In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

Have you ever gone fishing? I'm not much of a fisherman, but I've done it many times. I know that sometimes you catch them, and sometimes you don't. But you won't catch any if you don't have a baited hook or a net in the water. It's very similar in mission work. I'm a "fisher of men" by call. I've been a full-time missionary! I know that sometimes people are brought to faith in Jesus, and sometimes they don't believe. But no one is brought to faith if you don't communicate the gospel! Today, we learn from God's Word that...

1. OF HIS DISCIPLES

{14} After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. John had preached the law and the gospel... He showed people their sins and pointed to Jesus saying, "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." Preaching the law to Herod got John into trouble. He was put in prison. Meanwhile, it says here that Jesus went into the region of Galilee and proclaimed the gospel, "the good news of God." He had come to be the Savior from sin.

{15} "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" The time of the long-promised Savior had arrived, and it was Jesus. Jesus called people to repent of their sins, to renounce their sinful ways and believe the good news. He had come to be their Savior from sin.

{16} As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. Picture Jesus walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. There, he sees two brothers fishing with a net. Peter and Andrew were "fishermen." They did this for a living. They must have been pretty good at it. They knew how to catch fish. They threw a net into the lake and tried to capture fish with it. This was not the first time they had met. These men were disciples of John the Baptizer. John urged them to follow Jesus and they did. But now Jesus was calling them to be his apostles.

{17} "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Jesus called Simon Peter and his brother Andrew saying, "Come, follow me." Follow after me. Learn from me. And Jesus promised, "I will make you fishers of men." They had been working to catch fish. Now they would work to catch people for the kingdom of God. They would be his apostles, his special missionaries. And look what happened.

{18} At once they left their nets and followed him. They left their nets and followed Jesus. They accepted the divine call from Jesus. They would be his apostles now. Jesus would teach them what they would need to learn to be "fishers of men." But our lesson doesn't end here.

{19} When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Jesus walked "a little farther" and found two more brothers fishing. James and John were fishermen too.

{20} Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. The same thing happened. Jesus called them. They left their father, Zebedee, right there in the boat and followed Jesus. They would learn to become his apostles. Jesus would make them "fishers of men." Jesus would teach them, and teach them, and teach them, and teach them in public, and teach them in private. They would learn his Word. The time would come when Jesus would say, "Now, go..." and they would go and preach his gospel in all the world. JESUS MAKES "FISHERS OF MEN"...

2. OF HIS CALLED MISSIONARIES TODAY

Your pastors are full-time, called "fishers of men." I was called to be a missionary. I am still a "fisher of men." I was not born a pastor. In fact, when I was little, I wanted to play professional football or baseball. But it wasn't God's will. At a young age, I could tell you the batting averages of the Tigers and most other major leaguers on any given day. My mother thought I would become a sports announcer. Years later, when I graduated, one of my high school teachers told me that I could be a writer. It wasn't God's will.

I wasn't born a pastor, but God wanted me to be someone who stands in front, announces God's Word, and writes about the Bible. I'm not rich or famous, but I'm glad I'm not a Tiger or a Lion now. And, I think I would have gotten tired of writing sports page articles about people like Terrell Owens. Now, I get to write about the Bible, and Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Don't get the wrong impression about where pastors come from. We were never perfect little kids! All have sinned. Let me tell you a little secret. When I was four years old, I was not so very well behaved in church. Yes, sometimes my parents had to take me out. I wasn't very quiet in school. I needed correction, just like other kids. I'm sure that was true of every other pastor I know, including Pastor Koehler. It's not like there are these perfect little boys somewhere who grow up to be pastors. But, God gave us our abilities, and now they are used in Christ's kingdom. And God trained us in his Word. He gave me great parents, great teachers, great schools and a great education. What kept me going through school is that I just loved God's Word. Sometimes people in Bible Class say that they can tell.

Then, when I reached the end of my schooling, and I was 26 years old, God called me to serve as a pastor. Eventually, he called me here. And I'm not alone. God called seven people to serve as called workers here.

There are many, many more called workers serving all around the world. There are missionaries all around the world who are telling people about Jesus right now, in our place. We were just regular kids who believed in Jesus and were trained in school to become what we are. Then God called us to serve where we are. He said, "Come, follow me" and by God's grace, we did. Jesus makes "fishers of men" out of us. But, could Jesus make a fisher of men...

3. OF YOU?...

Yes! There is a bulletin board out there to remind us that we have young people studying to become future called workers. They are attending WELS schools being prepared to proclaim God's Word to the world. I hope this trend continues of young people from St. Stephen going forward to these schools. But, that's not the only way to serve. Every member of our congregation can be a missionary, a witness for Christ. I'm thinking of you. Take a look in the mirror to see someone who could be a "fisher of men." Don't quit your job! Don't move away! You can do it right where you are, right now - today! Jesus can make you to be a fisher of men.

God has placed you, right where you are! Don't quit your job! No, that's where some of the best fish are! Some of the people God wants you to reach are your co-workers, your friends, your relatives, and your neighbors! Maybe there is someone that you can reach with God's net. You could invite a friend, a relative, an acquaintance, or a neighbor. I'm not talking about a stranger, but someone who knows you and trusts you to tell the truth.

Six months ago, I stood up here with this doohickey and presented "The Andrew Plan." Remember? Most of you signed up to participate. Let's review. We urged all of you to take Bible Basics 101. Many of you did, and some waited for the next phase. Well, we are almost there. Bible Basics 201 will start soon. It's a course about Bible history. We would still like every member to attend one of these. We are offering two Bible Basics courses at two different times. We would like to ask you to sign up for one of these. We do ask that any non-members begin with the 101 course, but if you are a member, and you'd like to start with the 201 course, that's fine with us. We just want you in Bible study on a regular basis. We would like you to sign up and to invite someone to attend. If your friend takes the classes and joins, great! Please encourage them so that they will feel comfortable here. We are asking every member to participate. Will you? We are asking you to participate, whether you already started or not... There are benefits for you. The Bible tells us where faith comes from. Faith comes from hearing the message of the gospel. And, besides, Jesus said, "Go into ALL the world" and proclaim his word. That means in our own backyard too.

Picture this! Jesus walks up to you and says, "Come, follow me." What will you do? Will you say, "No, Lord, what I'm doing is more important than you?" Will you refuse to answer the call of your Savior?! I would hope not. I hope that you respond as those first disciples did. They left their nets, they father, and followed Jesus for three years of training. Then, they would become his apostles.

Jesus wants you to follow him and learn his Word. Jesus wants you to become a "fisher of men." Many people like to fish on their spare time. I hope you think of this that way. Let's set aside time to be "fishers of men."

When we study God's word, we find that there are two main messages: 1.) We are all sinners. We cannot earn heaven by our own works. We all need the Savior! 2.) Jesus saved you! He lived a perfect life and then died on the cross and paid for all sin. He rose from death. God has declared you forgiven of all sin through Christ! Believe in Jesus and you will live forever!

After winning our salvation, Jesus sent out his trained apostles to tell the world the good news of Jesus. He saved us all from sin! Believe in him and you will go to heaven! They told others, but so did the other believers, the regular members. Those apostles and other early Christians died. Now Jesus makes "fishers of men" of you and me! Let's go fishing... for souls. Amen.