FISHING CHRISTIANS
If you knew a fisherman who never carried a
net, spear or fishing rod for years on end and never caught any fish, is
he still a fisherman?
This fisherman formed a prestigious assembly
of people just like himself who entitled themselves as fisherman.
The local fishermen who actually fished for a living were appalled and
outraged this group was growing in their own community and gaining
influence, so they would have nothing to do with this false assembly of
fisherman. The real fisherman's resentment was very deep and
lasting.
In this wonderful part of the country was the
ocean sea, huge lakes, powerful rivers and cool gentle streams.
Fish were abundant and could be found everywhere. It is a
fisherman's paradise. If you were a fisherman, you would want to
be here. These fish had a tremendous reputation for biting day or night, rain or
shine. The perfect place to catch all the big ones that
usually get away.
Now it came to pass this so-called religiously organized
group of fishermen had a weekly meeting to discuss fishing.
They each rose up to the platform to give their testimony of how they
were called to fish and how they had made plans to catch fish this
coming year. Each fisherman applauded loudly, giving honor to
those who gave such wonderful commitments to go fishing, especially to
those who spoke of their deep love and devotion for fish. Such wonderful meetings
they have! It was sweet to the ears to hear such dedicated
fisherman proclaiming their commitment to the assembly. May God
bless them, was their cry!
Others gave what sounded like heart-felt sermons who
spoke sad stories of how the big fish, got away. Many club members shed tears
of regret and sadness. They reached out and pat the man on the
back, sharing the burden while hugging him saying that there there would
certainly be another day. They edified each other. They had
true brotherly love for one another. However, at the end of these
meetings nobody would go fishing. Most went home to watch TV.
Some went to the movie theater and others went shopping or to amusement
parks. Some visited the zoo to see the new fish added to the aquarium.
Others would bravely walk the shores observing others fishing in the
lakes and streams, taking notes, studying fishing techniques.
These were the hard-core fishermen and leaders of the club performing
these mission-critical studies, but they themselves had no time to catch
fish.
At their weekly meetings they discussed other
business matters too. They came up with rules that defined what
makes a professional fisherman and how to develop better fishing tools
and equipment. What was the best bait to use, the best hooks, better
nets, superior boats and other fishing gear were examined, studied and
the knowledge boldly shared with club members. Great knowledge of fishing these men
had, more than anyone else in the world! They even developed
mantras of positive thinking, "Liberty, justice and freedom to fish." "Fisherman
do it baiter." "We are the fishermen your fish fear." "Fishing
'R Us." "Wise fishermen teach fishermen to fish."
Strangely, these devout men and women do not go fishing themselves.
These amazing and knowledgably fisherman attend national trade shows
where all the fishermen in the world gather. It is a fun place to be if
you are a fisherman. Here you can see all the latest fishing
equipment on the market and even the newest stuff yet to be revealed to
the working fishermen. This group was privileged with special
invitations to be at these conventions. And they attended many seminar
classes that taught them all of the professional techniques for catching
fish. When they left by day's end their head was swimming with
fish-knowledge and that was only day one. There are two more days
to go! They saw the new fishing poles, reels, nets, boots
and clothing. They received complimentary books by publishers.
Many bought books and magazines teaching the fine art of fishing. Some purchased
movies about fishing and instructional videos on how to be a good, loyal
and trustworthy fisherman. Of course, they attending such
conventions they had no time to spare to go fishing. Many club
members spend a lot of money to attend these trade shows with air fair,
hotels, meals, entrance fees, tips and gratuities, etc. But to the
dedicated club member, it is true bragging rights to have participated,
a true sign of loyalty to the club. It is prestigious to be here!
There are also national conventions put on by
the number one top authorities on fishing. These speakers had it
all together and they proclaim fabulous sermons on how to catch fish.
They make it sound so easy and pleasant that many of the fisherman cry
out, "Yes Brother, yes, I hear you." "God bless you Brother
fisherman." "I see the light. I can do it, I know I can."
Each sentence these highly polished speakers present are intense for
they are filled with such wit and
clever speech that is simply overwhelms all who hear them speak. It is so good
and entertaining to listen
to professional fishermen sharing their deepest secrets and knowledge of
fishing. The congregation laughs when the speakers make fun of the
big fish that get away. Those stories always makes fisherman
laugh. However, these fine speakers will never ask to show a
raising of the hands to those in the audience who have gone fishing this
past week or month or even last year. This subject is taboo and is
never to be presented, as it may offend seminar attendees. It is
not politically correct to lure members to fish if they do not want to.
After all, it is freedom of choice. With such a gracious and tolerant
policy the club membership happily grows each year.
Now it came to pass the membership had grown
from a handful of people to over two-thousand. Elders needed to be
selected to help keep this large group of dedicated fishermen in order.
