Musing – Are you a Member of the “Fisherman’s Fellowship”?

 

Hebraic Musing – Are you a Member of the “Fisherman’s Fellowship”?

Maybe you’ve never heard of the “Fisherman’s Fellowship”?  If so, here is the write-up about that popular club.*  Please let me know if you are a member.

Fisherman’s Fellowship – There once was a group called the “Fisherman’s Fellowship.”  They were surrounded by streams and lakes full of hungry fish.  They met regularly to discuss the call to fish, the abundance of fish, and the thrill of catching fish.  They all got excited about fishing! 

Someone suggested they needed a philosophy of fishing, so they carefully defined and redefined fishing, and the purpose of fishing.  They developed fish strategies and tactics.  Then they realized that they had been going at it backwards.  They had approached fishing from the point of view of the fisherman, and not from the point of view of the fish.  How do fish view the world?  How does the fisherman appear to the fish?  What do fish eat?  And when?  These are all good things to know.  So they began research, studies, attending conferences on fishing...   Some even traveled to faraway places to study different kinds of fish with different habits.  Some got PHD’S in fishology.  But no one had yet gone fishing. 

So a committee was formed to send out fisherman.  As prospective fishing places outnumbered fisherman, the committee needed to determine priorities.  The priority list of fishing places was posted on bulletin boards in all the fellowship halls.  But still, no one was fishing.  A survey was launched to find out why.  Most did not answer the survey, but for those who did, it was discovered that some felt called to study fish, a few to furnish fishing equipment, and several to go around encouraging fishermen.  With all the meetings, conferences, and seminars, they just simply didn’t have time to fish. 

Now Jake was a newcomer to the Fisherman’s Fellowship.  After one stirring meeting of the Fellowship, Jake went fishing.  He tried a few new things, got the hang of it, and caught a choice fish. At the next meeting he told his story and was honored for his catch, and then scheduled to speak at all the Fellowship chapters to tell how he did it.  Now, because all of the speaking invitations and  his election to the board of directors of the Fisherman’s Fellowship, Jake  no longer had time to go fishing. 

Conclusion(s):

What can we learn from this analysis of the Fisherman’s Fellowship?

Jesus said “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.”  Matt. 4:19 NKJV 

We can get busy and caught up in doing good and even important things, but we must not neglect the most important thing – Fishing for men.

What’s the most important commandment according to Jesus?  “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God … The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”   Mark 12:29-31 NIV Where is your neighbor destined to go if he/she does not accept Jesus as Lord? 

Points to ponder

Who is your neighbor?

Did Jesus want us to be active in church AND to be fishermen?

Important question “How does the fisherman appear to the fish?”

Where are the fish?  Are they hiding or ready to bite on anything appealing?

Do we have what the fish need?

Where did Jesus want us to go when he said…
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mk16:15

Let’s go fishing.

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                          January 19, 2021
Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”     Weekly “Hebraic Musings”

*  Source unknown