Travelling Light & working hard

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I'm not a great carp angler but, if truth be told, carp are one of my least favourite species anyway. That said, I do fish for them and do (occasionaly) catch them as the photo above proves. But I'm not a carp angler; not a proper one.

For a start, I can't really be bothered to put in the effort. Get me fishing for perch, for instance, and thre's no lengths I won't go to to try to catch my quarry, but I just can't seem to feel the same about carp. I tend to take too much equipment, get too settled and comfortable in a swim and then just sit there and hope the fish come to me.

My two brothers, who would both cite carp as their favourite species are the total opposite. Our shared DNA hasn't made them the laid back, lazy carp angler that I am and they're happy to travel light, change swims and rigs as many times as it takes, to keep working at it and to constantly adapt their tactics to the behaviour of the fish. I guess that's why they catch lots of carp and I don't!

All of which brings us to some thoughts on evangelism and sharing our faith with others. The first proper "evangelistic mission" that you find in the Bible is in Luke 10 when Jesus sends out a team of 72 evangelists. He tells them to travel light (v4) "Do not take a purse or bag or sandals", not to be distracted "do not greet anyone on the road", and to move on if no-ones "taking the bait" rather than settling in the wrong place - however if results are forthcoming (vv5-7) stick around and have a bumper result. 

Good evangelism looks a lot like watching my brothers carp fishing. No distractions, keep trying new things, put the effort in, move around till you get some interest and when things start happening capitalise on the opportunities that present themselves.
Effective evangelists are like effective carp anglers- it kind of makes sense of Jesus using that metaphor about being "fishers of men", doesn't it?




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