“Fishbowl Christianity”
Exodus 14:10-12
November 12, 2008
And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”
I was in charge of feeding the fish last night. He’s got a little canister of food that we sprinkle on the top of the water. When he gets ready, he’ll (I assume it is a he, but who really knows??) swim up to the top, eat his fill, and go back to life as usual. Our fish can never get outside of that fishbowl. He will swim around in the same waters in the same bowl each and every day of his life. But at least he’s got an excuse…
The children of Israel in the passage above have just experienced some of the greatest signs and wonders wrought by God since the foundation of the earth. The LORD has poured out his wrath upon the unrepentant Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Some of his wonders were replicated by the Egyptian magicians, but, as always true, there’s only so much of what the world can offer before God excels its ability. The Passover was God’s ultimate judgment, bringing about the death of all the firstborn of men and beats alike. Only the Israelites were spared this judgment with the death of the paschal lamb. The LORD saw the blood, and their lives were spared. They were delivered to a new identity by the blood of the Lamb. They were free from the bondage of the Egyptians forever.
Yet here they are swimming in the seas of captivity once again at the banks of the Red Sea. Pharaoh is closing in on them with his armies. So they cry out against God and Moses for bringing them out to die in the wilderness. Isn’t it strange how quickly our allegiances can turn against those we trust when things don’t go right? All of the provision up to this point, all of the signs and wonders didn’t make one iota of difference because their current situation was all that they knew. Kinda like a fish, huh?
In their despair, they wished that they could just be back in the bondage of the Egyptians. They feared the unknown, despite God’s provision. And so, had it been up to them, they would have been bound and taken back to Egypt to the secure bondage of their fishbowls. I think this is where the church likes to stay…in fishbowl Christianity. The demon we know is better than the devil we don’t, is it not? There’s no need to rock the boat if we’re maintaining the status quo. And we wonder why our churches all around the country are in decline! The church declines when the people resign themselves to fishbowls. We might see all the good, but “we’ll stay right here in this comfort, thank you very much.” But do you know what happens to fish after too long in the fishbowl?? They go belly up!
Let me offer you some scenarios where folks did not stay in their fishbowls. Abraham forsook the fishbowl of Haran and God offered him the Promised Land. Rahab would not settle for death and she was spared the judgment of Jericho. Noah refused, and he and his family found the safety of the Ark. Joseph denied the fishbowl of the prison and was raised as a prince. David railed against the fishbowl of his youth to become Israel’s greatest king, the slayer of giants. Esther refused to be confined to her fishbowl and she saved the Jews from destruction. Do you need more?
Peter refused to stay in the fishbowl and walked on water. Peter, James, and John were not allowed to remain in their fishbowls and brought the message of the Transfiguration to us. Paul’s fishbowl was shattered by the Risen Lord and he penned thirteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. Peter jumped out of his fishbowl of denial to build the church at Pentecost. John rose above his fishbowl on Patmos to give us the Revelation of Jesus Christ. All of these, and countless others, possessed one common characteristic: they refused to be confined to the fishbowl. Their faith took them to new heights, new accomplishments, and a deeper relationship with their LORD. Imagine what would have been lost had they stayed in the bowl! They had the option, but they dared to move beyond their confinement.
Now I don’t know what fishbowl you’re living in, but chances are fear and complacency have put you there and kept you there. But you can choose to get out. By the power of God, you do not have to live in that fishbowl forever. There are great deeds to be done for God, but not in the fishbowl. There is great joy to be experienced, but you’ll never find it inside that nasty bowl. Get out of that fishbowl; God doesn’t want you there. Christ did not die to give you the liberty to sit in the pews in comfort and security. They’re fishbowls. Christ’s life was not poured out as an offering to God to allow you to live in the bondage of sin. That’s the worst kind of fishbowl. God did not take you unto Himself just so you could maintain the status quo. God saved you for fishing, not for fishbowls!
At New Home Free Will Baptist Church, we desire to live outside our fishbowls. We believe that through the exercise of the spiritual disciplines of Bible study, Christian fellowship, prayer, discipleship, and personal righteousness that we can stay away from the confinement of the fishbowl. The LORD is preparing His people for the harvest of eternity, and we are privileged to be a part of that. Our joy would be for you to join us in our pursuit of the glory of our Lord. We are here to serve. Let us know how we might help you. Hope to hear from you soon!
In Christ,
Benjamin