I Will Make You Fishers of Men...

The last time I went beach fishing at night, I didn't bring home a feed but I did catch three souls -- glory to God!

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matt 4:19

About this time last year, on a cold, wintery night, I headed off to the beach to do some fishing. We were visiting Fiona's folks in Bargara (one of Bundaberg's beachside suburbs) en route to holding a revival meeting in Rockhampton. It was late at night so I went alone and didn't take any of the children.

I'd set myself up on the sand and, having explored the area during the day, I was pretty confident of catching a few bream or flathead or even some whiting. I had light line, live yabbies, and plenty of time. I like fishing. It's outdoors. You can breathe in the salt air. And you have plenty of time to pray and worship and reflect on things.

It was about ten o'clock when I heard the sound of loud voices and the sound of crashing objects and laughing. From what I could hear, it sounded like a bunch of youths, full of bravado and maybe booze as well. The sounds were getting closer and I started to feel a bit vulnerable. I was on my own and I didn't really know the neighbourhood that well. I had thoughts of packing up and leaving but then I thought, "Oh well Lord, I'm in your hands. Let's see what happens."

A few minutes later three teenagers stumbled onto my fishing spot – two young men and a young lady. They came over and started talking. One of them was quite the fisherman and started filling me in with local fishing knowledge. They told me different stories and exploits and boasted about drinking and other things that youth are into these days. They weren't in any hurry and they talked to me for probably half an hour.

Meanwhile I hadn't caught a thing...

As it got later, it was getting colder so the three friends told me they were going to keep moving. In my heart, compassion was growing for these young people and I wanted to tell them about Jesus but I hadn't yet taken an opportunity. I said, "No worries. Maybe see you again." As they turned and started walking off, something inside me said, "This is it, Dylan. It's now or never."

"Hey!" I called out, "Has anyone ever told you about Jesus?" or something to that effect. I remember feeling clumsy in my approach. But our Lord only needs the smallest step of faith on our part. What prevents us many times from stepping out in evangelism is that we place too much emphasis on our own ability to win people to Jesus. But we must continually remind ourselves that it's not us. We can't win anyone to Jesus. But the fragrance of Christ in us ... can! The Holy Spirit does miracles, including salvation miracles, through us and in spite of us!

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Cor 4:7

As soon as I'd called out to those young people, they turned around and came back. One of them – the leader – literally jumped the wooden fence and sat down cross-legged in front of me. None of them said a word. They were fixated on me, waiting for me to speak! And so right there, on the beach at probably close to eleven o'clock at night, I shared Jesus with a captive audience of three. For about half an hour I went through the Gospel while they hung on every word.

Don't believe the enemy's lies. Young people today are starving for Living Bread. And they are parched, thirsty for Living Water. For all the technology and entertainment and the corruptions of the age, our young people are desperate for an encounter with Truth and Life. Don't believe for a minute that we've lost the battle for our young people.

...when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. Isa 59:19

As the wind became colder, I challenged them for a response as I do every person I share Jesus with. "You've heard the Truth tonight. Your heart's burning. You know God is real and that what's happening right now is no accident. Jesus is calling you tonight. The Scripture says, 'But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name.' Will you receive Jesus tonight as your Lord and Saviour?" I continued, "Today is the day of salvation. What are you going to do with what I've told you tonight?" 

The three of them looked at each other and looked back at me. The leader, a young man named D_____, said, "It's very cold."

"Let's go and get in my Tarago," I said, "It'll be warm in there and we'll talk a bit more."

They hesitated.

"Don't worry. I'm safe," I said, "The car's full of child car seats."

They looked at each other again and D____ said, "Okay."

So we all bundled into the Tarago out of the cold wind. By this stage, fishing was the last thing on our minds. I'd left my rod and everything on the sand. In the car, I went through the plan of salvation and, after confirming that each of them knew they needed a Saviour and were ready to receive Jesus, we prayed together. D_____, K_____, and J_____ all received Jesus and were born again. What a happy night! Two 17 year-olds and one 18 year-old. In the warm Presence of Jesus, we laughed and talked about what had just happened. The young lady, K_____, said, "As soon as you called us back, I knew something like this was going to happen. I knew there was something different about you."

After giving each of them some resources that I had in the car, I offered to drive them home or wherever they needed to go. They agreed, seeing it was so cold. We went back and collected my fishing gear off the beach and headed home.

When I finally got home and climbed into bed, Fiona mumbled something like, "Did you catch anything?"

"Yeah," I said with a smile, "I'll fill you in, in the morning."

I kept in touch with D____ for a quite a while after that. I enquired about churches in Bundaberg and recommended one that someone recommended to me. He works on a trawler and I hope to see him and his two friends again one day.

It was while I was on that trip that I found a book in a Bundaberg op shop called, Finding Men For Christ. It's an old book with thick, brownish pages written by C.F. Dempster. Published in London in 1936. It's full of salvation testimonies by a minister who is led by the Holy Spirit to find people for Christ. The stories are amazing and show just what the Lord can do with a willing and obedient vessel. We don't need to be smart or even very brave. We just need to be willing and obedient and He'll do the rest!

If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. Isa 1:19

The book is inspirational. It's old school 'treasure hunting'. Reading it has encouraged me to publish on this blogspot my own testimonies of finding men and women for Christ. I have several more experiences and encounters that I will post in the coming weeks. All glory to God! May you be encouraged and inspired!

For He says, "In the time of My favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. 2 Cor 6:2