Many of you have heard me mention Bill Self several times. He preached here at Pasadena a few years go. He was one of my heroes in ministry – an incredible man and preacher. He died last year and I had the honor of speaking at his funeral.

I remember a story Bill would often tell about going fishing in Florida. Bill really was not much of a fisherman, but a member of his church invited him to go tarpon fishing. His friend said they would take his private jet. Bill had never been in a private jet before so he said, “Why not?”

They got set up on a charter and went way out into the ocean. Before long Bill had caught one big tarpon. He was feisty thing and Bill held on to it as long as he could. Finally, the captain had to help him reel it in so he would not throw away the rod. They reeled it in and it was huge. Everyone needled Bill and said that only a first time fisherman would catch a tarpon that huge!

When they came into port a wise old fisherman saw the tarpon and said, “That’s a championship fish!” Bill said proudly, “I know.” Then the man said, “You only catch a fish like that by going to the deepest parts of the bay.”

Bill was so proud of that fish, but he had to hang it on the wall of his basement because his wife would not have it upstairs!

Well, that old fisherman was right on many levels. You never catch anything worth having in the shallows. Anything worth having must be found at the deep end. In order to find the inspiration we need we can’t stay at the shallow end of life. We must go deeper.

The Bible teaches us this over and over again. There is a great passage in Ezekiel that tells of a profound vision the prophet had of the Temple. Ezekiel was sharing this vision with the exiles who were taken captive by Babylon. They were terribly discouraged and depressed. He wanted to tell them what it was going to be like when God intervened and brought them home.  

He didn’t want them to abandon their God, so Ezekiel described a vision an angel of the Lord gave him. The central part of the vision was seeing life giving water pouring out of the Temple and bringing life to the barren land of the wilderness. This water then poured into the Dead Sea and turned the salt water into fresh water. And that fresh water brought life and vitality to the Dead Sea.

I want you to see the passage that shows what God called Ezekiel to do in this vision. Take a look:

He measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in. –Ezekiel 47:3-5

God called Ezekiel into deeper waters – waters deep enough to swim in. Once Ezekiel swam in those deep waters, God showed him how those waters would bring life to a dead sea. All kinds of fish would swim in the Dead Sea. Beautiful trees would live along the sea. The dirty salt water would be made fresh and bring life and growth. But Ezekiel only experienced this vitality when he obeyed and went deeper with God.

Jesus would continue this lesson with the disciples when he went fishing with them. They hadn’t caught anything all day and were discouraged. Then Jesus jumped into the boat and said this to Simon:

“Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” –Luke 5:4

When they went into deeper waters for a catch here was the result:

They caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. –Luke 5:6-7

Both Ezekiel and Jesus teach us an eternal truth: To thrive spiritually we must go deeper with God. Ankle deep, knee deep, and waist deep will not cut it. In order for us to grow in our relationship with God and continue to grow our church, we must go deeper with God. The greatest blessings of God, the most meaningful experiences of God are at the depths of our faith.

The finest fish are found at the deepest part of the sea. The purest water is found in the deepest part of the stream. The finest diamonds are found in the deepest part of the mines. The finest gold is found in the deepest part of the vein. The best of the Christian faith, the most blessings and fulfillment is not found at the shallow end, where it is ankle deep. It is found when we are over our head and doing what only God can accomplish through us! Going deep means getting to the place where the only way we can accomplish anything is by depending on God. When we are over our heads serving God that is when the fun and adventure begins. That is when big things happen in the church and for the kingdom of God!

I love this church. I feel so blessed to be able to serve Pasadena. It is hard to believe I have been here for eight years. I love the way we serve the community. I love the way we embrace everyone. I love how we reflect the love of Christ. I love our recreational programs, Bible studies, and outreach ministries. We are doing so many things right. We truly are a community church reflecting the light of Christ in St. Pete. I am very proud of this church.

But let me tell you something. I feel convicted to say this today. God has not called Pasadena to be a good church. God calls us to be a great church! Yes, we are doing a lot of wonderful things, but God is calling us to do so much more. The only way we can be a great church is by going deeper with God. God has so much more in store for us, so much more he wants to do through us.

