Fishing and Shepherding

Fishing means catching the fish out of the water.
Shepherding means caring for sheep and lambs, protecting them and leading them to pastures and water to see them fed and refreshed.

Evangelism is like fishing. Worldliness is like the ocean where the fish are. Water is the environment that fish live in, breathe and thrive. When fish are caught out of the water they die. When people are brought into the Kingdom of GOD and are born again, they die to worldliness. There is a transformation in their very breathing system.

Sheep are terrestrial animals and they live and breathe on land. Believers are like flock that need to be protected, fed and led. Pastors are given the responsibility to care for the people who follow them.

JESUS instructed his disciples to be fishers of men and to shepherd the flock.

We are not asked to feed the fish or catch the sheep.
We are to catch the fish and feed the sheep.

Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." - Matthew 4:19  

So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs." - John 21:15 

Are you effectively fishing? There are many fish to be caught in the world.
Are you feeding the fish or catching them?
Are you providing the worldly environment that they are used to, in the Church and in the youth events, or are you effectively discipling them and seeing transformation in them?

How about your flock? Are you catching sheep or feeding the sheep?
Are you trying to bring people from other Churches to build up numbers in your Church or are you effectively teaching and discipling the people who are following you?

For the LORD JESUS' sake and His Kingdom's sake, let us be fishers of men and be shepherds of our flock.