Point 1:
They have to go out into the sea and have access to water where the fish are living.

In the same way, to be ‘fisherman for the souls of men’, Jesus will send them to places where there are lost people or have access to lost people so they can fish for their souls.

 Point 2:
They need to have a good net or hook that fish will become attached to and cannot escape.

In a way, some people do think about becoming a prisoner once they give their life to Jesus. But, I believe it is those who have not surrendered their wills to Him who feel that way. Those who do surrender find abundant life with Jesus. 

Lost people get attracted to Jesus many times because of the lifestyle of those who already know Jesus and are known by Him.

Point 3:

It is  not enough to have the best net or hook if the net or hook is not thrown in the water at the right place and time.

In the same way, it is not enough for us to have Jesus as our best net or hook knowing Jesus and being known by Jesus if we are just content with having Jesus as our best net or hook but do not make ourselves available and access the help Jesus provides to reach out to lost people at the right place and time.  Just as the disciples went out in faith while they threw their net for fish and believed in the profession they were in, ‘fisherman for the souls of men’ need to go out in faith, believing in Jesus and presenting Jesus to lost people at the right place and time.

It won’t always be easy to find the right place and time but fisherman keep going at it and so should ‘fisherman for the souls of men’. Eventually, just as fish are caught ‘lost people’ do come when we do not give up and keep presenting Jesus.

Point 4:
Usually, they need to work together as one drops the net and others help pull it up.

In the same way, just as one person may present Jesus to someone or multitudes, that person has just dropped the net in a ‘lost person’s life’. This is just the beginning where the seed has been sown. As others help pull the net, I am reminded of Billy Graham Crusades where ‘lost people’ are attracted to the net of Jesus and come to Him. While they come to Him, they are helped by tons of counselors to pull them up from where they were to ‘where they can be now’. Now, they are attracted to Jesus and come but are helped by people who know Jesus and are known by Him.

This is what happened to my mommy as she was listening to so many Billy Graham Crusades on TV and reading Christian literature. One day she gave her life to Christ even though she was a devoted practicing Hindu who had made a closet into shrine to worship idols.

I learned reaching out to ‘lost people’ is not a solo job just as being effective fisherman is not. Jesus did not call Simon and Andrew individually but both of them together in utilizing what they are familiar with. Jesus loves pairs and working together :)

As this continues to happen, now ‘lost people who have been found’ are available to others to reciprocate what happened to them. Just as fish is eaten and people get nourishment after it is available to them, in the same way, now people who are saved can allow Jesus to work in their lives and bring spiritual nourishment to others.

I asked myself what are the implications for my own life?
No matter what my profession is when Jesus calls me to follow Him, Jesus will not ignore my profession or everything I have learned but will use what I have learned to tell others about Himself so that they can experience the love of Christ through my profession of what I have learned. As I use the profession I know to share Christ, souls can come to Him in His timing. Even if the Lord changes the profession I am familiar with and gives me a new profession, the calling will remain the same for me.

Today, before I had my Quiet Time, the Bible verse for the day that the Lord Jesus impressed on my heart was, "But life is worth nothing to me unless I use it to do the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus, the work of telling others about God's mighty goodness and love!" (Acts 20:24). No matter what profession I am doing or what I am called to whether it be a husband, father, son, brother, pastor, teacher, evangelist, journalist, etc, my duty should be to follow Jesus and tell others about Jesus. Simon went from being a commercial fisherman to becoming a pastor as His profession later in life. But the calling still remained the same: To follow Jesus and make Jesus known! Thank you Jesus! That is my calling first and foremost to make Jesus known even as a husband and daddy. Thank you Jesus for this special responsibility. Friend that is your calling too to follow Jesus and make Jesus known! Today, the Lord Jesus spoke to me so powerfully while I was spending time in His Word reading Luke 9 & 1 Corinthians 9 and encouraged me to move forward in online publishing ministry as I depend upon Him to provide in the ways He chooses. Everything, I read today pointed me to do full time ministry as I depend on the Lord from Acts 20:24, to Luke 9, to 1 Corinthians 9, and Mark 1:16-18.

