What would you think of a group of fishermen who got into their boats and headed out to sea, but never bothered to let down their nets? When it was suggested that they needed to actually let down the nets and purposely capture the fish, they were shocked that anyone would use such methods that could potentially damage the fish or scare others away! Instead, they reasoned that they ought to simply toss the bait overboard and eventually the fish will figure out where it came from and jump into the boat themselves.
That is the dumbest strategy ever!
Jesus instructed us to become fishers of men. We don’t do that by simply handing out goodies to the world and wait for them to be drawn to the church. In applying these methods, we are no different than the misguided Sunday School teacher who holds up candy and asks, “Who wants to give their heart to Jesus?” We just offer goodies on a larger scale. It doesn’t matter how comfortable the pews are, how good the lighting is, or how hip our worship pastor is. The average nonchristian has about as much desire to walk into the church as the average criminal wants to walk into the police station. It’s not a comfortable place to go when you’re guilty!
What we are supposed to be doing is following the biblical mandate of going OUT into the world, spreading the message of hope, love, and forgiveness that is found only in the death and resurrection of the Son of God. Paul said that the message he preached to Jew and Gentile alike was was repentance towards God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 20:21
The gospel is a message to proclaim!
We need to go where the fish are, and let down the nets!