Matthew 4:19 – “And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
The scripture shown above is located in the New Testament, fourth chapter, the nineteenth verse in the Gospel of Matthew. It is a moment when Jesus is at the beginning stages of preaching in Galilee. Jesus calls the fishermen to join him.
The New Testament also mentions the “fishers of men” in Mark 1:17. This phrase is known as a metaphor for evangelism. As Christians, we follow Jesus and therefore we become “fishers of men.” Meaning we spread the word of the Lord.
Have you thought about how you spread the word of God? Do you speak to people you meet? Set a good example for others? Teach others to pray?
There are a variety of ways you can spread the word of God such as the ones listed below.
- Set a good example – By setting a good example as a Christian you automatically draw attention to your behavior. This often encourages others to seek what you have in your life such as peace and kindness. When someone who is admiring your behavior learns you are a Christian they feel encouraged to learn more about Christianity.
- Conversation with strangers – Sometimes it is difficult to approach a stranger with the intention to spread the word. But, you can work it into a situation. For example, a common situation is when you are on long line at the grocery store and the person in front of you is complaining. There is a moment when you can refer to a Bible verse that relates to patience. This usually catches the attention of the person who is complaining.
- Have lunch with co-workers – If you have a lunch room in your office building try visiting it a few days a week instead of going out for lunch. It will allow you the chance to get to know your co-workers and build a trusting bond. Once you feel comfortable with the group you can bring up stories from the Bible and discuss them together.
It is essential to understand your attempts at spreading the word won’t always be met with kindness. There is a story about a young woman who tried to help a stranger on crutches in a parking lot. She told the stranger God Bless You after helping her cross the parking lot safely.
The stranger started yelling at the young woman, “don’t tell me that!” A few unpleasant words followed. The young woman was startled but thought about it further. She was sure that woman would never forget her saying God Bless You because she was so angry about it. The young woman thought to herself, that lady probably went home and called everyone she knows to tell them what happened to her. The stranger surely would never forget it! Maybe someday it might make her think about attending church.
How do you spread the word?