What solidified this calling even before all these Bible verses today was my meeting with Pastor Mike few months ago when he shared with me his definition of calling. For me this meeting would not have even happened if I did not hear the kids sermon that Pastor Mike gave to kids about being fisherman for the souls of men. That sermon was the most important sermon that impacted the path we would take. When I told that to Pastor Mike, he was shocked because he taught that was the weakest sermon he gave. Never ever think your words don't have an impact in other people's lives. Positive words touched by the Lord can change a person's life for the good. Negative words touched by Satan can destroy a person's life for the bad without the intervention of the Lord. So, we need to watch our words and never ever think what we have to say does not impact another person.

Have we been scared?

Of course because there are months we wonder if we will get any financial support. But, even today the Lord Jesus used my sweet wife Chandraleela to show to me His exhortation  from Matthew 6:25: "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life-whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing?"

Then, I was reminded of, "My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus!" (Philippians 4:19, TLB). This is the first Bible verse that our daughter Esther memorized and recited that started with the letter 'M'. Through reading Luke 9 and 1 Corinthians 9, the Lord was telling me to focus upon Him to do ministry and leave the results in His precious Helping Hands including taking care of our family. Thank you Jesus!

I used to be on the management of Sodexo for 22 years where my main responsibility was to ensure Pitt students were well fed when they came into our dining services. We wanted to feed the students' bodies with physical food to give them nourishment. Pastor Mike's sermon made me realize, there is something much more important than physical food and that is spiritual food for the soul's nourishment. So, it motivated me to want to reach souls for Christ with spiritual food of nourishment that comes from God's Word whether they are students or non-students. The passion to reach souls for Christ has not died since the day the Lord chose me to be His own on Valentine's Day when I was 12 years old. Then, my writing was just 'Jesus loves me. Jesus loves you! If you want to know more about Jesus, watch WPCB Channel 40'. Now, it has expanded through the years. You too can use your profession to reach souls for Christ.

Let me share 12 real life examples with you all involving my sweetie wife Chandraleela, my precious daughters Esther (7+) and Evangeline (4+), my mom, myself, and Calvin.

Example 1:

My precious and loving wife Chandraleela used to work in Saudi Arabia as a nurse in a dialysis clinic. As a nurse, as she followed Jesus diligently depending on Him through lots of prayer and meditating on the Word of God in the Bible, she got opportunities to share Christ in a very hostile country. But it started with spending daily time with the Lord getting up at 3:00 a.m. to spend with Him and then working a 12 hr day. One day while working, she was singing a song called 'Awo Yeshu Deva'. When one of the Muslim patients heard that, he called her over and asked her to sing it to him. He loved it so much that he made it into a CD. My sweetie got multiple opportunities to share Christ through word and song even though she was in Saudi Arabia. Thank you Jesus. When I remember things like this, I fall so much more in love with my sweetie. My prayer request was that I would marry someone who would love Jesus more than me or anyone else. To put her life in danger for the sake of the Gospel so the message of the Gospel can be known touched me very much. Thank you Jesus for keeping her safe. I loved how my wife used her profession in the hospital to reach souls for Christ by singing uplifting songs pertaining to Jesus Christ to bring hope, help, and healing to those in bondage to their diseases. I loved to hear her stories of how patients responded. She also uses her professional knowledge to limit my sugar intake, reminding me that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, etc. Even now before the COVID-19 virus, she would share Christ with families that she met in the library or parks.

It is the song, 'Awo Yeshu Deva' that Chandra sang to Esther and Evangeline when they were born to calm them down. It was this song, she sent with me when she had to stay behind in India because of visa issues. Few years ago when Pastor Hugo's wife Heather heard the song, she did not know Chandra sang it. When I told her it was Chandra's voice, she insisted that Chandra join the OIF worship team which Chandra did to bless others through worshipping the Lord. Thank you Jesus!

Example 2:

Esther and Evangeline would use their music classes and ballet classes to sing and dance for the Lord.

