Whatever Happened to Evangelism?
Many years ago, while I was in Bible College, our pastor read a parable about evangelism. At the time I believed that there was a ring of truth in the parable but I had no idea just how true it was. I've included the parable that I heard below and I hope that every Trumpet reader will give careful thought to the underlying truth.
Now it came to pass that a group existed who called themselves fishermen. And lo, there were many fish in the waters all around. In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes filled with fish. And the fish were hungry. Week after week, month after month, and year after year, those who called themselves fishermen met in meetings and talked about their call to fish, the abundance of fish, and how they might "O about fishing. Year after year they carefully defined what fishing means, defined fishing as an occupation, and declared that fishing is always to be a primary task of fishermen.
These fishermen built large, beautiful buildings for the local fishing headquarters. The plea was that everyone should be a fisherman and every fisherman should fish. One thing they did not do, however; they did not fish. In addition to meeting regularly, they organized a board to send out fishermen to other places where there were many fish. The board was formed by those who had the great vision and courage to speak about fishing, to define fishing, to promote the idea of fishing in faraway streams and lakes where many other fish of different color lived. Alva, the board hired staffs and appointed committees and held many meetings to define fishing, to defend fishing, to decide what new streams should be considered. But the staff members did not fish.
Large, elaborate, and expensive training centers were built whose original and primary purpose was to leach fishermen how to fish. Over the years, courses were offered on the needs of fish, the nature of fish, how to define fish, the psychological reactions of fish, and how to approach and feed fish. Those who taught had doctorates in "fishology." But the teachers did not fish. They only taught fishing.
Further, the fishermen built large printing houses to publish fishing guides. Presses were kept busy day and night to produce material solely devoted to fishing methods, equipment, and programs, to arrange and encourage meetings, to talk about fishing.
A speaker's bureau was also provided to schedule special speakers on the subject of fishing. After one stirring meeting on "The Necessity of Living," one young fellow left the meeting and went fishing. The next day he reported that he had caught two outstanding fish. He was honored for his excellent catch and scheduled to visit all the big meetings possible to tell how he did it. So, he quit his fishing in order to have time to tell about the experience let the other fishermen. He was also placed on the Fisherman's General Board as a person having considerable experience.
Now it is true that many of the fishermen sacrificed and put up with all kinds of difficulties. Some lived near the water and bore the smell of dead fish. They received the ridicule of some who made fun of their fishermen's clubs and the fact that they claimed to be fishermen yet never fished. They wondered about those who felt it was of little use to attend and talk about fishing. After all, were they not following the Master who said, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19). Imagine how hurt some were when one day a person suggested that those who do not fish were really not fishermen, no matter how much they claimed to be. Yet it did sound correct. Is a person a fisherman if year after year, he never catches a fish? Is one following if he is not fishing?
People who've studied the history of the Fundamental Baptist Churches in America know that they were built on Door to Door visitation! J. Frank Norris, Lee Roberson, and all the patriarchs of the Independent Baptist movement were aggressive soul winners! They built Sunday Schools, they knocked on every door in their town. They saturated their areas with the Gospel Story. Sadly though, we've left God's method of reaching our towns - and our churches are shriveling up and dying! Why? Because we don't visit! Some preachers have resorted to getting all their members saved three and four times because they are not reaching the unchurched - what a mess! We bring in worldly entertainers to fill our buildings because we have become too slothful and indolent to go out into the highways and hedges for more than an hour or so a week and compel the lost and unchurched to come in. If we don't repent and do the first works soon, we are doomed! We blame it on the times, we blame it on apostasy, but the truth is we've become lazy and lethargic and we are not willing to admit we have the problem! Imagine if we worked as hard at reaching the lost as we do at making excuses for why we don't. No doubt we would have won many by now!
Didn't the Lord say in Matthew 4:19, "Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men"? If that verse is true, and you'd better believe it is, then the reason we aren't fishers of men must be that we are not following HIM! Didn't the Lord say, in John 15:5, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit'? He was not talking about the fruit of the Spirit there! He was talking about winning souls to Christ! One pastor told his congregation that shepherds don't produce sheep, sheep do. How pathetic! I wonder how that line will hold up at the Judgement Seat of Christ! One man I know belonged to a church with more than ten men besides the pastor who claimed to be called to preach. Yet he couldn't find a soul winning partner! When he asked one of these so-called preachers to go out visiting with him, the imposter told him, "pray for me, I don't feel convicted about soul winning yet". How touching! If someone told that guy that they wouldn't quit smoking because they were not convicted yet, he would have blown that their lame excuse right out of the water! God help us to get back to evangelism.
Steve Mays - Trumpet Editor
Faith Baptist Church, Laurens, SC