Pasadena is on that threshold in history of going from good to great again. We must take that next step from a good church to a great church. We must go deeper with God. Now how do we do that?

Bill Self reminded us that there are four great doctrines of the Bible. You want the Bible in four words? Here they are: There first three are God, Sin, Redemption. Everyone wants those preached. But you mention the last one and people run for the hills. The third is Stewardship.

You may be thinking, “I wonder when he was going to bring that up.” Well, we have locked all the doors and you can’t get out until all the sheep are fleeced!  It’s funny. The Girl Scouts will come running with their delicious cookies and we eagerly pull out our wallets and happily give them money. Our Alma matter will call and send letters asking for money and we feel good about supporting them. We will go to charity events and cheerfully give to worthy initiatives. But the moment a preacher gets up and asks people to give to God and his church people get all bent out of shape. Help me understand this logic! I will never apologize for asking you to give generously to God and his church. Why should I be ashamed of that?

I know pastors who are scared spitless (I said spitless) to preach about money. They will hide behind the laity and ask them to mention it. They are terrified of receiving a nasty phone call or letter. Big deal. That is nothing compare to what happened to Jesus! Jesus talked about stewardship more than any other thing. Look it up.

What does stewardship mean? It means God owns it all. We are simply caretakers of what God has given us. Steward comes from the root word “Sty ward,” ward of the sty, ward of the cattle. We are keepers of what God has given us. We are keepers of God’s garden.

Let me show you a picture of a sacred place. This is a picture of our rose garden. It is a special place. Generations of kids have been baptized in the rose garden. Many beautiful weddings have been done over the years in our rose garden. Brick memorials of loved ones in this church are there. It is a place of prayer and meditation.

It is beautiful. But guess what? It doesn’t get that way by accident. We have people in our church who are committed to keeping it vibrant and beautiful. They spend time, effort and resources to keep the fountain bubbling and the roses blooming. I love seeing our rose garden ministry taking care of that garden. They know that in order for it to thrive they must tend to it, cultivate, it, fertilize it, and invest in it.  

Folks, it is the same way with our church. God has given us this wonderful church. It is filled with wonderful people and resources. It sits on prime real estate in this area, shining as a beacon of light for Christ. For our church to continue to thrive we must invest in it, cultivate it, fertilize it, give it time and money.

Now there is that word again. Now let me say a word to those who are guests and visitors with us today. I know you didn’t come here today dreaming and hoping that the sermon would be about stewardship and money. I know that. Well, you are off the hook. You are under no obligation to give or pledge. But I do hope you come back. I don’t preach messages like this often but I do hope my message today conveys how generous this church is and you will consider joining our community of faith.

I am speaking to the members of this church – those who have committed to give your time, talents, gifts, service and witness to Pasadena Community Church. In order for our church to go from good to great we must go deeper with God, we must give extravagantly to God. Ankle deep, knee deep and even waist deep won’t cut it. In order for Pasadena to be everything God wants us to be we have to be ALL IN.  

Being “all in” means giving our financial resources to the church. It means tithing. The Bible is clear. We are to give 10 percent of our income to the Lord. That’s it! We get to keep 90 percent of it! We think nothing of tipping a waiter 20 percent. Yet God only asks for 10 percent to keep his chosen vessel in the world moving and growing, serving and loving and transforming this world! That’s a good deal.

I remember when I first learned about the importance of tithing to the church. I was just a little boy going to Sunday school. My mom would give my twin sister and me money for the offering in Sunday school. I remember one time my mom handed me the change and I said, “Mom, is this money for God?” She said, “Yes it is sweetheart.” I replied, “Is God poor?” She said, “No sweetheart, God is not poor. Everything we have belongs to God. We are just giving back some of it.” “Why?” I said. And my mom replied, “Because God wants us to help him love the world. And the church needs money to do that.”

We need to realize that we purchase things with God’s money. We are wearing shirts and driving cars with God’s money. We support movie theaters and shopping malls with God’s money. Is it so hard to understand that God just wants a little of it back to support his church?

Now we have had a good year financially, but this church is capable of so much more! In fact, and this may be difficult to hear, a significant percentage of members of this church don’t give anything.

A friend of mine had a relative visiting him in Florida. It was January, and if you live in Florida in January you discover friends and relatives you never knew you had!