Example 3:

My mom did the same thing when she was temporarily stranded in a Muslim country on her way to India. She would use that opportunity to leave Gideon Bibles behind. When my mom called me, I was so scared what she was doing because I knew how hostile certain Muslim countries can be but I left her in the arms of our loving Savior Jesus Christ.

Example 4:

I have a lot to grow in the Lord but I thank the Lord Jesus for giving me different opportunities to share Christ with others whether it is simple or complex.

When I was a student going through depression because of circumstances, I focused myself on the Lord and wanted others to come to know Jesus as their Lord and Personal Savior so I started writing Christian poems and sharing them at Giant Eagle where I used to work. But when I shared them, I called them Christian Rap which enticed people very much to read them because they thought to themselves, 'He is Indian and he can rap'. Anyway, it started with 1 poem and ended with 31 poems on different issues with the mission: Counseling Broken Hearts with the Love of Christ. Every week they wanted a new rap which I gave them with a problem of man and solution in Christ. Each poem ended with a prayer

One day, an employee came and told me that he was so blessed to read one of the Christian raps because it prevented him from committing suicide. He shared how he came across the Christian rap called 'Downing Depression' that was on the floor that he picked up and read including the prayer below it. After he read that, he said that he changed his mind regarding suicide. To this day that employee is so grateful when he sees me in the bus as he now works for Port Authority Transit.  It is all because Christ was shared to him as I was an employee there using Christian rap as a means.

Example 5:
There was a young guy who was drunk at the bus stop at Forbes Ave opposite to the William Pitt Union wanting to go to Shadyside. He asked me what bus he needed to take to go there and I kept telling him that he was on the wrong side of the street if he wanted to go to Shadyside. He was so sure he was on the right side and just needed me to tell him the numbers. After awhile, I did not try to persuade him anymore. Rather, I decided to read my Bible.

He comes up to me and said that he liked to read the Bible too and told me that he loved ‘Revelation’. He asked me what my favorite passage was and I used that opportunity to tell him one of my favorite passages was in Proverbs 23:29-35.

 Then, I asked him if he would like to read Proverbs 23:29-25 which was my favorite. He decided to read it with whatever comprehension he had while drunk and saying what it meant to him. Then he asked me what I thought about it.

A great idea is to ask people if they want to read the verses you want to share with them. This way they get to read Scripture for themselves.

I told him psychology talks a lot about the dangers of alcohol but the Bible already mentions them here. Finally, he looks at me and said, “You know, all these things I have experienced” regarding the dangers of alcohol. He was so awestruck with his experiences and what he was going through was already mentioned in the Bible even before Psych books came along.

Later, he gave me his number to keep in touch and gave me a big hug. Finally, he tells me that he was on the wrong side and decides to go to Fifth Ave to catch the bus. This type utilized a type of evangelism more than psychology but psychology did come into play. One of the Quiet Times I had, had to do with alcohol and is called A.L.C.O.H.O.L. You can access it by typing 'Previous Devotionals' in the search box.

Example 6:

I have taken classes as a means to ministry. When we had exams, I prayed to the Lord and prepared my own sample exams and posted them on the EDUCATION section of Pittsburgh Standard so my classmates could access it. The ministry part is when Bible verses are embedded within the sample exam for students to read if they choose to. The exams have helped so many students. Anything we do, we can use it for the glory and honor of the Lord. Even to this day the Nutrition sample exams are used the most.

Example 7:
I had an opportunity to use my field of psychology to open a counseling session online. It was on Internet Relay Chat (IRC) years ago. A person came into that chat room and I talked with her asking how her life was and so on. She told me that she was not doing well. I shared with her the Christian rap called "Never Forsaken" that the Lord helped me write. After talking, I asked her if she wanted to give her life to Jesus Christ and allow Him to work in her life and take care of her. She did, so I prayed with her by typing each prayer sentence and she typed it after me. It happened online and did not even see that person's face. It did not matter because the Lord used that moment to bring her to Salvation.

