Don't Abandon Ship!
- Oct 12, 2016
- 6 min read
All Hands On Deck!
I know you’re all familiar with the term “Abandon Ship”: which is an imperative plea to leave a vessel immediately, usually in the face of some imminent overwhelming danger. It is an order issued by the Captain or a delegated person in command and it must be a verbal order. It is usually the last resort after all other actions have failed or become impossible, and destruction or loss of the ship is certain.
Usually that cry goes out to passengers and crew when a ship is about to sink. Some famous ship sinkings are: the Andrea Gail in 1991 which the movie the Perfect Storm was based on; most recently was the Costa Concordia off the coast of Italy in 2012 and is quite famous because the captain of that ship bailed and left the passengers to end for themselves. Then of course, we have the Titanic that sank on April 15, 1912. I remember my grandmother telling me stories about when that ship sank; she was 10 years old when it happened. Now THAT’S history!
I’m quite sure during those tragic events and other ship sinkings that the captain bellowed out, “all hands – abandon ship!”...Well, maybe not the Costa Concordia, he probably said that to himself when he jumped into a lifeboat and didn’t bother to tell the passengers the ship was sinking.
But as serious and as life threatening as those situations were; when YOUR “ship” seems to be sinking…I’m talking about your:
DISCIPLESHIP
STEWARDSHIP
FELLOWSHIP
And your WORSHIP...Don’t give the order to “abandon ship”!
Let’s dig a little deeper into these “ships” that should “pass in the night” but probably don’t.
DISCIPLESHIP – The act of accepting and spreading the teachings of the Gospel; Old & New Testaments. The term discipleship comes from the root word, disciple, which is what the 12 men Jesus chose to follow him in his 3-year ministry were called. Discipleship is vital to the kingdom of God as this is HOW the Gospel is spread. Can you imagine what this world would be like if we spread the Gospel like we spread rumors? Could you see how safe it would be to use social media if it were used ONLY to spread the Gospel? When you choose to stay “in this ship” and not abandon it, you are in accord with God’s commands:
Matthew 28:19-20 – “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Discipleship is also the on-going process of being a student of the Gospels. Being a disciple of God’s word. This is not a school where you receive a diploma or a degree; you are a perpetual student. You never cease learning or studying God’s word.
Luke 6:40 - “A disciple is not greater than his teacher, but everyone when fully trained will be like his teacher.”
Without discipleship we would never have been introduced to Gospel. Every time you open your mouth and speak God’s word you are practicing discipleship. That’s why it’s so important to study so when it’s your time to disciple, you don’t cause others to abandon ship because you’re not grounded in His word. Amen?
STEWARDSHIP - Utilizing and managing all resources God provides for His glory and the betterment of His kingdom. This term doesn’t just mean to be a faithful tither (which you should be), but it means much more than just money or finances. It means ANY resource God has given us to reach those with the Gospel. If you’ve been given the gift of speaking well, then that God-given talent should be used for His kingdom; not to rip a Sistah to shreds.
There are 4 basic principles of Stewardship:
The principle of ownership: Psalm 24:1 – “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;” It ALL belongs to God and He’s just letting us use it.
The principle of responsibility: Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work as if working for the Lord, not for man.” Use God’s resources for HIM, not YOU!
The principle of accountability: Romans 14:12 “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” I always say, I don’t want God coming back and catching me doing anything I have no business doing!”
The principle of reward: Galatians 6:9 – “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” The key is to persevere and not worry about those around you; God’s blessings are forthcoming.
When we abandon this “ship”, we’re basically telling God WE know better than He does how to manage and use HIS provisions. Now you all know if you even allowed someone to drive your car and they handled your “baby” like a dump truck you would commit a felony. Using the four basic principles, God OWNS it, God give us RESPONSIBILITY for it, God holds us ACCOUNTABLE for it, and God will REWARD us for not abandoning the ship of stewardship. Oh, and also, pay your tithes. Amen?
FELLOWSHIP – Having a friendly relationship among people; the relationship of people who share interests or feelings; a group of people who have similar interests. Notice the key words in those 3 definitions: friendly, share, similar – these are relational terms, which is what fellowship means: relationship. There are two types of fellowship: and that’s among believers and with the Lord.
Hebrews 10:24-25 – “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
I used to abandon this ship all the time. Church folk scared me. My first experience with church was not pleasant at all. I didn’t want to have to be around people that scared me; who would treat me like I didn’t belong when I was supposed to because God said so. So I took this mindset all the way to adulthood. It wasn’t until the past 20 years or so that I stopped abandoning this ship and I did so because God’s word says so. Sometimes the Captain of the ship and his mates may not be as friendly as they claim to be or as genuine as they think they are, but don’t let that stop you from obeying God’s word to fellowship. Besides, they probably won’t make it to heaven with that phony attitude anyway. Amen?
WORSHIP – The act of showing respect and love for God especially by praying with other people who believe in Him. This has also come to mean praising through Gospel or Christian music and also one of the ships I would abandon ALL THE TIME! Although I played instruments in the high school band and the love of classical music has stayed with me for decades; I haven’t always been a fan of Christian or Gospel music. Now, I could read my bible and listen to Beethoven, but I wasn’t digging the Christian music. I’m going to confess right here and now, but I used to come to church late so I would miss the music. I know, I know…don’t judge. This was one ship that I let pass in the night. But I didn’t know that worship brings us into the presence of God. I had no clue that this was the only way to “tune in” if you will, to fellowship with our Father.
King David was a man of war, so much so that he couldn’t build God’s temple but he still knew how to get in the presence of God.
Psalms 150:3-6 – “Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.”
Praise & worship. This is how it’s done. Amen?
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