Even though I am not a fisherman, because we have been talking about fishing the last several weeks, the more I study fishing, the more it fascinates me. When I was a boy growing up, fishing was mainly a hobby. Now it is both an art, a science, and big business.

When I read about how fish are being caught today, I start feeling sorry for the fish. Fishing used to be a sport where the fish had pretty much an even chance with the fisherman. Today it is no contest. All of us are familiar with what is known as GPS (Global Positioning System.) It is a navigation system made up of a network of 24 satellites placed into orbit by the United States government. GPS works in all weather conditions all over the world, twenty-four hours a day.

How it works really is rocket science. GPS satellites circle the earth twice a day in a very precise orbit and transmits signal information to earth. Using triangulation, these signals can be used to calculate the user's exact location.

What does all of this have to do with fishing? Before I can answer that question, I've got to talk to you about sonar. Sonar is the ability to send sound waves electronically through water to detect obstacles. It was developed for use in submarines in World War II. Are you ready for this? Fishing boats now have units that combine sonar with GPS in order to precisely locate fish in any water. With the push of a button you can not only learn the depth of the water, and the temperature of the water, even the hardness of the bottom, you can see 3-D images of any fish that are under your boat. The poor fish don't have a chance.

The reason why all this technology is put to use is because good fishermen want to go where fish are, but that is only half the battle. Good fisherman also know when fish bite. Every night if you watch the weather forecast, you will also see a chart giving you the best times to go fishing. Fishermen know there are peak days to go fishing, because of the day of the new or full moon is the best fishing time. Fishermen know there is a peak month. June typically makes for some of the best fishing all year long. Even within those days and even within that month, there are peak times when a period falls within thirty minutes to an hour of sunrise or sunset is when you usually get the greatest action.

Good fishermen study how fish bite and when fish bite. We are in the middle of a series that I've entitled "Deep Soul Fishing." For the last two weeks, we've talked about fishing and we've talked about fishermen. I've told you that we are to be in the fishing business and I've told you that those of us who are followers of Christ are to be His fishing buddies. Today we need to talk about the fish. Let me tell you what I mean by fish. Fish are your unchurched friends, neighbors, and relatives who have no personal relationship to God. Before you can become an effective fisherman you've got to understand fish and specifically fish bites. You've have to understand how different fish will respond in different ways when you put the bait of the "Gospel" before them.

Perhaps the greatest spiritual fisherman who ever lived outside of Jesus Christ was the Apostle Paul. Paul, who was once a fish and was totally antagonistic toward the church and the Gospel, met Jesus Christ face to face while walking down the road to Damascus and immediately went from being a fish to a follower and ultimately from a follower to a fisherman.

In Acts 17 he is fishing in a lake called Athens. If you have been watching any of the Olympics I am sure you have seen a picture of the Acropolis. I have been there several times and have stood on Mars Hill, the exact place where Paul preached the message found in Acts 17 to these Athenians.

It is interesting that even though almost two thousand years have past since the story we are reading today, Athens is basically the same type city it was two thousand years ago - a secular city, full of culture, beauty, and entertainment, but totally empty of God.

Paul, the fearless fisherman, has cast his bait into this lake. In this famous sermon, he talks about the creation. He talks about the Creator and then he talks about Christ. He simply tells these Athenians of a man who died for their sins and who was raised from the dead.

Notice how the fish respond. "Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, 'We shall hear you again concerning this'. So Paul went out of their midst. But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them." (Acts 17:32-34, NASB)

Did you notice that there were three different responses to Paul's message? This is important - don't miss it. There was nothing wrong with the fisherman. Paul knew what he was doing. Paul knew how to fish. Paul was a man filled with the Holy Spirit of God. It was not his fault that all the fish didn't bite.

There was nothing wrong with the bait. He simply preached to them the simple gospel that Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried and was raised from the dead and that through faith in Jesus Christ a person can have eternal life. Paul said in Romans 1, "The Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes." (Romans 1:16, NASB) The truth is as we go out and fish, fish will react in different ways.

Jesus basically told His disciples the same thing. In Luke 8, He tells a parable about a man who sowed seed on different types of soil. "When a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable: The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great." As He said these things, He would call out, 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear.'" (Luke 8:4-8, NASB)

In this parable, the seed is the Gospel. The soil represents those who hear the Gospel and their different levels of receiving the message. To clarify what He means, Jesus explains the parable in verses 11-15. "Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance." (Luke 8: 11-15, NASB)

What Jesus taught in Luke 8, we see illustrated in Acts 17. Unchurched people - people who have no relationship with God, will hear and receive the Good News of Jesus Christ with different responses and different levels of receptivity.