Well my friend and his relative were driving around the downtown area of the city looking for a parking spot. They passed a bunch of good spots, but the relative just kept on driving. My friend said, “What’s the deal? You’ve passed a bunch of good parking spots.” The relative replied, “I’m looking for a parking meter that still has money on it.”

This is what many church members are doing: parking on someone else’s nickel. They are enjoying the fruits of the church without paying for it. They are receiving the benefits of the church’s ministries, programs, worship, and air conditioning and letting other people pay for it.

Folks, if you don’t tithe and give, something God wants done will not get done. The Church is God’s vessel in this word. We are the only bank account God has.

The problem is the church has to compete with every other charity. Jesus is walking around with an empty basket among the market place begging for money. And don’t get me wrong. It is important to support charities. Please do! But nothing should take the place of our commitment to God and his church. That comes first because the church is God’s best hope for the world. The church is the only institution that cares for people’s souls. We have the only message that will transform this world. You name for me any other institution that can do what the church does.

Many of you know that Brandy is an accountant. Some might say she is thrifty. Some might say she is something else. Don’t worry. Brandy gave me permission to say this.

Brandy grew up a “Chreaster.” She only attended church on Christmas and Easter. She didn’t grow up understanding the concept of tithing. So you can imagine when we got married she was not very pleased to find out that we would be giving 10 percent of our income to the church. She about fell over when I told her! We were putting together our money, debts and bills and she did not know how we were going to pay all that we owed and give 10 percent to the church. I explained to her the concept of tithing and how God would provide.

Well Brandy is a believer now. Since the day we were married we have always given God at least 10 percent. No we give about 12 percent. All of our debts have been paid. We have never been without. God has always provided. Why? Because I believe in the biblical principle that you can’t out give God! The more you give the more God gives in return so you can give even more!   

If this is difficult to hear, that’s ok. The Bible says God loves a cheerful giver but church will take a grumpy one! You can snarl. We can take it. Just give!  Think about it this way. If 100 people just gave $20 a week, we would have a little over $100,000 of new money to spend on ministries.

When you give, something clicks in you about the church. Yes, tithing is a spiritual discipline that reminds us to put God first. Yes, tithing reminds us that God owns it all. But when you tithe you become invested in the church. You feel more a part of its ministries and the church becomes more important to you. You get working and stop complaining. There is less talking and more doing.

I remember visiting a public pool with a friend and I made an important observation. All the noise and splashing was coming from the shallow end of the pool. At the deep end folks were exercising and swimming deeper and it was a lot quieter. This is true in the church and in every organization. All the noise and complaints come from the shallow end, where it is ankle deep, knee deep, where there is little to no investment. But at the deep end people are too busy doing God’s work to make noise.

I know this is a challenging sermon, but if I didn’t challenge you every once in awhile I wouldn’t be living up to my call as a preacher and you wouldn’t be living up to the call of God as a church. If you agreed with me all the time I wouldn’t be doing my job. Vince Lombardi said, “A coach is someone who gets people to do what they don’t want to do, so they can be what they’ve always wanted to be.” It is true. Ever watch a football team practice? Those players aren’t having fun. They are training and running until they almost collapse. But on Game Day they are ready! This quote and idea also applies to preachers, especially with sermons like this one!

Let’s read this text from Malachi:

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. –Malachi 2:10

This is what God has promised us if only we will be faithful in our giving. I came up with some other interesting numbers. We average a little over a thousand people in worship. If you took half of those folks and put them on social security and they all tithed our church would have $700,000 of new money. If one thousand were on social security and tithed the church would have about 1.4 million dollars of new money. As Bill Self liked to say, “Giving is not hard; it’s a matter of the heart.”

Speaking of Bill Self I want to conclude with another story Bill liked to tell about his son. Bill had just been through a capital campaign in the church. It was February and Bill’s young son was in a Sunday school class talking about sending Valentine’s to people in the community. They named the mayor, police chief, firefighter, etc. Then someone had the idea of sending a Valentine to God. The little critics of the class said, “How are we going to get a Valentine to God?” Bill’s son spoke up and said, “I know how we can get a Valentine to God. Put it in the offering plate.”

Let’s go deeper with God.