There is a quiet tension that exists in many churches today. We talk often about mission, discipleship, and being fishers of men. We preach about it. We plan for it. We pray for it. Yet in many cases, very few believers actually step into the work of making disciples.
Talking about fishing is far easier than actually fishing. This reminds me of a parable called “A Plea for Fishing” by Darrell W Robinson:
In the story, there was once a group of people who called themselves fishermen. The lakes and rivers around them were full of fish. Fish were everywhere, feeding constantly. The waterways were overflowing with opportunity. The world desperately needed fishermen.
So the fishermen gathered regularly to talk about fishing.
Week after week, month after month, year after year, they met to discuss the importance of fishing. They held conferences about fishing. They formed committees to strategize about fishing. They built buildings called fisheries where fishermen could gather to talk about fishing together.
At every meeting, the same message was repeated: every fisherman should fish.
There was only one problem.
No one actually fished.
One day, a young man left one of the meetings and went fishing. The next day he came back and reported that he had caught two incredible fish. Everyone was amazed. He was celebrated, invited to share his story, and eventually placed on the board of the fishermen’s organization because of his experience.
Soon he became so busy talking about fishing that he no longer had time to fish.
The story ends with a haunting question: Is a person truly a fisherman if he never fishes?
Isn’t this so much like us?
We talk about disciple-making. We plan for disciple-making. But very few believers actually go fishing for men.
If we are going to call the whole church into mission, we must be clear. What exactly are we calling them to? And why does it matter? The church is not merely a place where disciples gather. It is a movement where disciples are sent. And if we are serious about forming disciples, we must mobilize our people for mission.
One of the clearest pictures of this comes from Matthew 14:13–21, the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand.
When Jesus stepped off the boat and saw the crowd, Scripture tells us He had compassion on them. The disciples, however, saw a logistical problem. It was late. The place was remote. The crowd was large. Their solution was simple: send the people away.
But Jesus gave them a surprising command. “They don’t need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
The disciples immediately pointed out their limitations: five loaves and two fish. Yet Jesus took what little they had, blessed it, and placed it back into their hands to distribute. By the end of the story, thousands had eaten and were satisfied.
Within this moment, we find several powerful reasons why mobilizing believers for mission matters.
1. Laboring for the Harvest Grows Our Affections, Causing Us to Move from Passivity to Compassion
Mission moves us from passivity to compassion. When Jesus looked at the crowd, He did not see an inconvenience. He saw people who were hurting and hungry. His heart moved toward them.
The same thing happens when believers begin to engage their communities. It is easy to remain distant from problems we never encounter personally. But when we step into the lives of people around us – where we live, work, and worship – our hearts begin to change.
Urban mission is not primarily about programs; it is about proximity. It is about presence. When we move closer to people, our affections begin to grow. What once felt distant becomes deeply personal.
Passivity can slowly give way to compassion.
2. Laboring for the Harvest Aligns Our Hearts with His, Taking Us from Rational to Irrational
The disciples approached the situation rationally. There were too many people and too few resources. From a practical standpoint, the solution was obvious: send the crowds away. Jesus, however, responded differently: “You give them something to eat.”
Mission often pushes us beyond what makes sense on paper. It invites us into a way of living where obedience takes precedence over calculation. As we participate in God’s work, something begins to shift within us. Our priorities start to align with His. We begin to care about what He cares about. And like Jesus, we begin to see crowds not as interruptions, but as opportunities for compassion and service, even when we don’t have what it takes to meet all of their needs.
3. Laboring for the Harvest Reestablishes Our Identity, Reminding Us We are God’s Chosen Vessel
Jesus could have fed the crowd without involving the disciples at all. Yet He intentionally placed the responsibility in their hands. “You give them something to eat.” In doing so, He reminded them of who they were. Followers of Jesus that will become fishers of men. We are participants in the mission of God. We are vessels through which God works. When believers engage in mission, they rediscover this identity. They begin to see themselves not just as church attendees, but as ambassadors, witnesses, and disciple-makers sent into the world.
Mission clarifies who we are.
4. Laboring for the Harvest Reminds Us of Our Inadequacy, Driving Us to Pray and to Pursue the Spiritual Disciplines
The disciples quickly responded with the obvious problem: “We only have five loaves and two fish.” We often respond in the same way. We say we do not know enough. We do not have enough time. We are not trained enough. We are not resourced enough. Scripture is filled with people who offer similar excuses. Moses said he stuttered. David said he was too young. Sarah said she was too old. Mary said she was not yet married. Yet God repeatedly chooses ordinary, inadequate people to accomplish extraordinary things.
When we step into mission, we quickly realize that what we are attempting is beyond our ability. This is when we come to the conclusion that only God can do that. Then God calls us to bring what we have to Him, and this realization drives us toward prayer and dependence on Him.
5. Laboring for the Harvest Reminds Us of His Sufficiency, Strengthening Our Faith
What began with five loaves and two fish ended with thousands of people fed and 12 baskets of leftovers. The miracle began when the disciples placed what little they had into the hands of Jesus. The same principle applies today. When believers offer their time, their talents, their treasures, and their testimonies to the Lord, He multiplies what they bring.
Mission reminds us that the work ultimately belongs to God. Our role is simply to bring what we have and place it in His hands.
Mission Is Not an Elective
Too often the church treats outreach and mission like the cherry on top of the Christian life. Like it’s an optional activity for a few especially passionate believers.
But mission is not an elective. It is a means for discipleship.
One of my early pastors used to say, “Never teach someone the Bible without also encouraging them to share their faith.” If we only teach knowledge without sending people out, we often produce arrogance. But when believers step into evangelism, they quickly realize that salvation is a supernatural work of God.
That realization produces humility. Cultivating the discipline of being on mission changes us.
In fact, mission is one of the primary ways God forms us spiritually. When believers step into the work of disciple-making, they grow in compassion, humility, dependence, and faith. So when we mobilize our churches for urban mission, we are not simply asking them to help solve problems in the city. We are inviting them into the very process through which God forms disciples.
Disciples are not made by sitting on the sidelines. They are made on mission.