We are going to use what Jesus taught and what we see from what happened with Paul to share with you the three basic responses you can expect from fish when you go fishing. What you are going hear may encourage you more than ever to leave your cocoon of comfort and hurtle your fence of fear and get busy fishing. My good friend, Thom Rainer, who is the Dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism and Church Growth at Southern Seminary wrote a book entitled, "The Unchurched Next Door." Working with fifteen research assistants, who spent two years going to all fifty states and Canada, he interviewed hundreds of unchurched people in every major age and ethnic group. They discovered major differences on how people respond to the Gospel that Rainer calls, "faith stages." They go from U1 to U5 with "U" standing for unchurched.

As I read this book and studied these faith scales and compared it to the response that Paul got in Athens, I realized that you could basically fit these five faith stages into the three different responses that Paul received in Athens. In my experience, I could categorize all the responses I've ever gotten to basically these three.

I. A Minority Of People Will Reject The Gospel

We see this group in verse 32. "Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer." (Acts 17:32, NASB)

I called Dr. Rainer and asked him if I was on target with my dividing his faith stages into these three different responses. He not only agreed, he just wished he had thought about it! Into this category of those who sneered would be those who would be known on his scale as the U4's and the U5's. Now put simply, the U5's are the people we fear the most and for some reason believe they make up the vast majority of the unchurched. Remember the U5's? They are resistant and even antagonistic toward the Gospel. These are the people who just won't listen. They are most likely to be atheists and agnostics. Let me give you the good news about these people. Of the 160 million unchurched people in America, they account for only five percent. In other words you will only encounter this type of fish only 1 in 20 times. In my experience, I've encountered even fewer than that.

The U4's fall into this category as well. Remember? The U4's are resistant to the Gospel, but with no antagonistic attitude. They won't listen, but they won't be belligerent about it. Interestingly enough, over one half of these people believe in life after death and 62% of these people will go to church if they are invited, but you will encounter this person only one time in five. Put together, this group makes up only 26% of all unchurched persons, so the odds that you will meet someone who will either out and out reject the Gospel in an antagonistic way or be resistant to the Gospel without being antagonistic is only one in four.

Before I move on, let me remind you of something. The man who preached this message in Athens was once a U5 himself. He not only was antagonistic toward the Gospel; he hated it. He despised the church and his former full time job was hunting down Christians and throwing them in jail.

He wasn't just a fish. He was a great white shark. He wouldn't take the bait, but he would devour the fisherman, until he met Jesus. He went from being a fish to a follower to a fisherman. Keep in mind that only a minority of people will out and out reject the Gospel.

II. Most People Will Respect The Gospel

Notice the response of the second group, "But others said, 'We shall hear you again concerning this.'" (Acts 17:32b, NASB) That response was totally neutral. They were not anywhere near ready to receive the Gospel or respond to the Gospel, but they had a limited curiosity about the Gospel. Remember the U3's? [Show U3] The U3's are people who are neutral with no clear signs of being interested, yet perhaps open to discussion. They are right in the middle when it comes to the Gospel. They are not resistant to the Gospel, but they are really not interested in the Gospel.

I am reminded of a man that was taking a survey on a street corner in New York City. He stopped a man and said, "Sir, do you know what the two biggest problems in America are?" The man said, "I don't know and I don't care." The man said, "You got both of them - ignorance and apathy." This group is not interested in the Gospel, but it is not offended by the Gospel.

These people represent the largest segment of the unchurched in America. Thirty-six percent fall into this category which represents fifty-seven million people.

These people are not resistant to the Gospel. They respect the church. They respect Christians. Eighty-six percent of them would come to church if someone invited them. Eighty-three percent of them believe in heaven. Seventy percent of them believe in hell. They are concerned about where they are going to spend eternity.

God has given me the privilege and honor of literally traveling the world and preaching the Gospel. I've talked to Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims about Jesus Christ. I would be the first one to admit that I have lead very few of those people to Christ. Almost without exception, all of them have shown respect for the Gospel and still today that is where most people are, which should be a great encouragement to us to get out and fish.

