Be a Fountain

Be a Fountain not a Drain.

Saw this from a church newsletter and thought to share:






BE A FOUNTAIN NOT A DRAIN

I saw a marquee in front of a church’s building that had the following on it: “BE A FOUNTAIN NOT A DRAIN”. I looked over at my wife and said, “There is a sermon in there somewhere.” Indeed, there is a lesson in this simple statement that every Christian needs to hear.
Christians will either be a fountain or they will be a drain when it comes to their responsibilities in the kingdom of God. This is especially seen in the local work of a congregation. There is no middle ground. As a member of a local church, I am either a fountain that nourishes the work or I am a drain that is depleting the energy and life from that work.

Paul expressed the ‘either or’ principle when writing about the life of the Christian. “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.” (ROMANS 6:16-18)
Having become slaves of righteousness, we are bound to fulfill our servanthood. Slaves have a vested interest in the success of their master. The accomplishing of the master’s desire is directly related to the faithfulness of the slave. The lazy servant fails to understand that he is important in the process of completing the task. A modern expression to emphasize this principle is, “he got skin in the game”.

Every member of a local church has “got skin in the game”. Therefore, when a member is lazy and a slacker regarding the work of the local church, they become a drain rather than a fountain of life giving water. Drain is defined as, “To deplete gradually, especially to the point of complete exhaustion.” (American Heritage Dictionary) My oldest son has a GMC pickup truck that began having a problem with the battery losing power when the truck wasn’t run for a day or so. It was determined that it had an electrical short that drained the battery. Like the electrical short in my son’s truck, a member who does not consider that they have “skin in the game” will drain the life out of a local church.
Christians often lament the lack of growth in the congregation where they hold membership. We all have known of local churches that at one time were growing but today are on the verge of death. Why do congregations find themselves in this dilemma? In my humble opinion, it is because members have failed in their servitude by losing sight of their personal responsibility. A local church’s spiritual vitality is predicated upon the individual member’s participation. Yes! Every member has “got skin in the game”!

Some will say, “I can’t do anything.” Peter says you can, and he was inspired by God to say so. “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” (2 PETER 1:3-10)

What makes a local church grow and do the work God has assigned to it? It takes a membership where each individual member is personally involved in every aspect of its work. In this way and only in this way, will it be a living active organism.

Members who are fountains will give forth their energies to serve. Local churches that are alive and well have members who are fountains. Further, churches whose members are drains are being depleted of their life’s energy which leaves them a useless shell; an illusion rather than the real thing.
Which are you, a fountain or a drain?

From: The Pound Proclaimer is published monthly by the Pound church of Christ 9517A Orby Cantrell Hwy. Pound, VA 24279
All articles by the editor unless otherwise stated
Editor: Glen Young
http://poundchurchofchrist.org/December2011.htm

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Twas the Night Before Ministry

'Twas the Nite Before Ministry
I wrote a few years ago a parody about "twas the Nite before Youth Ministry" and revised for ministry and from a preacher perspective ...Here is the Result:



'Twas the Nite Before Ministry,

When all through the church
Not a person was stirring, not even a preacher.
The budget minutes were done for the year with care.
In hopes that funds for the ministry next year would be there.
The church-goers had gone. All full of themselves.
With visions of only thinking of Thyself.
Some people wanted the last say on everything.
And there was alaways that one person that had to be right on every theological thing.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter.
Several of us had sprung out of the church to see what was the matter.
As we entered the church parking lot What did we see?
But Angry people wanted everything for FREE!

More rapid than insults, the crowd made demands.
They had expectations of what they thought ministry looked like and added their demands.

They started to name the Mega Churches by Name by name:

"Now We want to be like Saddleback, Willow Creek and such .... maybe through Joel Osteen and that Henny Guy as such ... so it could put our own preacher to shame ..."

"To the top of the denomination, to the top of the glee of the crowd, we'd rather have glorified ministry and we want it now."

So as the demands of the parents, full of themselves ....
Several others had cried as the silly demands had abound.

Ministry is not a thing dressed up and made good.
It sometimes speaks of sex, drinking and peer pressure other sins to repent of as one should.

It isn't about looking cool.
Or even having a Dodge Viper or Hummer or 2.

Ministry is sometimes about stuff you don't have a clue.

It's about Jesus, church, loving God and others too.
And not another marketing tool.

All of the gimmicks make me want to laugh.
"Teach like Jesus" or get this item for half price and have your church grow without having the Spirit in it at all!

O the marketing - be the next Mega Thing rather than
Be Who God created you to be and not something else.

When will we learn?
When will we turn from this ministry as glorified thing?

Then I knew I had nothing to dread.
Jesus loved me, instead of these angry people instead.

Jesus spoke such kindness and did such a good work.
He gave of Himself, and never was a jerk.
He was born as God's Son.
Human became.
Loved, died, rose, and is Coming Again!

As I think of Jesus, Ministry and all ....
Its about being the church
And not this programming call.
So the next time someone gives you a complain.
Turn to them and proudly proclaim:

"I serve my Christ offering Him to all;
Love God and others is my Call."

Thus Ministry is a calling and not sort of thing.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.


Parody by Gerrard R. Fess.

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