Fishing for Souls: The Best Lure

Hello again and welcome to Strengthen Your Walk. I’m Jonathan Scott. We’re talking about evangelism, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in a way that’s compelling that people can respond by faith.

When you go fishing, you’re really not going to be effective unless there are lures, unless there are elements that mimic what fish are after, what the prey go after. Sometimes it’s about the movement, the colors, the way it moves, the brilliance of it that causes fish and incites them to actually bite, to fetch the bait.

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There are many different kinds of baits that are used with different kinds of lures. There’s live bait. There are also jigs, spoons, flies, poppers, chatter baits, and spinnerbaits. When it comes to evangelism, I believe that one of the best lures in evangelism is your life – the story of what Christ did and how He impacted you that can become attractive to others.

We’re not the foundation. We’re not the story, but we’re an application of how the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ has been applied to our life. I love the passion in one of Jesus’ best friends in the gospel of John, who also wrote a letter to many people to encourage them in their faith.

In 1 John, he says, “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and touched with our hands concerning the word of life, that life was revealed and we have seen it. We testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us. What we have seen and heard, we also declare to you so that you may have fellowship with us. And indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.”

So, let me ask you, “What’s your story?” One of the things I enjoy doing as a pastor when I give people counseling for marriages, the first time we meet together I ask them the question, “How did you all meet? How did you decide that you wanted to upgrade that meeting and start to hang out with one another?” Then I ask the guy, “So, what caused you to decide you wanted to ask her to marry you?” And I’ll ask her, “What caused you to say yes?” Just to kind of get a context of the relationship.

In the same way, when we come to Christ, let me ask you, “Do you remember what your life was like before you came to Christ? It doesn’t have to be something dramatic, but just what was the area of your thinking before you came into this relationship with Jesus? What was it about Jesus that drew you to Him? What is it about His life or His work, His ministry that caused you to move closer so that you would decide to place your faith? And what was it that caused you to say, ‘I’m ready to surrender my life to say yes to Jesus?’” And how about this one, “Why are you still saying yes? Why are you still surrendering your life to following Jesus Christ?”

That’s a part of your story. It’s irrefutable. People can’t argue about that. That’s what happened to you. And the quality of your story and the character of your fellowship and your fellowship of Jesus Christ can be used to make Christ even that much more attractive for people to want to lean in to understand how Christ can impact their life in a unique way.

What Jesus Christ did for everyone, that’s universal. But what He did for you is unique. So, I encourage you to know your story and through the quality of your friendship with Jesus and how He impacts your life that your life can be the attraction that causes people to give Jesus a chance of being Lord in their life. As a matter of fact, that’s what it says in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine in such a way before others that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” In this way, your life can become a powerful lure for the gospel.

In the next session, we’re going to take a look at the sources of power for success in our fishing mission. Join us next time at Strength in Your Walk.

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