F is for Fishing

Jesus called his disciples fishers of men.  I consider myself a disciple.  So, I'm in charge of going out and telling the world about Jesus.

We should also be greatly sad that there are still people who don't believe in God, follow Christ, or if they do, have no Christian education.  This is why I went into that field.  So that someone will lead the youth correctly without resorting to some food fight. 

So, when I listened to the late Keith Green this week on YouTube, I couldn't help being embarrassed about his screaming to his audience about how they aren't reaching enough people for Christ.  Then I remembered, while Keith was certainly no heretic and one of my favorite singers of all time, somehow, he was influenced by Charles Finney who didn't believe in the Holy Spirit at all.  To Finney, a revival was a result of a contrived means.  Whatever it took to get people to commit to Christ, he would do it.  This philosophy lives on in true believers who are not aware of Finney's Pelagianism.  For the example of Keith Green, it's like he believed that if a Christian was not spending 24 hours doing what he or she can to rescue people from hell, then he's not really a Christian.  Or if there's still people out there unreached for Christ, then it's our job to singlehandedly reach them. 

This is not what Christ commands in the Great Commission.  When the disciples were met with rejection, they were told to simply move on to the next folks, not plead with them beyond all reason.  Christ's Word is enough to save someone despite its deliverer, and if they are elect, God will lead them to him.  We just have to proclaim his name to all nations and influence them to come to Christ.  Yes we should try our hardest to reach the lost people.  It's why I'm thankful for people like Wycliffe International who translate the Bible for tribes who still don't have it in their language.  The Word of Christ is what saves, not me.  I would despair if I really was tasked with saving every single person in the ocean of sin.  Just like we are not expected to catch every fish in the lake, we are only charged with reaching as many people as possible.  Let God take care of the rest if he wants the whole lake saved.