Cast Your Bait Where the Fish Are Biting

Cast Your Bait Where the Fish Are Biting

Every fisherman knows there is a difference between fishing and catching.

You can sit all day beside a pond where the fish are not biting and never catch a thing. A wise fisherman pays attention. He asks questions. He watches where others are having success. If the fish are not biting in one place, he moves to another.

The goal is not merely to cast a line. The goal is to catch fish.

The same principle applies to evangelism.

That does not mean we should never speak to atheists, skeptics, or people who have no interest in spiritual things. We should be ready to share the gospel with anyone. But if our goal is to reach as many people as possible, common sense tells us to spend much of our effort where people are already interested in spiritual matters.

That is exactly what Paul did.

Whenever he entered a city, where did he usually go first?

The synagogue.

Why?

Because that is where people who already believed in God were gathered. That is where people were discussing Scripture. That is where people were asking spiritual questions. That is where Paul already had a foot in the door.

Acts 17:2 says,

"And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures."

Notice the phrase, "as his manner was." This was not an accident. This was his regular practice.

Paul understood something many disciples forget today. It is easier to help a person take the next step than it is to convince someone to take the first step.

A man who already believes in God is often closer to the truth than a man who rejects the existence of God altogether.

A person who already studies the Bible is often more open to further study than someone who has never opened it.

A person who already attends a religious assembly is often more willing to discuss spiritual matters than someone who has no interest at all.

That is not prejudice. That is wisdom.

Paul wrote, "I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (1 Corinthians 9:22).

He looked for opportunities.

He looked for open doors.

He looked for people who were willing to listen.

The same principle applies today.

Many disciples spend enormous amounts of time trying to break down doors that are locked tight while ignoring doors that are already standing open.

There are thousands of people sitting in churches every Sunday who love God, believe the Bible, and sincerely want to do what is right. They may not yet understand certain truths, but they are interested in spiritual things. They are asking questions. They are searching.

The fish are already biting.

That does not mean we abandon everyone else. It simply means we recognize where the greatest opportunities exist.

A wise fisherman goes where the fish are biting.

A wise disciple goes where people are willing to hear.

Paul understood that principle nearly two thousand years ago, and it is still a principle worth remembering today.