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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
July 1924
fisherman is that he should keep himself out of sight. This quality is pre-eminently necessary in the soul-winner. His own individuality must be kept as far as possible in the background, in order that his Master may be first and foremost. There is always danger lest we attach men to ourselves, instead of linking them on to Christ. At the King’s levee there comes a point at which, after the intro duction of the newcomer, the one who introduces him stands aside, his work being over. In like manner, in bring ing a soul to Christ we carry the work to a certain point, and then stand back for the soul to have its own private and personal interview with the Master. “ I labored . . . yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Cor. 15:10). Our Assurance— “ I will make you” Then Power for Soul-Winning is Possible, “ I will make you.” The Lord Jesus Christ is able and willing to equip us for the work of spiritual fishing. He himself was the greatest of all soul-winners in the days of his earthly min istry, and he is ready now to fit and prepare us for the same blessed work. Let this sink down into the heart of every one of us; there is no reason whatever why every Christian man should not be a soul-winner. Here is the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ offering to prepare us for this blessed work. This should encourage us to believe in the possibility for each of us. And Power for Soul-Winning is Certain. “ I will make you.” This is one of the “ I wills” of Christ, those gracious and blessed promises which are intended to encourage and hearten us for life and service. When Jesus- Christ our Saviour and Lord says “ I will” he means it, and in special connection with soul-winning we see the cheer and inspira tion of such a promise, giving us a certain guarantee of strength and provision for the difficult task. And Power for Soul-Winning is Blessed. To be fitted and equipped for this glorious work is surely a joy, a priv ilege, and a blessing. Christ our Master takes us into his school, trains us, teaches us, prepares us, and bestows upon us all needed grace and wisdom, and then sends us out into the great ocean of the world ready to “ catch men.” There is surely nothing nobler, nothing more uplifting, nothing more glorious, than to be equipped and commiss ioned by our Master to do “ the greatest work in the world.” Our Secret— “Follow me, and I will make you” What are the precise requirements and conditions laid down for us in the Word of God with reference to the work of soul-winning? We are already clearly aware of our duty to “ catch” men. We have also seen some of the qualifica tions required in a spiritual fisherman. We have also been cheered and encouraged by the Master’s promise that he will make us to become fishers of men. Now let us con sider very carefully our attitude to him and the conditions required by him in order that we may be “ thoroughly furn ished unto all good works.” The answer is found in the words “ Follow me.” This is a very familiar message, but one that needs to be analyzed into its constituent parts. What does it mean to follow Christ? Trust him. To follow Christ means to depend upon him for grace, and the soul-winner will never be of any service in the kingdom of God unless he depends constantly and entirely upon the grace of God to equip, guide, strengthen, and bless him in his labors. Imitate Him. Our Lord’s life was a life of soul-winning, and following him means doing as he did. A study of the Gospels will quickly reveal to us our Lord’s wonderful work and methods in catching men. In the fourth Gospel
dinary fisherman, and learn from*them at least a little of what is needed in order that we should become fishers of men. A Fisherman Needs Watchfulness. Mark the alertness of the true fisherman: always on the lookout for the fish, and for the best ways of catching it. So must it be with the true disciple of Christ who wishes to win'men for his Mas ter. “ They watch for your souls” (Heb. 13:17). “ I have made thee a watchman” (Ezek. 3:17; 33:2-7;' Acts 20:26, 28). The fisher of men must be eager and on the lookout for men. A clergyman once wrote to a friend asking him whether he would recommend a curate, and said that he wanted a man “ whose heart was aglow with the love of souls.” A Fisherman Needs Patience. How wonderfully patient is the fisherman who remains hour after hour on the river bank waiting for a bite. How utterly impossible it would be for him to fish with success unless he had this ele ment of patience. Much more is this true of the servant of God who wishes to win men to Christ. “ The servant of the Lord must . . . be patient” (2 Tim. 2:24-26). Men are patience will not only hinder the sinner from accepting not always won at the first attempt, and any spirit of im- Christ, but will hurt the worker’s own soul. It will only be by prayerful patience that many a captive of the Evil One is rescued and brought to the feet of the Saviour. This patience will demand real strength and energy. The fisher man must be “ instant in season, out of season” (2 Tim. 4 :2), and persistently, prayerfully, wait for every opportun ity to lay hold of the one whom he désirés to win for Christ. A Fisherman Needs Courage. Sea fishing in particular needs very great bravery and fearlessness. A fisherman often takes his life in his hands, and we know from our own fishing industry how many lives are lost in the prose cution of this daily task. So, also, fishing for men is by no means easy, and, as is well known, those who attempt it are often lacking in courage, and they do not find it any easier even after a long life of individual work. Dr. H. Clay Trum bull, one of the ablest and most earnest workers among individuals, has told us in his little work on the subject that he was as much afraid on the last occasion as on the first. Courage is, therefore a preeminent requirement if we would persist in the work of soul-winning. A Fisherman Needs Tactfulness. In the course of a day’s fishing a man may often have to change his method, and often to use different kinds of bait. We also know that there are very great differences in fishing for various sorts of fish, and there are other diversities according to locality and circumstance. All this suggests the need of tactfulness. When we think of spiritual fishing, tactfulness is one of the prime essentials. “ The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves” (2 Tim. 2:24, 25). Men around us differ so widely in circum stances, character, temperament, and attitude to God, that, unless the Christian worker is characterized by tactfulness, he will often do more harm than good in his endeavors to win men for Christ. It is as true today -as ever that “ he that winneth souls is wise,” and “ he is wise that winneth souls” (Prov. 11:30). We need to know something of the devious ways of sinnners, the different snares set by the enemy, and the precise aspects of Gospel truth best fitted to meet particular cases. All this requires and will de mand tactfulness, wisdom, and discretion. A Fisherman Needs Self-Forgetfulness. An old fisher man has said that one of the prime requirements of a true
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