May
10
2010
Ten Qualities of People-Catchers
Author: brian“”Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men”" (Matthew 4:19 NIV). Jesus was speaking to fishermen. To keep with the fishing imagery, we may say – in light of Matthew 4:12-22 – that King Jesus catches people (“follow me”) and makes caught-people people-catchers (“I will make you fishers of men”). Caught-people become people-catchers. In The Gospel of Matthew we can discern at least ten qualities of people-catchers. I have listed them below. Ponder them – for your own benefit and for the benefit of those who have not yet been caught.
People-catchers are people who …
- … have already been caught and are living in fellowship with Jesus (Matt 4:19a).
- … want the Father to be honored (Matt 5:16; Matt 6:9).
- … are being made by Jesus into people-catchers (Matt 4:19b).
- … see the Christ-less spiritual landscape for what it really is: darkness and death (Matt 4:15-16; Matt 9:35-36).
- … see Jesus as people’s only hope – as the Savior-King to whom people must come for salvation (Matt 1:21-23; Matt 3:11-12; Matt 3:16-17; Matt 4:15-17).
- … proclaim the Word (Matt 3:1-2; Matt 4:17, 23; Matt 13:1-23).
- … are compassionate and merciful (Matt 5:7; Matt 9:36; Matt 15:32).
- … catch people’s attention by the quality of their lives (Matt 5:13-16).
- … pray for people to be caught (Matt 6:9-10).
- … pray for more people-catchers (Matt 9:35-38).
May God’s grace be with all of you who have been caught by Jesus the King.
