Fireside: Feed Sheep; Catch Fish

Of all the similitudes for being a follower of Jesus, these two are the most well-known, and yet the most divergent. They deal in a man’s relationship to a particular animal, yet aside from that, have no more in common. One picture is the shepherd, the other, the fisherman.

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Matthew 4:18

“Feed my sheep.”

John 21:17

From the beginning, His invitation to new disciples was catch fish. At the end, before He ascended back in Heaven, His charge to them was feed sheep.

Those two occupations encompass all main missions of a believer.

Fish– Win the lost. Evangelize. Witness. Reach the unsaved world for Christ.

Feed– Edify one another. Disciple new converts. Be an example of the believer. Encourage them.

Yet, even as Jesus finished his breakfast of broiled filet with Peter, the struggle to keep those two separate yet engaged simultaneously had begun. Those make up the “balance” that whole conferences and seminars have been devoted to. Those are how a ministry thrives.

But confuse them even a little bit, and watch it die.

Fish-feeders

A church who seeks to please the world is a fish feeder. It is bait with no hook. It’s a form of godliness with no power. It’s faith with no obedience. It’s affirmation without conviction. This ministry is politically active, socially cooperative, and all-inclusive. There are no sharp doctrines to divide, no dark destiny to be avoided. That ministry is feeding fish instead of catching them.

Sheep-catchers

A church that has grown lazy to feed the sheep will soon shrivel up. They must have new sheep, as their flock grows old and feeble. So they appeal to family ties, cross-denominational fellowships, or ‘gospel sings’. They’ll host boy scouts, cross-fit, or 4H chapters. There will be a community dinner, a food bank, a town hall meeting. You can vote, send your cat to a clinic, or attend AA. The only thing you can NOT do is get spiritual nourishment for your soul. They are only trying to catch sheep from other folds.

Nature of the Beast

Sheep are not wild creatures. They very rarely survive in the wild. They are perhaps the most domesticated animal species in the world. Because they need the keeping, the leading, the feeding that a shepherd provides. If they are stressed or over-driven, they will faint and die. They must be fed.

Believers are sheep. They will prosper if properly and simply cared for. They do not need bothered with gimmicks. They need prayer and the ministry of the Word. They need to hear and see Jesus Christ exalted and lifted up. They need to learn to study and search the Scriptures themselves.

The lost are fish. They live in a different world. The Gospel is the rig that brings them to salvation. If you feed them with breadcrumbs of worldly entertainment, or religion that makes them feel good about themselves, they will gorge. Once they are full, they will not be able to be drawn by the truth. The Gospel will have no allure to them, and they will die lost, if they are fed.

Keep these in order, and enjoy the fullest Christian life– Feed sheep; catch fish.

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