Fishing with nets or bait?

I was listening to an episode of Fighting for the Faith and was struck by a comment made by the host Chris Rosbrough. This is something I may have heard before and forgotten, and it seems so simple that I am a little embarrassed that it seemed fresh to me now.

Here is a summary -

Basically, in response to an interview of  Rick Warren, where Warren was talking about using bait to attract people in evangelism, Rosebrough reminded his listeners that the apostles fished with nets not bait!

Why is this important?

If we are to use bait to get people to beleive upon Jesus, we might use whatever we think might do the job. If one thing does not work, we can keep trying different things, and of course if some are lingering around, we will likely keep the bait fresh until the day they take it. After that, I suppose we would get those people involved in baiting for more believers, so the atmosphere of the church and evangelism remains a place of bait, in hopes of catching some fish.

Or

We could proclaim the gospel and expect it to net people as God's Spirit works!

This seems to fit with what Jesus taught -

John 6:35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. ³⁶ But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. ³⁷ All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

John 6:65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

John 10:25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. ²⁶ But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  ²⁷ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and My Father are one.”

Jesus teaches that the reason we come to believe is because it has been granted by the Father, and it is impossible that we could come any other way, even if the bait is really good, we will by no means believe! When we do believe, it is evidenced by our listening to and following Jesus' words!

So it makes sense that Jesus does not say use bait anywhere, rather He tells us how to cast a net -

Matt. 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

 "Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."