How to Become Fishers of Men – Dr. Curtis Hutson

·41 min·4 clips

Dr. Curtis Hutson explains why Jesus' call to become 'fishers of men' requires learning from an old fishing manual's surprising advice.

Dr. Curtis Hutson delivers a sermon titled 'How to Become Fishers of Men,' based on Matthew 4:19. He opens by noting he has never used this verse as a text before. Hutson introduces Isaac Watson's book 'The Complete Angler,' written around the turn of the century, as a framework for spiritual fishing. The first principle is to 'keep out of sight,' illustrated by a story of three preachers where the congregation's praise shifted from the sermon to the preacher to the Savior. Hutson stresses humility, referencing John 3:30 and Paul's words about preaching Christ, not oneself. The second principle is to 'cultivate a mood of happiness and praise,' linking it to Psalm 51 and anecdotes about cheerful Christians versus melancholy ones. The third principle is to 'study the fish,' meaning understand that different people come to Christ in varied ways. Hutson shares multiple evangelism stories: Gary Garland's wife saved through a tract, 'Snake' saved after a personal conversation, a man named Ralph saved through a handshake choice, a medical student saved after discussing Jonah, and a telephone evangelism encounter. He mentions a service at Fairhaven Baptist Church where 627 people responded to the invitation. Hutson adds a fourth principle: 'learn from other fishermen,' using the example of bass fisherman Bill Dance changing lures after watching someone else succeed. He encourages preachers to be teachable, like Ledoux Strong who paid to learn fishing. Hutson argues that winning souls renews a preacher's excitement more than prayer or preaching alone, sharing an anecdote about Johnny Stancila's joy after leading a man to Christ. He concludes by urging dedicated time for evangelism and specialization in soul-winning, ending with a call to follow Jesus' promise to make fishers of men.

As heard by us

A fishing metaphor frames evangelism as patient, adaptable, and active work.

Matthew 4:19 anchors this old-fashioned revival sermon on evangelism, with Jesus' promise to make his followers fishers of men treated as a practical test of willingness, patience, and attention.

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Why you'd press play

You want an old-fashioned revival sermon that turns "Follow me" into a field guide for becoming a fisher of men.

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