Most of us are not professional fishermen. When Jesus called to Himself men who would afterwards become apostles, some of them were fishing for their lively hood. He said to these men, "Follow me and I will make you to become fishers of men." Matthew 4:19 Their approach to fishing was with boats and nets. Their expectation is that they would catch many fish at once with that technology. When they ministered in the calling Jesus trained them for, they did catch many fish at once, starting with about 3000 souls that were added to the church on the day of Pentecost. Acts 2:41 They drew big crowds and many were saved out of those big crowds. Others grew in anointing and calling of the evangelist. They impact lives, often in large gatherings (but not always) in the same way as Peter did on the day of Pentecost.

Most of us will never stand before large crowds of people to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many of us wouldn't be comfortable in those settings anyway. Most of us do not have the calling to be a full time evangelist, winning countless souls to the Lord. However, all of us as believers have received from the Lord the calling to influence others with the same influence we have been influenced by: specifically - the word of salvation, the sharing of faith, and the personal testimony of what the Lord has done for us.

For many believers this has remained difficult partly because we don't know how to share simply and realistically what has taken place in our lives with others. For some, the fear of rejection, and for others insecurities keep us from it.

So let me share with you the concept of Bait Evangelism. You say, I have never heard of that. Probably true, as it is a term I invented.

Most of us, when we think about going fishing are thinking about a fishing pole and all the things associated with it. We generally are expecting one fish to "take the bait" and then concentrate on reeling that one fish in. Then we say, "I caught a fish". If we are to catch another one, we do it in the same manner. So I was thinking about this technique and it became apparent to me that this is the way most of will become fishers of men - one fish at a time, using the fishing pole and associated aspects of successful fishing.

One of the "can't do without" aspects of this fishing method is the necessity of some kind of bait or lure to attract the fish in the first place. Setting the hook doesn't take place until the fish take the bait. I believe that each of us can acquire bait through prayer and creative thinking that will draw people into an interaction with us that can lead to their salvation.

Let me give you two recent examples from my own experiences.

When we opened up our NE regional office as a ministry resource center for the area, we had to totally outfit the home and office with all the items that it takes to live and fulfill this purpose. Everything from toothpicks to entire rooms of furniture, office equipment and decorative items. Each had to be sought out, and purchased, which means, for the most part we spent a good amount of time in the market place, which brought us in contact with owners of businesses, salespeople and delivery teams. At this time we used the bait that was handy, namely "We are from the Seattle area and opening up a second home here in New England" or some variation of that. We did this with intention. We were fishing. It was amazing how many (almost all) responded with the question, "Why are you here?" or "What are you doing here?" This was the fish taking the bait. So we told them. We are here to be a blessing to the region as Christians. This then led frequently to an open conversation on some personal level about their own lives, which led us to sharing the gospel, counseling, and praying for them. One thing led to another, and our influence on their lives was amazing by the grace of the Lord. Some renewed their commitment to Christ, while others had seeds planted into our lives that we followed up with in prayer for them.

However this was seasonal bait. We have been in this project now for over two and a half years and we are seldom buying anything for the home and office that merits the use of this bait.

So we have been intentionally asking the Lord for more bait. So now the bait that I am using is a simple question. "When was the last time you did something for the first time?" Seems like a fairly harmless question. Doesn't seem to have anything to do with the gospel. But what a good lure for drawing people into a conversation that can lead to the very reason why we use bait. They alway answer, and then of course it is now time to prayerfully guide the conversation around to the Lord and His plan for their lives. And I am having fun with this one too. I am going so far as to buy some unusual item at the grocery store that I have never tried before to open up the conversation. I am expecting to catch some fish.

So I encourage you to try "Bait Evangelism". Find some conversational bait that will open up the folks you are around. See what happens. It is simple, far more intuitive than a program and can be made to fit all types of fish and fishermen.

So when was the last time you did something for the first time?