A leader also was needed to be chosen to lead them and show them the way
to fish. So, a man of great stature and authority was chosen as
president and twelve elders who were known as being very knowledgeable
at catching fish were hand-picked by the president and others high up in
the administrative food chain. A pretty building was needed, so each fisherman had to
cough up money at each meeting to help the club pay mortgage,
salaries, maintenance upkeep and utility bills. Some members grumbled because they were
poor fisherman and had little money to offer. Others complained
the club was too big now and they were losing control of the
club. Regardless, they were made to be comforted by the leader's
wonderful speeches on how they will all be better fisherman due to these
necessary changes, and this time the big ones will not get away! That
fine speech did
the trick. Regardless, the president and the elders did not fish.
It was a filthy and odorous task to handle bait and fish. They they did not want to dirty their hands.
After all, they are in distinguished positions and must appear
presentable at all times to the congregation and to the public. As
official club representatives they
now had sacred reputations to protect!
A committee was formed who gave instructions
to the fisherman on how to improve fishing habitat, protect fishing
rights, reduce fishing license fees, and other fishing-related matters.
Men were sent out into the community to see to it that the absolute will
of the club fishermen were accomplished by the government agencies, but they
did not fish because they had no time. They were too busy
following the committee's orders. Fisherman who came back to the
clubhouse with stories of great accomplishment were rewarded with
fish-mounted trophies and great ear-splitting applause! However, none of
the committee members, the laboring members or those who applauded fished.
It was time to begin formal classes to train
fisherman how to fish, so the wisest of the club were chosen as teachers
to conduct these classes. Every fisherman worth his salt attended.
Here they learned the secret art of how to examine a stream to locate
fish. How to approach fish, but not get too close that will disturb
or frighten the
fish to your presence. They learned the correct
bait to use and the best time to go fishing. These classes did
wonders. Men who attended these classes were known as saints
filled with the knowledge of truth. They knew everything about
fish perfectly memorized. They could make you dizzy with facts,
figures, history, anatomy, behavior habits about fish, approaching and
feeding fish and things you never knew existed. True professors
they have become. Nobody could challenge them. They now had
the knowledge and the power, but they never went fishing because there
was still much wisdom to be learned. The knowledge was so deep it is like
attending a college without a graduation date. Even the teachers
were so busy teaching how to fish, they had no time to fish themselves.
The oldest club members were retired and had much time
on their hands. These elder fishermen had a deep reverence for fishing.
Many purchased expensive motor homes and traveled the nation in search for
better places to fish and to discover new fishing locations. Others went on pilgrimages to see the
historical places where fisherman first fished the waters in their
country. Others took passage on ocean cruises around the world to observe all
the wonderful kinds of fish God has made, but not one of them fished.
Besides, there was great entertainment on these chartered cruises with
powerful witnesses that teach fishermen how to catch fish. How can
one fish and yet do all this at the same time? Certainly, the
youngsters in the club have the energy to catch fish whereas the old
are, well, just getting old. They say, "Our time is short.
We must live while we can, plus we have not enough knowledge to catch
fish even if we wanted to. That is why we are here, to learn more about
how to catch fish!"
Senior club administration decided it was time
to expand so that they can catch more fisherman. They bought a printing press
and created a fishing magazine with marvelous articles about fish and
how they behave in the wild. They even produced music for
fishermen and video self-help instructional films on how to catch fish.
They even dreamed up gift items to give to members and to the public
that financially support the club and its cause.
They sold these products and became an outstanding source of prestige
and knowledge. The club became very rich marketing such products
and the membership swelled to
18,000 members overnight. A great success! Even
though, everyone who worked so hard developing these club projects never had
time to actually go fishing. But trouble was brewing within the
ranks. Some club members did not like the way things were being
run. They became distrustful of those handling the money.
These enlightened club members were terrified to speak aloud, so they
remained silent. They were afraid of being ridiculed or worse,
excommunicated from club membership forever. It was deemed prudent
in their eyes to swim along with the current and remain a fisherman in
good standing.
The real local fisherman who actually fished
for a living loudly demonstrated in front of the clubhouse passing out flyers
and exposing the hypocrisy of fishermen calling themselves fishermen that do
not catch fish. A huge confrontation. However, they were repulsed by the
many thousands of club
members. They were so greatly outnumbered. As they were
leaving one real fisherman cried out, "Some day you will regret
believing lies and false teachings" but he was only laughed at
by the devout club members and
sent away in shame. A voice crying in the wilderness was silenced.
Now that the club is on a roll, it was time to
employ witnessing missionaries to go forth to proclaim the blessed
techniques on how to catch fish to other fishing clubs nationwide.
To go forth and travel around the world to reach those who never fished.
To establish new missions to be packed with new club members!
A blessed vision, a great command given by the club president to change
the world. Many fisherman felt called and aggressively applied to become these witnesses for the
club, but only a few were chosen. The lucky few were ordained and
commissioned by the club and were given outstanding ovations and
applause by all the fishermen in the clubs they visited. It was a
successful missionary project well done, but not one fish was caught by
these dedicated witnesses because they believed they were called to a
much higher calling to catch fishermen, not to catch fish. They
explained that they could not build new missions if they themselves were
wasting time catching fish.
