OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - MONDAY - 05/05/2014 - FISHERS OF MEN BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

FISHERS OF MEN

MEMORISE

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Matthew 4:19

READ

John 1:40-42

40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

MESSAGE

Soul-winning is a must. Few are called to be preachers or evangelists, but every child of God is called to be a fisher of men. Every committed Christian has the opportunity to witness and lead sinners to Christ. Fishing for a soul is a definite effort to lead a particular person to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. In our Bible reading for today, Andrew brought Peter to Jesus Christ. This same Peter grew in his relationship with Jesus and became a great preacher and the leader of the Apostles. Soul-winning is mandatory. You should be involved. You may be the means by which a future world preacher would be brought to Christ. Why not start today?

You may ask, ‘why must I fish for the souls of men?’ There are several reasons why you should. One reason is the worth of a soul (Mark 8:36-37)? A soul is worth more than the whole universe. Another reason is the reality of Hell. Whether you believe it or not, the final abode of an unsaved soul is eternity in Hell-fire. Hell is a place of torment, darkness, pain and anguish forever. The third reason why you must fish for men’s souls is because of the suffering of Christ on the Cross for each sinner. With a crown of thorns on his head, nails in His hands and feet and His body covered with stripes, our Lord and Saviour lost blood and water rapidly in the scorching sun. The pains of His body, coupled with the loss of water and blood produced an agony so great that He cried, ‘I thirst.’ Must Christ suffer in vain? If you do not want this to be the case, you must let sinners know that Christ suffered and died to save their souls. The fourth reason is the emptiness, folly and vanity of this world. As a born-again Christian, you must have discovered that the world is vain and passing away with all its lusts, but those in Christ shall live in bliss forever. It is your duty to tell your friends this truth. In Christ you have found something beautiful and enduring, why not present Him to your friends and relations too! The greatest present you can give to anyone is Christ. This is because whosoever has Christ has all things (1 Corinthians 3:21b). Finally, you should fish for men’s soul because soul winners are wise. As a soul winner, you are not labouring in vain. Your reward for each soul won is great and sure (Daniel 12:3). There are certain qualifications requisite to being a fisher of men. First of these is that, as a fisher of men, you must be saved and be sure of your salvation. A blind person cannot lead the blind. You must also have compassion for lost souls, otherwise you will work with a dead, mechanical, dispassionate concern; sinners know those who are truly concerned about them.

ACTION POINT

Be practical. Decide to be a fisher of men today.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Genesis 4-7; Psalm 98