I used to wonder how she was doing and one day I received a letter in the mail about how her life changed. She told me that she was 25 yrs old and lived in California and because of her becoming a Christian, her husband came to know the Lord too and that she was pregnant with a child. This is awesome that she is a mother who knows Jesus Christ and can raise her child with Christian principles. She also sent me money to help me when I was doing full-time ministry with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

I thank the Lord for the opportunity to use my profession to counsel and minister to her and to see her soul saved!

Example 8:
Lord put upon my heart to write what I have learned in my solitary time with the Lord and share the study part with hundreds of students as an expositional devotional. There have been days that I did not feel like studying and sharing but I wanted to be obedient to the Lord and have done it. After I have done it, I felt I was so nourished by the Lord. What I did not know was going to happen, Jesus already knew. Jesus used the devotionals I posted online at http://www.pittsburghstandard.com as an instrument to bring students to come to know Him. As a former campus minister, I was glad to be able to write devotionals such as these to minister to believers and unbelievers. Jesus used the devotionals to bring students to Himself. A student shared her testimony of how she came to Christ after reading the devotionals.

Example 9:
My job as an employee of Sodexo gave me multiple opportunities to reach students with the love of Christ while I served as a student cashier, student manager, and floor manager. Students would get to know me through my job and later befriend me on Facebook. Through my job alone, the Lord helped me accumulate more than 2400 friends who I know by name. Now, every time I write a devotional, it shows up on their newsfeed if they desire it. So facebook became a means to ministry.

Example 10:
I have used my skills as a journalist to publish Pittsburgh Standard which has served as a means to ministry in different ways while I cover different events. I would write spiritual reviews of movies I watch looking for spiritual connections in them and tying them to the Word of God, etc. Thank you Jesus!

Example 11:

In closing, there is a profession that is so important that every woman who raises a child becomes part of. I am talking about the profession of motherhood. I want you to think about your mommy and the life she gave you. A mom can use her profession of nurturing and raising a child to bring them to Jesus too! This is what happened to me!

Years ago, our mommy would read us Bible stories every night before we went to bed. There was one day I was watching a television program and the host talked about 'Accepting Jesus into your heart". I had no idea what that meant and asked my mommy what it meant.

My mommy took me aside to my bedroom and explained to me what it meant. My mommy then asked me if I wanted Jesus Christ in my heart. I told my mommy excitedly that I wanted Jesus in my heart. My mommy then wrote a prayer down on a 4*6" cardboard and prayed with me. I repeated the prayer and gave my life to Jesus Christ. Lord used my mommy to help me come to Jesus. I had severe asthma and said to myself if Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, what Jesus did then, He can even do now which means He can heal my asthma. After I gave my life to Christ and became His follower, my asthma was healed too!

These days the profession of motherhood is looked down upon by many in the Western culture but it is so noble as mentioned in Proverbs 31 too. A mom usually is the one that can influence their children to come to know Christ. That's what our mom did for all of us.

My mom has always been the best domestic engineer, making sure everything goes well at home. She raised 4 of us boys, 2 of us who are hyperactive including me. My hyperactivity could be because of the wonderful desserts my mom would always make that I would gobble up! Of course, that gave me a sweet tooth not to mention all my relatives stuffing me with sweets :) My mom ministered a lot to my dad too who is in Heaven with Jesus. Praise the Lord for the Lord's work! Amen!

I praise the Lord Jesus for my loving wife Chandra who is a mommy now for our 7+ Esther and 4+ Evangeline. She loves to spend time praying with them and having them learn from God's Word. Their singing comes from hearing their mom sing to the Lord. A husband can never understand fully the the role of a mother to their kids. There are a lot of things that my wife does that I don't even come close too.

I love to recite Bible verses from A - Z with Esther as I take her to school and to Evangeline while I help her sleep.

Example 12:

My brother in Christ, Calvin uses his profession to make magnets, paper holders, key chains, etc with God's Word on them to reach others for Christ.

These are only some of the examples but there are so many more! Thank you Jesus!

