“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20 The New King James Version)
Like the location of retention ponds throughout your city, the churches in your town require attention. You see, based on the Great Commission above, we are to recruit and retain disciples. Hence, the church too is a type of retention pond. Let’s look at both retention ponds.
First, let’s look at the designed ponds that you have seen, perhaps even in your area. Inarguably retention ponds need constant attention, cleaning and maintenance, or there will be negative consequences such as flooding of nearby residential areas when a strong and long storm occurs. In the absence of cleaning and maintenance, there are a number of other negative things that can happen. This includes, but is not limited to erosion issues, water quality issues (the building up of sediment and pollution that can threaten the life of living organisms in the pond), and the invasion of unwanted species that bring about degradation and damage to the soil. The required maintenance on the retention pond is never ending.
Now, let’s look at the local church, the one you attend. To retain individuals who have been recruited, it too needs constant attention. Cleaning out old ways of thinking and behaving has to be done. Maintaining biblical teaching has to happen to help protect the church and the minimize the negative impact on both nearby and not so near residential areas where people who need Jesus live. Conscious and constant efforts have to be made to make sure that interest in the Lord’s work and the faith of any individual in the church experiences erosion or loss of those who have been recruited into the kingdom. Sediment and pollution can enter the church in the form of false teaching, hypocrisy, and the failure prevent behaviors and interactions that cause individuals in this living organism, not merely an organization, call their church home. At times, and this is biblical, the church will have to administer disciplines, purging unwanted species that can bring about degradation and damage to the foundational principles on which the church is built. The church must make sure it maintains it status of being on a solid foundation, on Christ the Solid Rock. And like the pond behind your house or in your neighborhood, or in places throughout your city, the maintenance work is never ending, even to the end of the ages.
Look, we like to recruit and add new members, but shouldn’t we, church folks at all levels, whether dubbed with an official title or not; make sure that we are focusing on the retention responsibility we have? Think about what you can do in your retention pond. I think the nature of this meditation should be considered retention work. But for good measure, let me do some more by means of the selected scriptures below. Have a terrific Thursday! Be blessed!
“Take care, brothers and sisters, that there not be in any one of you a wicked, unbelieving heart [which refuses to trust and rely on the Lord, a heart] that turns away from the living God. But continually encourage one another every day, as long as it is called “Today” [and there is an opportunity], so that none of you will be hardened [into settled rebellion] by the deceitfulness of sin [its cleverness, delusive glamour, and sophistication]. For we [believers] have become partakers of Christ [sharing in all that the Messiah has for us], if only we hold firm our newborn confidence [which originally led us to Him] until the end.” (Hebrews 3:12-14 The Amplified Bible)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King