NOTHING VENTURED, NOTHING GAINED

“Follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”? (Matthew 4:19)

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There’s a well-known phrase: “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”. It means that unless we step out and take risks, we will never see any results. The same is true for evangelism. If we don’t leave our comfort zones and risk our time, effort, and even rejection for the sake of the Gospel, we will never see the harvest God is ready to give us. Evangelism is not about being safe or about endless meetings—it’s about risking everything for the sake of the lost.

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Conferences and gatherings have their place. They equip us, encourage us, and help sharpen our skills. But the global church is often so focused on holding these events that we've lost sight of the mission itself. We're busy talking about evangelism, but fewer and fewer people are actually going out to do it. The truth is, the world of missions isn’t found in our church meetings, but out in the streets, where people are living and dying without ever hearing the Gospel.

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“Follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” It’s a simple, powerful call that is tragically easy to forget, even for those of us deeply involved in ministry. We can get so wrapped up in strategies, plans, and discussions that we lose sight of the fact that we’re called to seek the lost.

There’s a story told of a group of people who called themselves fishermen. They lived in a land surrounded by lakes and rivers full of fish, and the fish were plentiful. Hungry fish swam all around them, just waiting to be caught.

Year after year, week after week, these self-proclaimed fishermen gathered in meetings to talk about their duty to fish. They discussed the abundance of fish, and they carefully defined what it meant to fish. They declared that the primary task of any fisherman is to fish.

They constantly searched for better methods of fishing and new ways to define what fishing should be. They created slogans and hung banners with clever phrases about fishing, encouraging all to be fishermen. They built large, beautiful buildings called “Fishing Headquarters” to gather and discuss the importance of fishing.

But there was just one problem: they never fished.

In addition to their regular meetings, they formed a board to send out fishermen to far-off places where fish were abundant. They hired staff and created committees to defend the practice of fishing and determine which streams should be fished next. But neither the staff nor the committee members ever actually fished.

They built large training centres with the primary purpose of teaching others how to fish. These institutions offered classes on everything related to fish—their habits, their psychology, where to find them, and how to approach them. Professors with doctorates in fishology taught the courses. But none of them had ever fished—they only taught others how to do it.

After years of training, many graduated with fishing licenses and were sent out to do full-time fishing in waters teeming with fish. But, like the fishermen back home, they never fished. They became involved in other activities. They spent their time making fishing equipment, studying fish hatcheries, and attending meetings to discuss fishing.

Some felt called to be part of the fishing party, but they believed their role was to provide equipment, not actually fish. Others thought their job was to relate to the fish in such a way that the fish would see the difference between good and bad fishermen. Still, others believed it was enough to just be kind and neighbourly to the fish so that the fish would know how nice they were.

After one particularly stirring meeting on the importance of fishing, one young fisherman left the meeting and actually went out and caught two fish. The next day, he proudly reported his success. He was honoured for his excellent catch and invited to speak at all the big meetings to tell how he did it. Eventually, he stopped fishing so that he could spend more time telling others about his experience.

He even published a book about his fishing adventures and was asked to join the Fishermen’s General Board as an expert in fishing.

Now, some of the fishermen made great sacrifices. Some lived near the water, enduring the smell of dead fish every day. Others were ridiculed by those who didn’t believe in fishing at all. They claimed to be fishermen, yet never fished.

Imagine how hurt some of them were when one day someone suggested that those who never fish might not actually be fishermen—no matter how much they claimed to be. It made sense. After all, can you really call someone a fisherman if they never fish?

In the same way, can we truly say we’re following Christ if we’re not fishing for men?

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Jesus didn’t call us to just talk about evangelism. He commanded us to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19). Conferences, gatherings, and training events have their place, but they are only tools to equip us for the real mission. As James 1:22 reminds us, we must not just hear the Word but do what it says.

While we’re inside, debating the best methods for evangelism, countless souls outside are living without hope. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few (Luke 10:2). If we never venture out, if we never take the risk to actually engage with those who need to hear the Gospel, we will never gain the lost.

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We must ask ourselves: are we truly following Jesus if we aren’t fishing for men? It’s one thing to know about evangelism—it’s another thing to actually do it. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." If we avoid discomfort, rejection, and hardship, we will never gain souls for Christ.

It’s time to be bold. Let’s move beyond our meetings, beyond our training, and beyond our planning, and go where the lost are waiting. Jesus said, “Go.” That means more than just preparation—it means action.

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Lord, stir our hearts to be more than just planners and strategists. Give us the boldness to go out and share the Gospel with the world. Help us to be true fishermen who fish, not just in word, but in deed. Lead us to those who need to hear Your message of hope and salvation. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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We must gather, but we must also go. Let’s not allow our meetings to replace our mission. The time is now—nothing ventured, nothing gained.

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