I ask you now dear friend, how can you use your P.R.O.F.E.S.S.I.O.N  to tell others about Jesus Christ?
Dear friends,  just as Jesus took the initiative to call Simon and Andrew to come follow Him when they were already in a professional job as commercial fisherman; Jesus also took the initiative to give them a promise that if they would follow Him as commercial fisherman, He would use the profession they were already doing to help them become 'fisherman for the souls of men'. That is so exciting to know friend. The same Jesus who called Simon and Andrew to follow Him and be used for the souls of men from what they have already learned and become, Jesus can use us too in the profession we are in to tell others about Jesus and draw them to Jesus, if we follow Him, being faithful, available, compatible and teachable as Pastor Hugo would remind me.

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow so never ever think to yourself that Jesus cannot use what you are doing to tell others about Jesus Christ and bring them to Himself. When you are following Jesus, you are already commissioned by Him to go and tell others about Him because they need to first hear about Jesus and know about Jesus before they can come to believe in Jesus. You are the catalyst the Lord Jesus wants to use friend. Proverbs 11 says 'Those who win souls are wise!' We all have a Great Commission to follow!

Simon and Andrew were told that they would become fisherman for the souls of men. The Lord Jesus could be telling you the same thing but in the profession you are in such as 'student for the souls of men, 'academic for the souls of men', 'accountant for the souls of men', 'doctor for the souls of men', 'pastor for the souls of men', 'journalist for the souls of men', 'software engineer for the souls of men', etc but whatever your profession is, ask yourself 'what is the function of your profession?' Then, look for an analogy of how you can use your profession to reach souls for Christ. Just as Christ used the language Simon and Andrew could understand and what they are familiar with to reach souls for Him, He can use the language that you are familiar with whether it is being a doctor, lawyer, software engineer, student, etc to share about Jesus Christ. Sometimes there can be a direct analogy made such as what I made about 'functions of fisherman and functions of 'fisherman for the souls of men' and other times it can be indirect but the calling stays the same for all of us no matter what our profession is. That calling is to follow Jesus and make Him known. You can do that friend as you allow Jesus to help you do it.

Remember Jesus did not say, 'Come follow me and you will become fisherman for the souls of men' but Jesus said, 'Come follow me! And I [Jesus] will make you fisherman for the souls of men' to Simon and Andrew. The onus is on Jesus because He is the One that takes the initiative to use us to accomplish His purposes when we follow Him and adhere to His call. Wherever the Lord Jesus has called us to or what He has called us to, He will enable us, equip us, and empower us to share the love of Christ with those around us so that they all can be saved and redeemed by the power of the Gospel. It starts with Jesus and ends with Jesus. We are just the vessel, He is willing to use. How awesome that the Lord Jesus wants to use our profession to tell others about Jesus so we need not ever think, 'I cannot use my profession to tell others about Jesus'

Pastor Hugo would remind me about a F.A.C.T check: Faithful, Available, Compatible, and Teachable. When you possess these characteristics depending on the Lord, He will use you wherever you are.  The Lord Jesus can use anyone in their profession when that profession is turned over to the Lord to make an impact for His Kingdom.  You need to remember that He is the Initiator because He calls you and commissions you to go out and spread the Good News.

Jesus says, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you." (Matthew 28:18b-20a, NLT)

^“ If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” (Romans10:9-15, NLT)

Friend, you are being sent by the Lord to share His Good News to a lost world wherever you are or whatever you are doing as a follower of Christ. So, don't think 'being sent' only refers to so called missionaries who go to other countries, evangelists who evangelize, pastors who preach, etc but 'being sent' refers to you too because you and I have been commissioned by the Lord in the profession we already are in whether it is being a student, being an academic, being a domestic engineer, etc. One of my favorite songs is by Rebecca St. James, 'Here I am Lord, send me!'

Take a look at the function of your profession and see how you can make an analogy to use that profession/major to reach lost people for the Kingdom of God. There could be times the Lord could ask you to change your profession/major completely and take you to another profession but that can be used to bring lost people to Christ too if you have a willing spirit of surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. It does not have to be a job to reach others for Christ but it can be whatever talent or gifting the Lord Jesus has given you that can be used for Christ.