Peter, Andrew, John seemed to have been called in two steps. The Gospel of John is the only one who records the first step. The first meeting happened when John the Baptist pointed out Jesus as the "Lamb of God" three days after His baptism. Two of John the Baptist's disciples, An- drew and John left John and went to Jesus. Jesus invited them to the place where He was staying and they "hung out" for the day. The other three Gospels mention the second encounter. Matthew and Mark in short form and Luke in much more detail including the miracle of the large catch of fish. Mark fixes the timing of the call as after John (the Baptist) was put in prison. This time Jesus came to where they were fishing at the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was preaching God's Good News. "The kingdom of God is near, repent and believe the good news." It was probably after the large catch that Jesus offered a calling to the ones who had "hung out" with Him some time earlier. Peter, Andrew, James and John all left their business of fishing and followed Jesus. The KJV probably captures the import of Jesus invitation a little better. It reads, "... I will make you to become fishers of men." The implication is that He was going to teach them how to be fishers of men. Just as one had to learn the fishing trade, there was also skill that needed to be developed in "catching men" as Luke puts it. Just as Jesus called His disciples to learn to fish for men, that call hasn't changed. As we come into the kingdom through faith in the saving blood of Jesus, we need to both learn how to draw people into the and also to actually do it. When was the last time you shared your faith with a lost person? Have you ever? If you don't know how to lead someone to the Lord, make it your business to find out. There are many methods and many resources. People need to know Jesus!

Fishing