III. Many People Will Respond To The Gospel

We read in verse 34, "But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them." (Acts 17:34, NASB)

It is pretty obvious that this group would include the U1's and the U2's. The U2's are those receptive to the Gospel and to the church. According to their research, the U2's are those who not only are receptive to the Gospel, but within a year could become Christians with a consistent loving witness. The U2's represent the second largest group. There are 43 million of these people in the United States. Ninety-five percent of them believe in heaven. Eighty percent of them believe in hell. These are the people who are getting closer by the day to receiving Christ. They are just simply waiting on fishermen to come and fish. The U1's are those who are highly receptive to hearing and believing the good news. There are 17 million of these people in America. In other words, 1 out of every 10 unchurched people in America, are just waiting on someone to share Christ with them and they are ready to receive Him. Ninety-seven percent of both the U1's and U2's said they would come to church if someone would just invite them. Let me put it to you another way. There are 60 million people in the United States alone that are willing and even desiring to talk to someone about Jesus Christ and their eternal destiny.

More than 1 out of 3 people who never go to church are not only ready to come to church, they are ready to come to Christ, if we will just involve ourselves in cultivating their relationship, invest ourselves in building their friendship and inviting them to our fellowship.

It is easy to look at our secular culture and our secular city and our secular state and think that there are very few fish out there waiting to bite. Listen to this last verse of scripture that is in the very next chapter of Acts that is so encouraging. Paul was in Corinth which again was one of the most secular, pagan cities in the ancient biblical world. I am sure Paul felt just like in Athens, there wouldn't be many fish biting his gospel bait. The Lord spoke to him and said,

"Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you and no man will attack you in order to harm you for I have many people in this city." (Acts 18:9-10, NASB)

Did you hear what the Lord said to Paul? Even though Paul couldn't see them and Paul didn't know where they were, the Lord said there were many people in that pagan city that belonged to him and would receive Jesus Christ if Paul would just be faithful and share the message.

I remind you again - 82% of people who never go to church said themselves they would likely attend church if they were just invited. That means there are 130 million Americans out there who would likely come if somebody would just invite them.

There are some "great whites" out there. There are some barracuda out there. Yes - there are some jellyfish out there, but I beg you don't let the fish that won't bite keep you from fishing for the fish that will bite. Every fish needs the chance to bite the bait. In Dr. Rainer's book, there is a letter from a business man from New York that will bring my point home better than anything else that I could say. It is a letter from a man who at one time who was almost the lowest of all the faith stages. Here is what he wrote.

Hey Tom,
I just finished reading the material on the U4s. Boy, could I identify with those people. I was a U4 just about five years ago. I never was antagonistic toward the church and Christians, but I was resistant to anyone trying to convert me.

I look back on those years and the best way I can describe it was that is was a time of fog. I didn't think or see much clearly in those days. Most of the time, religious matters were not at the top of my agenda, but they were kind of hanging in my conscience. I guess the Holy Spirit was trying to get my attention.

The most amazing thing about that period is that I can't recall one person over several years who ever said anything to me about Jesus or even the church. I had Christian neighbors who never opened their mouths. I had Christian co-workers just two offices down from mine; never a word from them.

Looking back now, I think I would have welcomed a word from a Christian. I didn't know it at the time, but I was hurting deep inside and I probably would have put on some act of bravado to let people know I didn't need God as a crutch, but I still would have loved to have heard something from a Christian.

I guess I moved to a more neutral position (what you call a U3) after watching a Billy Graham crusade on television. I bet if someone invited me to church then, I would have gone. You know the rest of my story. I finally visited a dynamic church in town and became even more receptive to the Gospel. Finally, someone from the church asked me to lunch. Mike, who is now my best friend, shared with me how to accept Christ. A few months later, I did pray to receive Christ. Do hear what I am saying. I had to go to church before someone talked to me one-on-one. For the first forty-two years of my life, no one witnessed to me or invited me to church. I pray that I will never make that mistake. You know, the mistake of keeping my mouth shut. No, it is more than a mistake. It is a sin.

Tom, I pray…that God will open some mouths that are sinfully shut. If I had to depend on most Christians in America for hearing the Good News, I guess I would still be hell bound. Please let your readers know that most of the unchurched people out there would welcome a word from a Christian. Please tell them before it is too late for some.

Thanks David, but I don't have to tell them. You just did. We are in the fishing business. Jesus needs fishing buddies. There are a lot of fish ready to bite. Let's go fishing!