{"id":31623,"date":"2022-09-10T15:37:42","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:37:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/5-differences-between-ministry-consumers-and-contributors\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:37:42","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:37:42","slug":"5-differences-between-ministry-consumers-and-contributors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/5-differences-between-ministry-consumers-and-contributors\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Differences Between Ministry Consumers and Contributors"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Markus Spiske photo – Unsplash<\/div>\n

By Robby Gallaty<\/em><\/p>\n

We\u2019re standing at the end of centuries of Christian tradition that has crippled the body of Christ. We\u2019ve started treating the church like it is a place you go as a believer, not a people you advance the kingdom with.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve viewed church only as a hospital to bring people to instead of an equipping outpost to send people out from.<\/p>\n

A Barna poll from 2018 revealed that 51% of churchgoers said they had \u201cnever heard of the Great Commission,\u201d and that 25% of those polled can recall hearing the words but not knowing what they meant.<\/p>\n

This means that the primary mission of the church\u2014the mission that Jesus himself gave to his disciples\u2014has been either watered down or replaced entirely.<\/p>\n

Instead of making Jesus\u2019 final words our first work, we\u2019ve relegated them to instructions for staff members, thinking that our sole purpose is to come and sit, not go and serve.<\/p>\n

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The effect of this is undeniable and measurable. Three years ago, I headed up a task force to study the current state of my denomination and found something troubling: Over the last 20 years, we\u2019d baptized around 7 million people, but the total number of people involved in our churches had dropped by 20,000.<\/p>\n

Our task force proposed a single remedy: discipleship with Bible engagement.<\/p>\n

No More Bystanders<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Discipleship is at the heart of the Great Commission; it\u2019s the last command that Jesus gave us before His ascension.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a functional definition of discipleship: intentionally equipping believers with the word of God through accountable relationships empowered by the Holy Spirit in order to replicate faithful followers of Christ.<\/p>\n

When we start making disciples, we\u2019ll see people\u2014who once thought they belonged in a pew\u2014begin to understand that their purpose is to reach a world that desperately needs Christ.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll see people who view salvation and baptism as the beginning of a lifelong journey, not the finish line. The more we engage in disciple-making, the more vividly we\u2019ll see the difference between someone who is just a gospel consumer and someone who is a gospel contributor.<\/p>\n

Our churches are filled with both kinds of people. It is our job as leaders, disciple-makers and those who want the entire body of Christ to be healthy help move people from the first category to the second.<\/p>\n

1. Consumers are spectators. Contributors are participants.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I\u2019d guess that most<\/em> Christians, at one point or another, feel inadequate to contribute to advancing the kingdom of God.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not entirely their fault.<\/p>\n

Every one of us is the byproduct of centuries of Christian tradition where clergy performed all of the ministry duties separate and apart from church members. As the catholic (universal church) became more Roman, the chasm between the pulpit and the pew widened.<\/p>\n

However, Paul clearly stated the purpose of the clergy is to \u201cequip the saints (believers) for the work of the ministry\u201d (Ephesians 4:12).<\/p>\n

The goal of ministers\/leaders is to equip others, not execute all the ministry themselves.<\/p>\n

As believers\u2014and as contributors\u2014we can help those who are young, stagnant or unstable in their faith get off the bench and start carrying out Jesus\u2019 commands.<\/p>\n

2. Consumers see themselves as cisterns to store truth.<\/strong> Contributors <\/strong>see themselves as channels to bestow blessing.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Every Christian could be compared to one of two bodies of water: the Jordan River or the Dead Sea.<\/p>\n

The Jordan River is an active body of water, flowing from north to south. The Dead Sea, on the other hand, has no outlets. Water comes in from the north to the lowest point in the world, and it doesn\u2019t flow back out. So the water is stagnant; it just sits there.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re either flowing, like the Jordan River, as God uses you to impact the lives of other people, or you are stagnant and lifeless, like the Dead Sea.<\/p>\n

If we\u2019re continually growing closer to and learning more about the Lord, we have one of two options: We can hoard what we\u2019ve learned for ourselves, or we can use it for the benefit of others.<\/p>\n

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We can read all of the theology we want or copy all of the methods great people of God used to become who they were, but if we do it for the edification of nobody but ourselves, we\u2019re proving to be unfaithful stewards of what God has given us.<\/p>\n

3. A consumer criticizes everything that doesn\u2019t line up with his or her preferences. A contributor appreciates what God is doing in the church. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Have you ever met someone with the gift of constructive criticism? If you\u2019ve been in church long enough, I\u2019m sure you have.<\/p>\n

How many times have you heard of churches splitting over trivial matters? Picking fights over inconsequential details? Arguing about style rather than substance?<\/p>\n

When we let things that aren\u2019t the main<\/em> thing divide us, it reveals exactly what we think about the body of Christ: It exists to cater to our own personal preferences.<\/p>\n

When believers are not investing in others and being invested in, idle time affords them the opportunity to criticize others.<\/p>\n

Discipleship groups force them to take ownership of their faith. These groups are incubators for spiritual growth, both for the person and the people they are investing in.<\/p>\n

4. A consumer comes to \u201csit and get.\u201d A contributor looks to go and serve. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

There\u2019s no conceivable way any church staff member could accomplish all the work for the gospel that needs to be done. They were never intended to be the ones doing that work in the first place.<\/p>\n

As a gospel contributor, you\u2019ll understand that the first word of the Great Commission wasn\u2019t said to only one category of person; it was said to anyone who calls Jesus, \u201cLord.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s completely fine to sit and be filled by biblical teaching or edification. But contributors will take it a step further. They know they\u2019re being filled for the specific purpose of filling others who are still empty.<\/p>\n

Think of the potential army of contributors sitting shoulder-to-shoulder each week in your padded seats or pews. What could God do if you mobilize them into the community to reach lost people and impact your city?<\/p>\n

5. A consumer only takes in for themselves. A contributor pours out to others.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

With the understanding that the work of the ministry isn\u2019t reserved only for those engaged in it vocationally comes the realization that ministry is hard<\/em>.<\/p>\n

People can be taxing. That is why it\u2019s increasingly crucial to be sure we are being filled from the only source who can sustain us to do his work: Jesus.<\/p>\n

The gospel came to you because it was heading to someone else. You\u2019re never learning for yourself, but for the people who will come after you.<\/p>\n

If we continue to believe a half-gospel\u2014that salvation is the finish line\u2014those in our churches, in our communities, and in our homes will be comfortable being consumers instead of contributors.<\/p>\n

We must ensure that we understand the critical nature of the work of the gospel in the life of believers after <\/em>salvation. When we understand that the gospel is not only for the lost, we will be able to lead people to Jesus and teach them to be like him.<\/p>\n

Making disciples is not something that only seminary-trained professors or pastors can do. You have the ability to create a disciple-making movement right where you are today.<\/p>\n

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Robby Gallaty<\/h2>\n

@Rgallaty<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Robby is the senior pastor of Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee. He’s the founder of Replicate.org and is the author of several books, including Growing Up: How to Be a Disciple Who Makes Disciples<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n