Lets Go Fishing...

Fishing has been a term associated with Christianity from the very beginning. A number of the first disciples were fishermen, Jesus used fishing boats to teach from, he told Peter that he would fish for men and so on. In the early church the fish symbol, like the one shown above, was used as a direction marker to show the way to the places where Christians met.

The ICHTHUS, that is the name of the fish symbol, derives its name from the Greek word for fish "ichthus" but there was a hidden meaning in the name. The ICHTHUS is an acrostic which means that each letter of the word represents another word and the acrostic of the fish was a creed of the church that we still use today. Here is the meaning of the ICHTHUS... I - Jesus (there is no "j" in Greek, only "i" but if it has a ' before the i it is pronounced as a j); CH - Christ; TH - God; U - son; S - Saviour. So when you see the fish symbol it is meant to be read as: "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour"

Over the years the ICHTHUS has morphed to become an identifying marker and today I can show I am a Christian by displaying the fish symbol on my car. BUT... what does it mean if I have a little fish symbol on my car? It should mean that the person who owns the car is a Christian and as such you can expect them to live a Christian lifestyle. It should mean that the person who owns that car has an answer for the hope that they have. (1 Peter 3:15) It should mean that you could follow that person to their fish bowl where they meet with the other fish people in your community and that you would be welcomed into that fish bowl. Of course we know that not all fish symbol people can say that this is true of them.

I have seen many Christians that display a "fish bowl mentality." What I mean by this is that they are quite content in the little bowl with their other fish bowl friends and they never see life beyond the fish bowl. They have the pastor feed them every week and then just swim within their little circle until the next Sunday when they are fed again. Unfortunately this is not the ultimate purpose of the church nor those who call themselves followers of Christ. There used to be an old Salvation Army practice called "fishing for souls" where members of the congregation would actively seek out the unbelievers attending Army meetings and lead them to a saving relationship with Christ. I am sure that is closer to what God is calling us to as his followers.

I like how Salvation Army theologian Phil Needham describes what it means to be a missional church. He states, "The missionary church, then, is nothing other than the church following its Lord, leading its sacramental life, travelling on its pilgrim way - and inviting others to do the same. Only as such is it an army of salvation commissioned for battle. Only as such is it engaged in warfare. For the church at war, there is no human enemy. In fact, persons are seen only as potential recruits. The enemy is sin in all its personal and social forms - all of which seek to destroy the God-given integrity of human life. As long as this battle for the human soul rages, the church will be commissioned for battle." (Community in Mission p. 64)

With the words of Needham ringing in my ears I have decided to adopt a new ICHTHUS symbol for myself that more clearly reflects my work in God's kingdom. Feel free to adopt it as well. No more passive, waiting for others to visit my fishbowl mentality for me!

Blessings!