What Is In Your Tackle Box?


John Allan


An angler loves his tackle box. He stocks it with hooks, lures, and bait: whatever he needs for his fishing trip. The following observations are true whether you are a bass fisherman or a fisher of men.


It is hard to fish with an empty tackle box. If you cannot imagine a fisherman going out to fish without any tackle, then how could you imagine pursuing the lost without being spiritually prepared to do so? It will prove very difficult to be a fisher of men if you do not have adequate Bible knowledge.


It is hard to fish with the wrong tackle. Several years ago some friends of mine adopted the hobby of playing a strategy game that used small figurines for game pieces. As their collection of characters grew, they began carrying them around in tackle boxes. I have often wondered with amusement what a fisherman would do if he got out to the water and opened his tackle box only to find he accidentally had brought a box filled with figurines. 


The gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16) and, therefore, it is our tackle as fishers of men. If we take a message other than the gospel to those who are lost in sin, we should expect no more success than a fisherman trying to catch fish with game pieces.


It is hard to fish if your tackle box is in storage. Sometimes the reason more souls are not being won for the Lord is because there are not enough people doing the fishing. A fisherman will not catch a single fish if his tackle box is gathering dust in a shop, shed, closet, or attic. A soul winner will not win souls if he is not actively seeking to take the gospel to the lost.


Just as a fisherman will not go fishing without being prepared, let us be ready from day to day to take the gospel to the lost. Fill up your tackle box with the right bait, and be ready to give an answer to those who ask (1 Peter 3:15). -155 Broadway St., Clinton, MS 39056.


(Editor’s note: Brother John preaches for the church of Christ in Clinton, Mississippi. He is the son of Ron Allan, who preaches for the Joetown and Joe’s Run (Deep Valley) churches of Christ, and grew up in West Virginia. John has written an excellent lesson in a very few words.)


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