Sharing Faith: right place, right people, and right time

‘”Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish for people.”‘ (Matthew 4:19)

Jesus’ invitation to “follow me” and become “fishers of people” from Matthew’s Gospel is one of those images that sticks.

It’s practical, memorable, and even a little humbling.

Because fishing isn’t just about having the right kit or knowing the right technique. It’s about being in the right place, with the right people, and with the right timing.

1) Fish where the fish are

A few years ago I was on a stag do in Devon. One afternoon we bought rods and gear, climbed down slippery rocks, and tried to catch our dinner. We did everything “right”—at least everything my dad had taught me—yet we caught nothing. The reel broke, the sun started setting, and we realised we’d soon be trying to scramble back in the dark.

Out of curiosity, in the last moment I wrapped the line around my finger, climbed to a lower rock, and dipped the hook into the water.

Instantly two fish were caught on the same hook! Then another. And another.

For ages we’d had the equipment and the method, but we weren’t fishing where the fish were feeding.

That’s a helpful picture for sharing hope and truth about Jesus. We can have the best tools and the best intentions, but we won’t see people drawn to him unless we’re present where people actually are.

That looks like saying yes to ordinary spaces: book clubs, staff rooms, council offices, sports sidelines, New Year’s Eve parties, holiday club rotas, cricket teams, and the moments after lectures when it would be easier to rush home.

Sometimes people assume that “taking mission seriously” means withdrawing—quitting the poetry group because worship songs feel more spiritual, avoiding the staff room because conversation might be messy, or imagining you have to change your job and move away to be faithful.

So why not join a walking group (like this one), a book club (like this one), a football team (we currently don’t have a church football team, but what if a group of us from church joined a team that already exists in the community rather than forming a separate team?).

But if we’re never with the people God has placed around us, how will they see the hope of Jesus lived out up close?

What spaces can you be present in this term?

2) Fishing is a family business

When Jesus called fishermen, he wasn’t picturing someone alone on a pier with a single rod and a flask.

The disciples worked with big nets—dragged between boats, hauled together—where everyone had a role.

And in the same way, helping someone meet Jesus is rarely a solo achievement.

When I think about my own story, I genuinely can’t point to a single person and say, “They introduced me to Jesus.” Was it the friend who invited me to youth group? The band’s lead singer who spoke about Jesus at a concert? The youth leader who gave me a Bible? The pastor who refused to cancel a trip even when volunteers were thin? Or the dad who drove me to church that first Sunday? It was a whole web of faithful people.

A couple of years ago in Portsmouth, a student walked past a Carol Service run by the Christian Union. He stopped, turned back, and went in—partly because the people on the door looked genuinely welcoming. He enjoyed it, returned to church in January, and a few months later became a Christian. Who led him to Jesus? The welcomers? The speaker? The people who became his friends? In reality, it was everyone.

It’s sad if, as a Christian, I have no friends who aren’t Christians. But it’s also a tragedy if someone exploring faith only knows one Christian in their life.

Jesus said people would recognise his disciples by their love for one another. You can’t show that alone.

That’s why shared moments (like a Christmas social or a Life Group evening) matter: they blend friendship groups, lower the pressure, and let people see faith lived out in community.

Where can you invite your friends outside of church to make friends with your church friends this term?

3) Fishing is a slow, patient process

I went fishing with my dad one summer and hooked an 11‑pound carp on a line that was not designed for a fish that big.

My instinct was to reel it in as fast as possible. But my dad said, “No—slow down, or the line will snap.”

So you bring it in a little, let it swim away, reel it back, let it swim, reel it closer… and in doing so gently guide it toward the net.

The term ‘sharing faith’ can feel like trying to compress everything we believe into a three‑minute presentation and then waiting for an instant response.

But think of it as a spiritual conversation.

‘Spiritual’ because it covers everything from “Do you think we have a soul?” all the way to “What’s holding you back from following Jesus today?”

‘Conversation’ because it’s back-and-forth. It can pause, breathe, and be picked up again over time.

A surprising number of people are more open than we assume. Some research suggests that around one in five university students say they pray—even if they’re not sure who they’re praying to. If you want to move from small talk over coffee to something deeper, try a gentle question like: