Go Fish
This week is the Super Bowl of Christianity – Easter. This week is like Super Bowl week, with all of the excitement, anticipation and fanfare of Super Bowl Week. And then in five weeks, it’s Pentecost – the All-Star Game! It’s like we do it in reverse of the Super Bowl and playoffs, but it’s the same result.
You should be excited as a believer. This is our season of harvest! The Spirit is moving and you can feel His presence in the air. People are open, attentive and receptive to talking about church and salvation. I mean, how many times have you heard somebody say the name of Jesus in a good way this week? Everyone’s holy on Holy Week!
Beloved, seize this opportunity! Our mission as believers is to save souls. The Bible says “Go ye therefore into all the nations of the earth preaching the gospel in My name and making disciples of all people.” But for those of you who are pastors, prophets, apostles, ministers, evangelists – the called – you are charged with going out. There are no options for you. Once you accepted the call, that means get out there and get to work.
So I ask you: What have you done this week to win souls for the kingdom? What other kingdom work are you planning to do this weekend? Or are you sitting around waiting for Sunday? Are you treating this week as a chill week?
If you think the only things you have to do this week is make sure everyone all the pieces they need to wear on Sunday, that you have all the items you need for the big dinner, and that you get to your home church on Sunday, then you’ve missed the mark.
If you’re in ministry, you should have been busy all week, or at the very least, this weekend. And this is true every week. If you are just building (or rebuilding) your ministry, you need to be out and about all week long, fellowshipping and networking. Let me ask you, what are you doing to build your ministry? Staying home on the busiest week of the Christian calendar and only showing up at your home church on Resurrection Sunday is not the answer.
And this applies to those of you who have an additional call to minister through music. Bishop Marvin Sapp always says that he’s a preacher who sings, not a singer who preaches. If you put your ministry first, your music career will blossom.
One thing I realized about pastors of large churches (like mine) is that they are great fishermen. The Bible says that we are fishers of men. Ministers are fishermen. The ones with the large churches are just better at it and you can see the lot of their catch. They know how to fish!
My granddaddy was a deacon and a fisherman. One of the lasting memories I have of Granddaddy is the iconic photo my uncle here has of him out in what looks like a marsh, in waist-high waders, fishing. He died when I was five but I can still remember the taste of the fish he brought home and my grandmother or mother would fry up. Nothing since has compared to it! Granddaddy knew how to fish – and how to teach other men how to fish, my uncle included.
Let me ask you, minister, do you know how to fish? What have you caught lately? Have you even been out fishing lately?
So my challenge to you this weekend, which I issued to my artists earlier this week and I now share with you, is to go visit a church other than your own. Good Friday is easy. Usually there are churches having day and night services so pick a church that’s having one opposite of yours and go to it. And when you go, show yourself friendly, as my grandmother would say. Introduce yourself to people. Tell them you’re a guest, who you are and what you do. Hand out business cards and get their contact info.
Artists, be strategic. Make sure you talk to someone who’s involved in that ministry – a junior minister, a women’s department leader, an usher board member, a trustee. Introduce yourself to the minister of music for that church. Give them your business card and your product or a download card, or tell them where they can find your music online. (2 Save Souls Records’ artists, make sure you’ve ordered product from us and know where to direct them online to hear you!) Also exchange info with the guest psalmists as well. Those are your colleagues and they’ll think of you when they get the oft-asked question “Do you know somebody who...?”
Or attend a concert. You don’t have to be on the ticket to show up to a place and support. Learn to support others and you’ll grow your network in the process.
There was a card game I played when I was a kid, one because it was the only card game I was allowed to play (I grew up old-school COGIC!), but two, because I was an only child and I could play it by myself. It was called “Go Fish.” So I tell you on this Good Friday, go fish!
Part 1