Fishers of Men or Keepers of the Aquarium?

Have you ever looked around at the faces in your Church and known all of them? That used to be me before my Church started growing a couple of years ago. Now when I look around, I see tons of people that I am yet to meet. It's exciting but it's also a little sad to think how my church carried on for years before our change in leadership.

A few years ago every Sunday was the same old routine of playing Church. The same people would say the same things, sit in the same seats, and go through the same motions week in, week out. There were hardly any new people, just the same old flock. Our congregation had become what I recently learned as Keepers of the Aquarium! When I heard someone say that a while back, I thought it was cute. I first said "Amen" quickly followed by an "Oh my". It may sound cute but it is a very serious desease affecting the church today.

But whose fault is it anyway? All fingers point to ourselves because we are creatures of habit with nice big comfort zones that we hate to leave. We love the life in the aquarium instead of open water because of it's controlled and predictable environment. Think about it, the aquarium has nice clean filtered water, a comfy temperature, we stay indoors, one person can maintain it, and most of all we get to choose the pretty and elite fish. Fishing in open waters is another story. The weather can be rough, there is a constant fishy smell, sometimes we catch weird looking creatures, and there is always a risk of drowning. But, that is where we need to be; in the wide open water casting out our nets and reeling in (and being happy with) our catch!

All Christians were given a spirit of boldness and charged by our Saviour to go into all of the world preaching the Gospel. With that said, my main point today is this: We don't need more Christians in our churches, we need more lost souls. So, are you fishing or just maintaining?