Are You A Reservoir or River?

A millionaire decides to throw a massive party for his fiftieth birthday. During the party he grabs the mic and he announces to his guests that down in the garden of his mansion he has a swimming pool with two great white sharks in it. “The man who dares to swim across that pool gets 1 MILLION DOLLARS.”

No one enters the pool until suddenly, there is a great splash and a man swimming as hard as he can. The fins come out of the water and the jaws are snapping and yet this guy just keeps on going. The sharks are gaining on him but somehow this guy reaches the end and he gets out of the pool, wet and soaked.

The millionaire grabs says, “I am a man of his word so would you like that money in cash, check, bonds? For you are the bravest man I have ever seen. So sir, what will it be?”

The guy says, “I have one question of my own…who pushed me in the pool!”

I want you to think about water this morning and ask yourself this question: Are you a reservoir or a river? Can your life be characterized as a pool that collects and collects and never gives OR can it be characterized as a river that constantly flows?

Churches today are filled with too many reservoir kinds of people and not enough river kinds of people. This is why so many churches have trouble meeting and surpassing their church ministries budgets. This is why so many church nominating committees can’t get enough people to serve on church committees and in the life and ministry of the church.

You see many of us are good at being “reservoirs” but poor at being “rivers.”

Jesus didn’t create His church to be filled with reservoir kinds of people. He created His church to be filled with river kinds of people – His expectation is for us to be rivers of life!

In Acts 3:1-10 we see the early leaders of the church exhibiting this kind of characteristic – being rivers of life. READ.

Acts 3:1–10 NASB95

Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer. And a man who had been lame from his mother’s womb was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms. But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, “Look at us!” And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!” And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God; and they were taking note of him as being the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

From this passage, there are 3 things it teaches us about river kinds of people. 1st it teaches us...

1. RIVER KINDS OF PEOPLE TAKE OPPORTUNITIES TO MINISTER.

A. Peter and John were on their way to worship.

- Early Christians still functioned in the frame work of the Jewish religious system.

- There were 3 main worship times in the Jewish religious system.

- Peter and John were going to the evening (3 p.m.) prayer service.

- Undstd hundreds (prob thousands) of others were going at the same time.

B. As they did so, they encountered a man in great need.

- A lame man who had been seated at the eastern gate to the Temple called “Beautiful” to beg for alms as people would pour into the Temple to worship.

PPT: People are in need all around us – people in our Church Family – people in our community –

people in our city and world. And who is going to help them if the Christians don’t help them?

C. It would’ve been very easy for Peter and John to have passed this man by.

1. They were on their way to a worship service.

2. There were scores of people flooding through the gate called Beautiful entering into the Court of the Gentiles.

3. But Peter and John stopped and took the opportunity to minister.

- They interrupted their agenda

- They didn’t rationalize the opportunity away.

- They didn’t say “leave it up to someone else.”

D. River kinds of people take the opportunity to minister.

1. They don’t keep to themselves.

2. They reach out to others.

3. They willing give of what they have.

4. They willing give of themselves.

TS – 2ndthis passage teaches us that...

2. RIVER KINDS OF PEOPLE DON’T HESITATE TO GIVE.

A. We see lame man begging for alms – financial gifts.

1. Peter and John come by and he begs them for alms.

2. Peter responds “...I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you; In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene – walk!”

3. It may be that Peter didn’t have any silver and gold at this time because he’d given back in 2:43-47 to help meet the needs of the church and the people who were in need in the church!

4. Maybe he had given out financially!

5. And now we see him giving out the most important thing he had to give = JESUS! He was offering Jesus to this man – the One who could meet his physical need and spiritual need!

B. It has been said, “You can give without loving but you can’t love without giving.”

1. Peter loved God as well as people.

2. And his giving flowed out of his love for God – his giving was a sure sign of his love for God and the work of His Kingdom.

3. You’ll never truly give until you become moved and motivated by your love for God!

C. You see, river kinds of people don’t hesitate to give!

1. They give financially to support the work of their church.

2. They give of their time, energy, commitment, dedication, talents.

3. They give the most important thing they have = JESUS.

TS – 3rdthis passage teaches us that...

3. RIVER KINDS OF PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE SOURCE OF THEIR STRENGTH.

A. Peter knew that God was the source of his strength.

1. He knew that his financial resources came from God.

2. He knew that his abilities and spiritual gifts came from God.

3. He knew that his time came from God.

4. He knew that his responsibility was to be a good steward with it all.

B. River kind of people know and understand this.

Conclusion

The story is told about a one-legged man who applied to be a missionary for a worldwide ministry. When interviewed he was asked why a man with one leg would want to take on the hard and demanding life of a missionary in a foreign country. The candidate replied, “I am going because men with two legs aren’t! I love God and His work and I desire to give all that I have to give in Christ’s name to those who need the Savior.”

That man was a “river kind” of Christian – a man who loved God and others and was willing to give.

How about you?

1. How much do you love God today – I mean really love Him?

- The truth is your giving and serving tell you a lot about your love for Him!

- You see it’s easy to give w/out loving but it’s hard to love w/out giving!

2. Do you want to be a “river kind” of Christian – constantly flowing for Him – constantly giving and serving Him? Remember...

a. “River kinds” of people take opportunities to minister.

b. “River kinds” of people don’t hesitate to give.

c. “River kinds” of people understand the source of their strength.