Those who were left behind were depressed
because they were not chosen worthy to serve, so the president came up
with a great idea. He created disciples who were ordained and chosen to become
workers in the field. Thousands of these strong and dedicated souls worked very
hard making dams, fixing fishing trails and cutting roads to reach
rivers and streams. They built boat launching ramps, installed
picnic tables, campfire grills, fish-cleaning stations, managing fish
hatcheries, building campgrounds and everything else to accommodate
fishermen. These club-fishermen-disciples worked so hard they were
very tired at day's
end. They lost the desire to catch fish, but they were serving the
club with great diligence. These were deemed good and faithful
servants by all the fishing club members.
But there was more trouble. Many more
club members felt unwanted as they could not serve to be deemed worthy
of being called true, faithful and obedient servants of the cause.
The president felt very sorry for them and the committee and elders came
up with a brilliant plan. Fishermen in the clubhouse who were left out
of these big projects were told that they could be good statesmen and
fine representatives of the fishing club. All they had to do was
to be polite to fish and to treat fish with extreme kindness and love.
This way the fish will learn that not all fishermen are evil fishermen.
To do this was to be the greatest servant and witness to the fishing
cause! Club members loved the concept and they accepted the
challenge, but catch fish they did not. To put a hook into a fish jaw was just too painful
a thought to bear. It would make the fish ask, "Why did you do this to
me? What sin did I do to deserve this?" These fishermen
thought too much of the fish to dare catch it. They did not want to hear
the poor fish's plea of
repentance and mercy. It would be best to let the fish be happy
and go about its day with good cheer. Happiness to all. Shed
no tears. Bad fish need not repent. All shall be treated
with respect and with tolerance. There is no right or wrong.
These were wonderful concepts in the club's theology so they employed
them as the club's official policy and procedure. Other clubs adopted
the measure with great fanfare. Everybody was happy, even the
fish!
Other fisherman stood by the streams and
rivers admiring the great fish swimming by, but deep down in their heart
there was remorse. They knew there was a enormous dam upstream and
the fish were heading to their certain death. In just a few moments all
the wonderful fish in the river will be grinded to meal by the spinning
blades of the dam's huge power plant turbines. The club fishermen reasoned
it is better to let nature take its course, so they did not
interfere to catch these wonderful fish. Some could be heard,
"They have blemishes, so it is no great loss that these fish are to
die." Another fisherman agreed, then another. One real
fisherman nearby said to them, "Justification can be an amazing
grace" but the club fisherman gave him smug looks, nevertheless they
were bewildered.
Many of the club members suffered for the
cause of the club. They were laughed at for not fishing, but they
bore the insults as a badge of courage. These men were considered
saints by the club. Real fishermen laughed at them because they
did not catch fish, but those taunts only hardened their resolve to
dedicate their lives to teach fishing to the world. Some gave
their lives for the club when they slipped into the river, drowned and
were devoured by fish. Others had the messy stinking job of
cleaning up after fishermen who used the fish-cleaning stations. They
suffered as good servants for the club they loved.
Then one day a young man in the club rose from
his seat shouting, "Something is not right here. All we do is teach,
talk and preach fishing, but none of us ever go fishing. I want to
catch a real fish." The congregation all turned and stared with
red evil eyes at the lad. Their mean faces scared him so much he ran
out of the meeting never to return. The president nodded his head
to a club member to follow the lad.
A woman rapped her cane on the pew and spoke
aloud, "None of you are fishermen. Real fishermen catch fish.
How dare you proclaim to be honorable men and women when you do not
practice what you preach. Jesus of Nazareth is the original founding
father of our congregation and He said we must gather or we scatter.
If we do not do so we
become His enemy. We must go forth and catch fish, all of us
before it is too late." The congregation loudly shouted, "Get her
out of here." Excommunicate her." "Traitor in our midst."
"Mother of Judas, I knew it all along." The
president nodded his head and the club's ushers
grabbed this poor woman by her arms and forcibly evicted her from the assembly.
Another man stood from his seat with great
courage saying, Jesus is our most
treasured Master fisherman and we are dedicated to Him. And these
are His very words,
"Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." The
president's face turned red with rage. The twelve elders
became fuming mad demanding he get out and to never come back. He was
scolded severely, "To speak in such tones is blasphemy. Repent
now, recant or leave our sacred assembly. We will ban you from our
midst." The man shook his head and sadly left as
instructed. The club members applauded the decision. The president
rose to the pulpit, "We will not tolerate dissenters or unbelievers in our
midst." More applause arose to such an extent a great noise
was heard. The choir began to sing and all was well once again.
The president roamed about the congregation of fishermen congratulating
them for a job well done.
Now, if a group calls itself fishermen and do
not fish, they are not fisherman. It is common sense.
Nevertheless, churches are filled with religious and devout
fishermen who never catch fish, do not want to fish and will not catch
fish. Many will go to their graves who have never fished for men.
These fishermen are not taught to fish and are perfectly
happy not to follow or hear Jesus' calling them to catch fish.
Everyone who truly follows Jesus of Nazareth, catches fish. What
about you?
It is now your turn to proclaim the Gospel to
the lost... to catch the big ones that will otherwise get away
- James Russell Publishing.
End of article.
