He said it as only Jesus could—short and to the point. Jesus locked eyes with several first century fishermen and said, "From now on you’ll be fishing for people." (Luke 5:10) And they responded to the challenge in Luke 5:11: "And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus."

Their lives were never the same. They went from anglers to fishers of people.

Now why would Jesus enlist a bunch of fishermen to be in his inner circle? Why not bank presidents or community leaders or seminary graduates or insurance agents? Why professional fishermen?

He certainly could have done better than fishermen. Maybe Jesus saw an attitude of optimism in them. As a kid growing up, when we went on family vacations, we’d pull out the Zebco rod and reels and load them in the car. We never caught anything, but we never gave up hope that someday we’d land the big one. Optimistic fishermen think they are always just one cast away from a wall-hanger.

Or maybe Jesus recognized these fishermen’s patience. Fishermen are patient people. They’ve got this uncanny ability to sit on the bank or in a boat and wait and wait. Hours may go by before they ever get a nibble. Fishermen will wait out the fish. Here’s the fisherman’s mantra, "Sooner or later, they will bite."

Fishermen are optimistic and patient. Maybe Jesus was also impressed by these fishermen’s intentionality. Fishermen go where the fish are biting. They seek out the local knowledge as to the best spots and the best bait to use. They try to think like a fish so they can out smart them.

Finally, Jesus may have seen an attitude of persistence among the fishermen. Anglers don’t tend to give up easily or quit. In the fishing world, they are called fish hawks. They are relentless, unwavering, and determined. It’s in their blood. They are "hooked" on fishing.

So maybe Jesus considered these character traits when he invited these fishermen to a new way of life—to become fishers of people. He was looking for optimistic, patient, intentional, and persistent players to be on his fishing team.

I know what you’re thinking. "Who me? A fisher of people! Forget it." This may come as a surprise to you, but if you have placed their trust in Jesus as your Savior—the challenge Jesus made 2000 years ago to a motley bunch of fishermen is the same for you.

The very traits Jesus recognized in these fishermen are the same ones he looks for in you.

Are you optimistic about fishing for people? Recently, I have had some of the most refreshing conversations with people who are so optimistic that God is drawing a family member or friend closer to a relationship with Jesus. I hear and see optimism in their voices and on their faces.

When Jesus offered to show his followers how to fish for people, he modeled how to bait the hook and cast the line. But who gets the fish on the hook? God does. He causes the catch. In our story, the fishermen threw their nets in the water at Jesus’ request and caught a net-busting load of fish. But who caused the catch. It certainly wasn’t them. They had fished all night and caught a big zero. Jesus caused the catch.

Not only should fishers of people be optimistic, they must also be patient. Some of you right now have been praying for years for a spiritually uninterested spouse or friend. They show no interest in the bait. Impatiently you say, "What’s the use, they’ll never make the turn to Jesus."

When you have those negative thoughts, reflect on God’s character. Check out 2 Peter 3:9, "God is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent." God is working. He’s all about the catch. It’s our responsibility to fish—to bait the hook—to share our fish food with those outside our fishbowl.

Fishermen are also intentional. Fishers of people go where people are spiritually hungry. You gravitate to their level. You may have to get a little dirty or slimy with them. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 9:22, "To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some."

Sadly, it’s easier and safer to sit in our fish bowl or holy huddle and never think outside the bowl. God forbid we’d get labeled as a friend of sinners like Jesus who came to seek and to save people who were lost. Not only did he seek them out; he partied with them, and eventually died for them on a cross to pay the punishment for their sins. Fishing for people can be messy. It requires us to be intentional.

If you are a Christ follower, are you thinking outside the bowl? There is no greater way to deepen your relationship with God than to share in the experience of seeing someone you know cross the line of faith. There’s just nothing like it. So think outside your bowl. Whom do you know that you can start casting toward?

If you chose to think outside your bowl, here are some practical skills you can implement to be an effective fisher of people.

1. Pray the fisherman’s prayer. It goes something like this: "God, make me a fisherman. Help me to think of others outside my bowl. Give me the ability to cast, to take risks, to say words of truth to people who swim across my path."

2. Adopt the invest and invite strategy. This is a strategy to make you think outside your fish bowl. Christ followers are challenged by Jesus to make a personal investment in other people’s lives, to build bridges, to spend time, to develop relationships with those outside their bowl so they can informally invite them to church.

3. Tell your fish story. Fishermen love to tell stories, don’t they? One of the most impactful ways you can influence people toward a relationship with Christ is to tell your story. Tell a person how you were cast to, how you took the bait, how you were reeled in by someone who was a fisher of people and the difference it has made. Jesus told his followers: Mark 16:15 says, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere." Go tell others how God’s good news made a difference in your life.

4. I’m told that true fishermen practice catch and release. Once a fisherman reels in a fish, often times he will carefully unhook the fish and let it go. By doing so, the fish has the opportunity to get bigger, healthier and to reproduce. In a similar way, Heartland Community Church practices catch and release. People trust Christ as their Savior—they are reeled into a relationship with Jesus and then they are released to grow in their relationship with Christ, to deepen their faith, to reproduce themselves by telling others. That’s what Heartland is all about. We are a group of fanatical fishermen who go fishing for people by investing and inviting. And when people trust Christ as their Savior, we release them in the direction of spiritual growth.