There’s Something Irresistible About Live Bait
Notes on Fishing for Men
“There is no substitute for real life.”
There are many fabulous artificial lures on the market but they all have one thing in common — they’re trying to imitate the real thing. The most sophisticated lure ever engineered is still just an imitation of life.
Relational evangelism is like using live bait. Amazing events and beautifully produced services can be effective in communicating the Good News to our world, and I’m not dismissing them. But we must never forget that there is something irresistible about live bait. No imitation, however clever, can replace it.
Many times in our culture — not the corporate church, but us, individual people — we are the most effective and productive connection point for someone to meet Jesus. We are the live bait.
That means the Great Commission isn’t just a program the church runs. It’s the personal responsibility of every believer. Each of us has been uniquely qualified, gifted, and positioned to be a Kingdom influence in the lives of specific people. People nobody else can reach quite the way we can, because nobody else has our exact relationships, our exact story, our exact place in the world.
And here’s the thing about connecting someone to Christ — it also means connecting them to His family. People can’t connect with an organization, a ministry, or a program. They connect with people. Not just one relationship either, but a web of relationships in different settings, at varying levels of intimacy — some across generations, some across cultures. That’s the church doing what it was designed to do.
A great church isn’t great because of its production value. It’s great because it genuinely cares about people — inside and outside its walls — and intentionally creates space for those relationships to grow. As we live filled with the joy of the Lord and the fruit of His Spirit, the lost and wandering around us are drawn to the life they see in us.
That’s the live bait principle. And live bait only works one way — you have to put yourself out there.
Is your bait live? Is it worth pursuing? It doesn’t do anything unless it’s out in the water.
GET OUT IN THE WATER!
Here’s the link to the entire series:
https://www.thisistheway.live/t/fishing-proverbs