescued him from a plot by the Damascus Jews against his life, he made his way to Jerusalem. There, he began talking with and arguing with Hellenistic Jews, trying to convince them that Jesus was the Messiah. These Hellenists, by the way, were the same ones who had only recently stoned Stephen to death – with Saul’s / Paul’s hearty approval.

Paul preached the Gospel on the First Missionary Journey to the Jews in the city of Pisidian Antioch and in Iconium, speaking from the Jewish Scriptures. He also spoke from the Scriptures to the Jews in the synagogues of Thessalonica and Corinth.

In the city of Lystra, he preached Jesus to non-Jews by pointing to God’s revelation of Himself in nature. In Athens, he reasoned with the philosophers on Mars Hill, pointing them to Jesus, a Man through whom God would judge the world.

Then, late in the book, when he was giving a defense of the faith in Jerusalem before the Jews, he told them about Jesus by using his testimony of the encounter on the Damascus Road. (Acts 22:4-11) Later, he told the same story while standing trial before King Agrippa. (Acts 26:4-18)*

What has struck me as I have reflected on Paul’s evangelistic methodology is the lack of a standardized methodology. His presentations were as varied as his audiences. Each talk was tailored to the needs of his listeners.

Now you may know that fishing is not one of my favorite pastimes. However, all of the above leads my thoughts to the theme of fishing.

Jesus invited His first disciples to follow Him, with the promise that they would become “fishers of men.” Borrowing from Jesus’ word picture, we could say that Paul “fished” with bait appropriate to each school of fish he encountered.

So, the Lord’s call to Peter, Andrew, James, and John was an invitation to fish…

…then, the scene from the final chapter of John’s Gospel (John 21:1-13) was a reminder to the disciples that fishing was still close to His heart…

…and the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul gives us a model of how to fish wisely in the various ponds in our world.

Worms, top-water lures, nets, and trot lines will all be useful, depending on the fish you’re after. Old Testament prophecy, stories from the Gospels, personal testimony, and reasoned debate will serve you well, depending on who you’re after for Jesus’ sake.

Fishers of fish are uniformly patient and creative. So those of us who fish to bring our friends to Jesus must be uniformly patient and creative.

Fishers of fish don’t do fish any favors by their fishing. But, fishers of men and women and boys and girls fish solely to bless those they are fishing for and to honor the Savior who loved them.

Jesus invites us, He calls us, He sends us to fish in the vast diversity of ponds in our personal worlds. His word to us is simple: Go fish.

Yours…His,

Dave

*There is no reference to his Damascus Road  experience in the speeches given in Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13), Iconium (Acts 14), Philippi (Acts 16), Athens (Acts 17) or at Ephesus (Acts 20).